Among the many reasons of the Israeli reality that can spoil a family, a couple or a group's vacation, there is no doubt that the weather is somewhere at the top of the list. Extreme heat or easterly winds can make your trip a disappointment, unless you have an alternative plan, or one that includes closed, air-conditioned spaces for the hottest hours of the day.
The residents of the Negev know how to give due respect to the sun, and in the south you can find quite a few attractions and visitor centers that will give you shelter from the heat. Grovetek Eshkol, for example, is a unique technology, science and space center, which has become a mecca for youth groups and adults and is also open to visits by small groups or individuals.
At Grovetech you will find, among other things, a planetarium, creative workshops or gaming, photography or robotics arenas, where you can spend a few hours and maybe even come out a little smarter.
Details: groovetech.co.il
Grovetek Eshkol, Photo: Public Relations
In the Western Galilee you will also find residents who open their homes to travelers from the heat and host a unique and intimate cooking workshop. Adi Shmuel from Kibbutz Beit HaEmek, a former chef at Jerusalem's Mahaniuda restaurant, established "Ados" in her home and conducts a variety of cooking and baking workshops in an experiential way, which is very suitable for parents and children and gives self-confidence in the kitchen.
Before or after the workshop you can have breakfast or lunch. The price per participant ranges from NIS 150 to NIS 350.
For details and reservations: Adi, 072-3941119
The Israeli Museum of Medicine and Science is located in Technoda in Hadera, a convenient location by all accounts between the north and the center of the country, which also allows refuge from the heat of the afternoon hours while spending an experiential and enriching pastime. The museum's two main experiential and interactive exhibitions deal with the human heart and brain.
The museum has several simulators that allow a glimpse into saving human lives or complex surgeries, as well as exhibits and explanations about brain activity and the human genome. Without a doubt, this is one of the most intriguing museums opened in recent years for children, but it is important to note that most of it is suitable for elementary school age children (and will certainly interest older children as well) and less suitable for younger children.
Tickets at the entrance will cost between NIS 35 and NIS 70, but there are quite a few promotions and discounts from a variety of customer clubs and labor organizations.
For details and registration: 04-6333505, med.technoda.org.il
Advantages of ancient construction
Old Acre, the fortified city that stopped Napoleon, turned out to be one huge archaeological site. With a combined ticket, which costs 49 NIS, you can visit the Knights' Halls from the Crusader period, the Templar Tunnel, the Acre Jewish Heritage Center, various museums and more. All these sites are covered or air-conditioned, and thanks to the ancient and isolated construction, even the most extreme heat will not be overfelt.
The tour lasts about four hours, if you decide to visit all the sites included in the ticket.
The City of David, which has already been mentioned in this section in the context of an experiential attraction in the capital, is a must-see site at least once in the summer. The Jerusalem summer is naturally more comfortable, but in the City of David, near Dung Gate, summer is hardly noticeable. Most of the uncovered trail is shaded, and in the wet female (suitable for children from 6 years old), carved deep into the rock, the temperature is very pleasant. Combined with the cool water that flows down to our knees, you can barely feel the scorching heat of July and August.
The Pool of Siloam, where Solomon was crowned king over the united Kingdom of Israel, is also underground, and several new attractions and simulations have been added in recent months. The visitor center, where the film about the story of Jerusalem is screened, the remains of the impressive stone structure and the remains of the Palace of David are covered and shaded, so that most of the tour takes place in the shade, except for the view of the City of David and the Kidron River.
The tour lasts about two hours (including the female). Note that in order to return to the visitor center, a seven-minute walk up the City of David is required.
The price of the tour in the City of David and the Wet Tunnel is 45 NIS, for details and reservations: cityofdavid.org.il
The Templar Tunnel, Photo: Gil Yarom
Regards from Second Temple Days
Another site that combines water, walking underground and an inexplicable fondness for combining the two is the ancient water site in Alona Park. The site, located in a natural grove near the Amikam Forest, reconstructed an underground female from the Second Temple period that was quarried for the purpose of transporting water to Caesarea.
Although the length of the female is a little less than 300 meters, combined with the film projected at the beginning of the trail and the difficult challenge of walking against the direction of the flow of water reaching a height of 70 cm, it is easy to spend about an hour on the spot.
For details and reservations: meykedem.co.il
Finally, in Be'er Sheva, the capital of the Negev that can be especially hot during the summer months, Carasso Science Park is celebrating its tenth anniversary. In recent years, the place has become a mecca for locals and visitors to Be'er Sheva, in a learning and enriching experience for the whole family. In the air-conditioned covered park, set in the heart of an Ottoman-era building in the Old City, you will find several experiments and exhibitions that make a variety of scientific topics accessible to all family members.
The park, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, joined the prestigious club of the Association of World Science and Technology Centers (ASTC), which includes the world's largest science, nature and technology museums, and even offers a family membership that grants admission to the museum as well as to more than 600 of the world's most prestigious science museums. For details and reservations: www.sci-park.co.il
The female in the City of David, photo: Eliyahu Yanai
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