A Foucault pendulum in the Tellus entryway demonstrates Earth's rotation. AJC/Jamie Gumbrecht

I heard from a lot of readers this weekend who visited Tellus: Northwest Georgia Science Museum and seemed excited about the news that it’s now a Smithsonian Affiliate, but also from readers who wanted to know more about what they’d see if they made the drive up to Cartersville.

Old vehicles are displayed on mirrors so visitors can see what's underneath. AJC/Jamie Gumbrecht

The official list of attractions at the 120,000-square foot museum includes a planetarium, mineral gallery, fossil gallery, transportation gallery and a hands-on children’s learning area. In other areas, people can dig for fossils, pan for gold, grab a snack or watch a lecture. They’re also planning more outdoor exhibitions, including a trail of trees and an exhibition about alternative energy, using a house built by students at Georgia Tech.

I visited the museum in the quiet time between school starting and field trips beginning, which meant I had a lot of time to examine exhibits without a crowd. That’s probably not the norm; as Saturday’s story pointed out, the museum is likely to beat its yearly attendance goal this month.

So, was it really fun? Yes. It totally was, and not just because I was the captain of the Science Olympiad team in high school. I saw little kids running around, ogling amethyst and dinosaur bones alike. I saw teens actually speaking to their parents without a glazed-over look. And when I first entered the children’s area, there were no children — only adults ducking into tree trunks and running sounds experiments. Giggling was the dominant sound of the day.

Here are more photos of the museum, shot by an AJC photographer during a busy day for school visits.

And here are some from my visit…

The periodic table of elements, brought to life. Tellurium, Tellus -- get it? AJC/Jamie Gumbrecht

Stan, the T-rex. When Tellus was the little Weinman museum, they could only fit poor Stan's head inside. AJC/Jamie Gumbrecht

Playing with light in the kiddo area...filled with adults. AJC/Jamie Gumbrecht

Inside the "My Big Backyard" gallery area, ostensibly for children. AJC/Jamie Gumbrecht

The fossils at Tellus usually have a local connection, and all have an actual bone from the creature on display. When alive, this guy was the size of a school bus. AJC/Jamie Gumbrecht

Want to go? Tellus: Northwest Georgia Science Museum, 100 Tellus Dr., Cartersville. $8-$12, free for members and active military. 770-606-5700, www.tellusmuseum.org.