Exploreum Science Center

Winter Academy - Day 5
2023-12-22 08:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago)
The Exploreum Academy Winter Session 2023 will take place from December 18th to December 22nd. Students will plunge into the world of polar sciences through hands-on activities and experiments that explore ecology, zoology, earth sciences, and engineering principles of the coldest place on our planet.
Winter Session registration will be a set at a daily rate of $55 for Non-Members and $45 for Members. There will be two different classes available for registration per daily registration: a 4-6yr class and a 7-10yr class.
Exploreum Academy T-shirts are required for all students and can be purchased within registration. T-shirts are $12.
Lunches will be available for purchase for $8 per day. If lunches are not purchased at the time of registration, lunches can be purchased for $10 a day. For more information about the menu, please email Savannah Holland at sholland@exploreum.com.
Make sure to sign and submit the Parent Consent web form in addition to your registration. Complete the form by clicking here.

Last Day Open
2023-12-23 10:00 - 16:00
Today is your last chance to visit the Exploreum and Polar Exploration exhibit before we close to the public for a month! We will be installing the iCuba! Exhibit during this time and will be back in business on January 30th, 2024!

Saturday Science!
2023-12-23 11:30 - 15:30
Don’t miss your last chance to see some crazy science demonstrations and the Polar Exploration exhibit!
This Saturday is the last day we will be open until January 29th, 2024. Come for the science, stay for the fun. Admission is free for members, and non-members get in for the price of general admission; Polar Exploration is included with admission—additional cost for Digital Dome movies.
Saturday Demo Schedule
11:30- Gulf Coast Animals in the Wharf Of Wonder
12:30- Dragon’s Breath in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Bernoulli’s Planets in the Space Gallery
3:30-Head’s up in the ihealthy Lab
Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

Closed for ¡Cuba! Exhibit Installation
2023-12-24 - 2024-01-29
We will be closed for the ¡Cuba! exhibit installation from Sunday, December 24, 2023 through Tuesday, January 30, 2024.

More on the ¡Cuba! exhibit can be found here.

For education inquiries please contact:
Savannah Holland
sholland@exploreum.com
1-251-208-6892

For all group visit and field trip inquiries please contact:
Monica Dunklin
mdunklin@exploreum.com
1-251-208-6880

For facility rentals please contact:
Elyssa Simpson
rentals@exploreum.com
1-251-208-6857

For marketing and public relations information please contact:
Josh Holland
jholland@exploreum.com
1-251-208-6852

SOLD OUT - Una Noche En Cuba
2024-01-25 18:00 - 22:00
This event is officially SOLD OUT. Thanks to everyone for their support from buying tickets to performers, partners, and sponsors!

Please join us in celebrating the opening of the exciting new exhibit ¡Cuba! on Thursday, January 25, 2024 at the Exploreum Science Center in the heart of Downtown Mobile!
We kick off this exhibit with our special, ticketed only event Una Noche En Cuba featuring live music from Mofongo Latin Band, performances by the Mobile Ballet, with catering provided by Las Floriditas, wine from United-Johnson Brothers of Alabama LLC., and additional libations by Braided River Brewing Company.

Dress Code for Una Noche En Cuba:
Semi-formal attire with Cuban flare. For example, traditional style Guayabera shirt paired with linen pants (fedora optional) or a Cuban rumba inspired dress.
Dress along those lines are encouraged, but guests are welcome to put their own spin on things as long as it fits in the realm of semi-formal attire.
No jeans, tennis shoes or baseball/sports style hats.

¡CUBA! Exhibit Sponsors
Title Sponsor: City of Mobile
Premier Sponsor: Sweet Home Alabama
Major Partners: Mobile County – District 2 & Austal USA
Media Sponsor: WKRG-TV5
Hotel Sponsor: Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel
Educational Sponsor: University of South Alabama’s Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences
Additional Sponsors/Partners: Alabama Power, Spire Energy, Blue Cross And Blue Shield of Alabama, Mobile County Marketing Fund, Las Floriditas, Mobile Ballet

¡Cuba! Exhibit
2024-01-30 - 2024-06-27
¡CUBA! OPENS AT EXPLOREUM SCIENCE CENTER IN 2024.
EXHIBITION EXPLORES THE ISLAND’S RICH BIODIVERSITY AND CULTURE

