The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame:

The Science Fiction Museum, adjacent to the EMP, is in itself worth a solid two-hour visit. Broken into four sections titled "The Homeworld," "Fantastic Voyages," "Brave New Worlds" and "Them!," each gallery has a common theme that ties together the sci-fi and pop culture artifacts that it contains. Yes, this is in fact a nerd haven, and there are masses of over-40 geeks reliving cherished memories from their tortured childhood, but this is a museum that is also approachable for the non-geek types as well.

In the Homeworld section there are some strikingly colorful and fascinating movie posters and figurines, but the real centerpiece is the giant orb in the center of the room that displays holographic images of planet earth, the Earth Star, as well as various talking heads.

One of the main highlights of the Fantastic Voyages section is a large 3-D animation exhibit that gives viewers a chance to peer over a ledge into brilliantly rendered settings such as the Matrix catacombs, the wasteland L.A. from Blade Runner, and the sky world from The Jetsons.

However, none of this compares to the greatest display in the museum, an exhibit which causes young children to scream and cry and which may cause discomfort for visitors with heart conditions. This exhibit is, in fact, a full size queen alien prop from the film Aliens, which is around ten feet tall and seems to be ready to strike out and kill at the drop of a hat.