What can I expect to see and do at the Visit-Center museum?

At the Visit-Center museum, you can explore the park's history and natural complex through interactive exhibits and displays. You can also sign up for excursions, buy souvenirs, and learn about upcoming events.

Is the Visit-Center museum suitable for children?

Yes, the Visit-Center museum is a great place for kids to learn and have fun. The interactive interior and welcoming atmosphere make it an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

Can I buy souvenirs at the museum?

Yes, the Visit-Center museum has a souvenir shop with a great selection of unique items that make perfect mementos.

Are the museum's hours of operation flexible?

The museum's hours of operation are generally fixed, but it's best to check with the staff or website for the most up-to-date information.

Can I sign up for excursions and activities at the museum?

Yes, the Visit-Center museum offers a range of excursions and activities that you can sign up for on site or in advance.

Is the museum wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the Visit-Center museum is wheelchair accessible, with ramps and elevators to ensure that all visitors can navigate the space easily.

Can I take photos inside the museum?

Yes, you're welcome to take photos inside the museum for personal use, but please be respectful of other visitors and exhibits.

Are there any special events or exhibitions at the museum?

Yes, the Visit-Center museum hosts a range of special events and exhibitions throughout the year, so be sure to check their website or social media for the latest information.

How do I get to the museum?

The Visit-Center museum is located in the Narzan Gallery building, which is easily accessible by car or public transportation.

Visit-Center Museum Review: Kislovodsk's Hidden Gem

Hello!

We spent our second summer in Kislovodsk, and we had walked along the Kurortny Boulevard multiple times, but we only visited the Visit-Center museum this year. Honestly, there wasn't much advertising for this place in the city, so I found out about it online. The information boards near the entrance didn't really grab our attention.

Visit-Center, Kislovodsk The museum is located in the Narzan Gallery building, in the part that's like the 'head of the key'. The building itself is shaped like a key.

The Visit-Center of the Kislovodsky National Park is like the 'key' to the park. Here, you can get familiar with its history and development, natural complex, attractions, and interesting routes, sign up for excursions, and buy souvenirs, as well as find out about upcoming events.

Once you've opened the doors to the Visit-Center, you'll never forget it, and you'll definitely come back to its welcoming walls again!

The interactive museum's exposition, which is dedicated to the history and nature of the park, is located in the historic Narzan Gallery building and features over 30 amazing installations that can reveal almost two centuries of the park's history to the visitor, transport them to the past or future, and even let them touch nature, listen to its sounds, and smell its scents...

This is the most modern museum in southern Russia, consisting of easily accessible exhibits:

I was stoked about the interactive exhibits they had - you could touch, listen, look, and even smell the scents; realistic park and nature reserve models; 'live' books; virtual reality goggles; a time-lapse microscope; augmented reality or a stroll with prehistoric animals; a journey to the age of dinosaurs; and a panoramic hall of the 'Seasons'.

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Choose what caught your attention and explore the Visitor Centre on your own or join a guided tour!

Visitor Centre, KislovodskThe first thing you'll notice inside near the entrance is the opening hours and ticket prices. They'll also offer you some slippers to wear.

Open to visitors From 09-00 to 18-00, no breaks or weekends. Admission: 400 rubles - adult, 300 rubles - child. Pensioners – 350 rubles. Children under 3 years old with adults, people with disabilities 1 and 2 groups, WWII veterans - free.

I paid 1000 rubles for one adult and two children's tickets. The MCC-code for this place is 7298 - beauty and health salons. I was surprised, maybe it's because the museum is located in a narzan gallery building. Although I was expecting to get my increased cashback for museums and entertainment.

Visitor Centre, KislovodskThere's also an interactive centre for kids here, but we didn't go in.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk The lobby has an interactive park model you can check out for free.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk When you choose a park attraction on the screen next to the model, the corresponding light turns on at the model, and you can see a photo of that object on the screen.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk I really liked the level of detail. It was fun trying to find places we'd already visited and planning our next stops.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk The museum has a huge collection of park photos, showing off its attractions, flora, and fauna. Visit Center, Kislovodsk Visit Center, Kislovodsk The museum has several themed rooms. The first one is dedicated to geology.

The mineral stands are interactive - when you press each rock, a description with photos appears on several pages, and you can flip through them. I was surprised that my teenage daughter got interested in this section.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk On one of the walls, there's a video showing the history of the Caucasus, its mountains, and narzan. For example, my kids and I learned that Mount Elbrus is a sleeping volcano, with lava still flowing inside. And that's where narzan originates from. The process of its formation is illustrated on a diagram.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk The next room has an interactive map of Russia's nature reserves and national parks. You can select any object from the list on the screen and learn more about it. Kislovodsk Information Center I was also impressed by the fact that they share some interesting facts about the nature reserves and national parks here. For instance, I learned that Kislovodsky Park is the smallest of Russia's national parks.

