 Fortress
Explorations is sort of like Tom Sawyer
Island meets Leonardo da Vinci. It's not really an attraction per
se, it's more like a small "land" of its own where you are free to walk
around and explore as you wish.
There are two areas of the Fortress Explorations: one is a castle
fortress, with the second being a harbor dock with a full-size Spanish
galleon.
The fortress area is my favorite. You'll discover multiple
hallways linking rooms containing fanciful displays and activities
ranging from the entertaining to the interesting to the educational.
Although you can't really get lost, it's labyrinthine enough that you
will have trouble drawing a mental map of the place until you have
visited several times.
One room contains a large model representation of the solar system;
planets can be moved independently by hand turning wheels connected to a
system of belts and pulleys. One room contains a pool with miniature
radio-controlled galleons that you can steer yourself for 100 yen. There
is a life-sized flying contraption that you can operate and kids can
climb on (don't worry--it doesn't really fly!). One room has a giant
pendulum clock, and one of the outside catwalks has cannons which you
can fire out into Mediterranean Harbor.
One thing to note: Fortress Explorations is technically located in
Mediterranean Harbor, but it's a little difficult to find if you
don't know where to look. It's located on the opposite side of
the lake from Mediterranean Harbor's main shopping area. Walk toward
Mount Prometheus, look for the Spanish galleon, and you'll find it.
Fortress Explorations is a fun diversion that all ages will enjoy. You can
see as much or as little of it as you want. And one nice thing is that
you don't have to wait in line to see it. |
