Six simple machines were identified by Renaissance-era scientists: the lever, the wheel and axle, the pulley, the inclined plane, the wedge, and the screw. These simple machines form the building blocks of all more complex machinery, enabling an infinite variety of physical work to be done more easily and efficiently by using leverage to amplify force. Sound a bit complicated? In some ways. But in others, it’s a concept simple enough for children to grasp — especially children who visit the Six Simple Machines Discovery Zone, a unique playground and park at the Heritage Farm Museum & Village in West Virginia.
Heritage Farm Museum & Village is a life-size model of an Appalachian community from the 1800s that’s been reconstructed near the bustling, modern city of Huntington, West Virginia.
Heritage Farm / Facebook
It’s a wonderful place, full of museums, a petting zoo, a nature center, artisans, ziplines, and even a mountain bike course.
Heritage Farm / Facebook
One lesser-known (but award-winning!) feature of the park is its playground.
Heritage Farm / Facebook
What? Heritage Farm Village has a playground? It does.
Heritage Farm / Facebook
The quirky, one-of-a-kind educational park and playground known as the Six Simple Machines Discovery Zone at Heritage Farm Museum in Huntington, West Virginia boasts a windmill, a conveyer belt, slides, bridges, pulleys, and more.
Heritage Farm / Facebook
The windmill that towers over this unique park and playground is even equipped with solar panels that power a water well!
Heritage Farm / Facebook
Children who visit this park have the opportunity to experience first hand, in a fun, memorable, accessible way, all sorts of important physics concepts, including work, energy efficiency, friction, force, mechanical advantage, simple machines, complex machines, and more.
Heritage Farm / Facebook
It’s just one more way Heritage Farm Museum & Village is the perfect family-friendly West Virginia day trip for all ages.
Heritage Farm / Facebook
Learn more about planning a trip to this pioneer village on the Heritage Farm website. The museum is open regularly during the months of May through October and for some limited special events in December. Admission tickets to the farm grounds can be purchased online, and you can even opt to spend the night here at this versatile historic park!
Heritage Farm / Facebook
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Address: Heritage Farm Museum & Village, 3300 Harvey Rd, Huntington, WV 25704, USA
