Is the Robopark robot exhibition worth visiting?

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. The whole experience felt like a hot mess and the prices were way too high. Unless you're a die-hard robot fan, I'd say skip it.

How long does it take to get through the ticket line?

Be prepared to wait a while. The lines were ridiculously long and slow, and it took us a good 20-30 minutes to get through.

Can I come and go as I please?

Yes, you can come and go as you please. We liked that part of the experience, but it wasn't enough to make up for the rest of the mess.

Are the workshops worth the money?

No way. The prices were way too high, and the workshops themselves were underwhelming. I'd say skip them unless you're a hardcore robot enthusiast.

How long is the exhibition open?

The exhibition is open late, so you can visit in the evening if you want. Just be prepared for the crowds and the chaos.

Is the location easy to find?

Yes, the location in the Galeria Chizhova shopping mall is easy to find. Just head to the third floor and look for the signs.

Do the ticket prices vary depending on the day?

Yes, the ticket prices vary depending on the day. If it's a weekend or holiday, be prepared to pay more.

Can I get a refund if I'm not satisfied?

I'm not sure. We didn't try to get a refund, but I'd imagine it's possible. Just be sure to check the fine print before you buy your tickets.

Are the robots on display worth seeing?

Actually, yes. The robots on display were pretty cool and worth a look. Just don't expect too much else from the exhibition.

Robopark Robot Exhibition Review: A Waste of Money

Hello there!

We took our daughter to the Robopark robot exhibition yesterday, and I'm still trying to process the experience. She'd seen an ad on TV and was desperate to check out the robots. Of course, we couldn't resist - it's not every day you get to see something like that!

The exhibition travels from city to city, kind of like a roadshow, and in Voronezh, it's running until July 11th. We bought our tickets online.

Ticket prices vary depending on the day you visit. If it's a weekend or holiday, the ticket's going to cost more. We opted for a weekday visit, as it was more convenient and we didn't want to deal with a crowded exhibition hall.

The Voronezh exhibition is located in the Galeria Chizhova shopping mall - on the third floor.

The corridor was completely empty, and we were hoping it would stay that way.

But boy, were we wrong. There was a massive queue at the entrance, and people were moving at a snail's pace - I only realized later why.

First off, let's talk about the ticketing process. You get an electronic ticket, but to get through the security check, you've got to go through a girl who's trying to upsell you on additional services. I had to call in my phone number to get past the electronic ticket, and then she started hitting me up for a freebie - 'Want a free bracelet or sticker? You've got to take a class like 'Make Your Own Slime,' 'Cosmos in a Test Tube,' or '3D Drawing with a Marker' to get the prize.' The class costs 350 rubles, and since my kid really wanted the sticker, I ended up buying a ticket for the class.

The first thing that really bugged me was how dark the hall was. I've got astigmatism, and in low light, it's a real struggle. I had to collect myself and tough it out.

The hall had only one big robot, and that's where things started. The girl told me it could interact with us.

I wasn't sure how it was supposed to interact, because she turned on the dance mode and the robot started dancing.

The hall was full of unruly kids who were being super loud, so it was hard to hear anything if you wanted to listen.

I have to admit, the smaller robots we saw left me with a bit of an old-school vibe. They didn't feel super smart.

Take these two, for example. They only spoke Chinese. My friend said the panda was asking her to pet it, but with so many people around, it was kind of unsanitary.

And these two were supposed to dance and drive, but they kept falling over and needed a long reboot.

The next one was supposed to be an upgrade. My friend said it could be a helper around the house, bring food and tea, and even had a cup holder. But there was a catch. The robot was super finicky and just refused to do anything. She tried talking to it, but it just wouldn't respond. I wondered if it was even broken.

Then my friend apologized and offered her daughter a glowing wristband. It was nice, but we were in a pretty loud and crowded area, so it was hard to tell what was going on.

Then we came across this little guy, and he looked pretty sad. He was just sitting on the floor, so small and defenseless. We had no idea who he was or what was going on.

We walked into one room where a kid was trying to get out of a VR headset. There was a huge line of 12 people, and he just wouldn't budge. We waited for 10 minutes, but my daughter lost interest and didn't want to wait any longer.

The VR headsets were pretty cool, but we tried to play a game and couldn't figure it out. There were some kids' TVs with sensors that looked like they were meant for gaming, but we couldn't make sense of it, and there weren't any kids around to ask.

Next, we went to the space zone. It had a centrifuge that simulated what it's like to be an astronaut. There was a huge line of older kids waiting to get on.

They also had these heavy boots that made you feel like you're walking on the moon or Mars. But the darkness was overwhelming, and I couldn't see a thing.

The planets were pretty cheesy, just painted balls with a light inside. Not very realistic.

Nepptune

Uranus

Saturn

Jupiter

Mars

Earth

Mercury

Here we are again with some kid lying down, staring at virtual reality glasses for ages, and the queue is massive. You can only guess what he's looking at.

But these columns just didn't catch my attention. We approached them calmly. I thought it was just different gas.

You can touch them, though)

There were also some weird windows around.

And at the start of every hour, there was this presentation we were recommended to watch, called the 'Robot Show'. We had to walk up to the stage.

My kids were getting restless, and the hosts tried to stall by asking about the kids' names. But there were so many of them, it was hard to keep track. Eventually, they brought the kids on stage and had them dance with three little robots. One of the robots fell over, and they just picked it up and kept going.

Then they brought out a Tesla coil and pretended to summon a lightning bolt.

One of the hosts even touched it with his gloved hand.

I have to say, it felt like I was at the circus. They were trying to be entertaining, but it just looked silly and unpolished.

We'd had enough, so we headed over to the workshop. My daughter ended up choosing to do 'Cosmos in a Test Tube', which, to be honest, I wasn't even sure what that was.

We were given a glass vial and a few minutes later, I was creating my own mini cosmos. I filled the vial with a little water, added some paint, and sprinkled in some glitter. Then, I stuffed in some cotton balls. I repeated the process three times with different colors and glitter.

And just like that, I had my very own cosmos!

The masterclass we paid an extra 350 rubles for was a total letdown. It lasted a whopping three minutes, and I found myself thinking, 'What's the point?' throughout the whole thing.

To be honest, I left with a bunch of negative emotions. I asked my daughter what she enjoyed, and all she could remember was the mini cosmos in the vial. She completely zoned out when I asked her about the robots.

The thing is, with our tickets, we can come and go as we please, all day long. People are constantly leaving to grab a bite, take a break, or use the restroom, and then they come back in. It's like they're in a never-ending loop.

I've heard several people express their dislike for the place, saying they want to leave and never come back. I was right there with them. We could've spent our time doing something else, and it would've been a better use of our time. My kid was completely unimpressed, and even when I asked her to take a photo with the robot, she refused.

The Verdict.

I'm still undecided about giving it a rating. Since my daughter was mildly interested, she went and checked it out, so I'll give it two stars. To be honest, it's overpriced and not that exciting. Plus, it's dark, noisy, and there are long lines for each exhibit – we barely got to see anything. I'm pretty disappointed!