Kislovodsk Information Center In the same hall, there's a 'living' Red Book of Russia. You can flip through it, and on each page, the image changes. They also have a similar book about the park's flora and fauna in another hall, but some of the pages aren't working properly.

Kislovodsk Information Center The next hall is huge, and it's packed with interesting stuff. For example, there's a model of the Narzan Gallery, which is the place where Kislovodsky Park was founded.

The model has beautiful lighting and is very detailed. There's also the famous fountain with frogs nearby.

Kislovodsk Information Center And this is the entrance to the Information Center.

Visit Center, KislovodskWe didn't stay in this hall for long because my son got spooked by the dinosaurs. We also couldn't get him interested in the egg you can climb into and take a photo with. In fact, this spot used to be a kids' corner, and you can still see the markings on the floor.

Unfortunately, the time machine wasn't working on the day we visited.

Visit Center, KislovodskWe saw three dinosaurs, but this part of the museum isn't interactive, so you can't touch them.

Visit Center, KislovodskHowever, you can take a selfie with the dinosaur on the augmented reality screen.

Visit Center, KislovodskThe next room is the 'Seasons' panoramic hall. Here, they've got a really cool video showing the park in different seasons, highlighting its main attractions and sharing the park's history. It's both fascinating and beautiful.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk Visit Center, Kislovodsk The next hall is the biggest, and we spent a significant amount of time exploring it during our visit.

Along the entire wall, there's a timeline of dinosaurs to the present day, highlighting key historical moments in the park and city's history. It's accompanied by quotes from famous people about these places.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk One of the first exhibits in this hall is the tools and weapons of the first inhabitants of these areas, discovered by archaeologists. You can see them in person and in photos.

Visitor Center, Kislovodsk Also, there's an interesting stand with tourist artifacts from the moment the resort was founded to the present day. It features albums, photos, drinking vessels, and souvenirs. The stand is interactive, and each item has its own interesting story.

I was curious to see the drinking vessels people used to drink narzan 200 years ago. They were pretty big wooden cups. Back then, there was no science of balneology, and people didn't know that you didn't need to drink narzan by the liter - just one cup three times a day would do.

Visitor Center, Kislovodsk The works to set up Kislovodsk Park were started 200 years ago.

Visitor Center, Kislovodsk The birth of the park is shown in detail on another interactive horizontal stand.

Visitor Center, Kislovodsk At first, the territory was just pastures, but after the benefits of narzan were proven, the area started to be developed actively. Visit Center, Kislovodsk I was impressed by how they've preserved the site where the source was discovered. They've built a Narzan Gallery right there.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk The exhibit showcases every significant stage of the park's construction, and you can even hear the audio guide.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk Next to it, there's an interactive display with information about the park's interesting spots.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk Along the wall, there are interactive tables dedicated to the park's flora and fauna. You can see animals, birds, plants, and even mushrooms on the screens.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk Touching the buttons lets you see, hear, and even smell the park's scents.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk The museum has a vast collection of plants and mushrooms, as well as taxidermied small animals and birds.

Visitor Center, Kislovodsk On each table, there are illuminated hatches with things you can find in the park, like pinecones and branches from evergreen plants.

Visitor Center, Kislovodsk They also have herbariums with flowers. You can even smell their scents by pressing the button next to them.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk One of the highlights of the museum was seeing the taxidermied birds, snakes, rodents, and bats.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk We saw some of these butterflies in person in the park, and the kids even learned their names.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk Visit Center, Kislovodsk Each table had a few large illuminated buttons: see, hear, and smell. Opposite each button was the corresponding icon: an eye, an ear, and a nose.

Visit Center, Kislovodsk Visit Center, Kislovodsk The images appeared on screens above the table, and to hear the sounds of nature, you had to put on headphones, while the smell would come out of a special hole next to the button.

Visit Center, KislovodskWe visited the museum in the evening and stayed until closing time. By the end, we were the only ones left. You can explore the exhibits on your own or sign up for a guided tour. The room had a host who showed us how to use the exhibits, and she was always available to answer any questions. The staff were super friendly.

This museum was a hit with both me and the kids. It's way more engaging to learn about nature by pressing buttons, listening to sounds, and smelling aromas than just looking at taxidermied animals and reading information on plaques.

We learned a ton about the Caucasus, Kislovodsk, narzan, and the park. All the information was presented in an accessible and interesting way.

I'd definitely recommend visiting this museum if you're staying in Kislovodsk.

You might also be interested in reading reviews for other Kislovodsk attractions:

Sanatorii im. Orjonikidze;

Kanatnaya doroga na goru Maloe Sedlo;

Plyazh Starogo ozera v Kislovodsk;

Leonidovskaya lestnitsa;

Kaskadnaya Lestnitsa;