Ahead Of Eclipse Monday, 'Solar Saturday' Took Over The Mann

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Solar eclipse fever is running rampant throughout the country.

Philadelphia is no exception.

The Mann Center in West Philadelphia transformed into a space-themed festival for the whole family.

Eleven-year-old Annie was there with her friends and family. She remembers learning about solar eclipses in school.

"I learned where the moon is and the sun and the earth when it happens," she tells KYW Newsradio.

"Solar Saturday" featured hands-on science experiments courtesy of Science 2 the Max, The Please Touch Museum's Imagination Playground, Star Wars characters, space face-painting and more.

"We went on the moon bounce and got virtual reality glasses," Annie adds. "They take you into a whole other world. It's really cool."

The virtual reality glasses were given out by Susan Poulton and the Franklin Institute.

"What we had here today was the Oculus Rift which was flying people through the International Space Station," she explains. "And were giving out free google cardboards where they can download the mobile app the Franklin Institute has, and we have 55 different science-themed virtual reality experiences for free you can put inside the google cardboard."

These aren't to be confused with the solar eclipse glasses people have been struggling to find. Poulton says they, too, are out of those.

"We've gotten such a huge response on the solar eclipse," Poulton adds. "Anytime the entire country is talking about space is pretty cool."

She says they spent a good portion of "Solar Saturday" answering numerous eclipse questions about what to expect Monday.