Cuba is a place of exceptional biodiversity and cultural richness, and now a new bilingual exhibition at the Exploreum will offer visitors fresh insights into this island nation just 94 miles from Florida’s shores. With a close look at Cuba’s unique natural history, including its native species, highly diverse ecosystems, and geology, ¡Cuba! also explores Cuba’s history, traditions, and contemporary Cuban voices to inspire novel perspectives on this dynamic country. Organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, ¡Cuba! will be on view starting Spring 2024.
Technically an archipelago of more than 4,000 islands and keys, Cuba is the largest island nation in the Caribbean—and one of the region’s most ecologically diverse countries. About 50 percent of its plants and 32 percent of its vertebrate animals are endemic, meaning they are found only on the island. The exhibition will include live animals, specimens, and lifelike models representing the island’s distinctive wildlife, from a venomous mammal to the world’s smallest bird. Biodiversity displays were developed by the American Museum of Natural History in close collaboration with scientists at the Cuban National Museum of Natural History (Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Cuba, MNHN). Highlights include a re-creation of the Zapata wetlands, home to the endangered Cuban crocodile, and a reconstructed cave environment.

Title Sponsor: City of Mobile
Premier Sponsor: Sweet Home Alabama
Major Partners: Mobile County – District 2 & Austal USA
Media Sponsor: WKRG-TV5
Hotel Sponsor: Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel
Educational Sponsor: University of South Alabama’s Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences
Additional Sponsors/Partners: Alabama Power, Spire Energy, Blue Cross And Blue Shield of Alabama, Mobile County Marketing Fund, Las Floriditas, Mobile Ballet

EDUCATOR’S RESOURCES
¡Cuba! Educator’s Guide
¡Cuba! Visitor’s Guide (English)
¡Cuba! Visitor’s Guide (Spanish)
Additional Resources via AMNH can be found here including English and Spanish reading guides and more. CLICK HERE.
More resources coming soon so check back periodically.

For field trips and group booking inquiries please contact:
Monica Dunklin
mdunklin@exploreum.com
1-251-208-6880

The exhibition opens with life-sized portraits of modern Cubans paired with short excerpts from interviews, offering a chorus of voices—from Cuba and abroad, young and old, urban and rural, pragmatic and optimistic. A long, open boulevard evoking the street life one might find in a Cuban city will invite visitors to discover Cuban culture through music, games, and a variety of interactive experiences. Other highlights include a pair of altars celebrating orisha religion, an Afro-Cuban spiritual tradition also known as Santeria; a gallery showcasing contemporary Cuban art; and a display on the cultivation of one of Cuba’s most famous crops, tobacco. An introductory film about Cuba’s history—including its first peoples, slavery, sugar industry, and the 1959 revolution—will provide visitors with historical context for contemporary realities.
The American Museum of Natural History has long collaborated with Cuban scientists at a number of institutions, including the MNHN, the University of Havana, the Cuban Botanical Society, and the National Enterprise for the Protection of Flora and Fauna. Museum scientists have led and participated in nearly 30 expeditions and field projects to Cuba for more than 125 years.

Building on this long legacy, the American Museum of Natural History launched a research collaboration with Cuba under the banner of Explore21—a comprehensive Museum initiative that began in 2013 to foster a series of innovative scientific expeditions to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. In the fall of 2015, the Explore21 Expedition to Cuba sent a team of Museum and Cuban scientists to Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, one of the most remote and biologically important areas of the country, to advance the understanding of Cuban biodiversity, its evolution, biogeography, and conservation. ¡Cuba! will feature footage from the expedition’s survey.
The U.S. and Cuba share ecosystems and biodiversity, and face shared environmental challenges. For example, Cuba, which is located just 94 miles south of Florida, provides important wintering habitats for more than 280 bird species that breed in the United States. The two countries share 49 animal species and eight plant species that are characterized as “globally threatened” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. And invasive species, like the red lionfish, prey on the native fish and disrupt ecosystems ranging from waters off of North Carolina all the way down to the Caribbean.
“We share environments and environmental interests,” said ¡Cuba! co-curator Ana Luz Porzecanski, director of the American Museum of Natural History’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation. “Cuba’s nature has been protected both because of historical circumstance and because Cubans themselves have been very committed to protecting their biodiversity. Collaborations in education and research are critical, as they underpin conservation efforts and shape a sustainable vision of the future.”
¡Cuba! will look at the environmental challenges the country faces, as well as the many effective conservation laws and measures in place to preserve its unique landscape. As the political and economic relationship between the U.S. and Cuba continues to evolve, the exhibition aims to promote visitor understanding of Cuba’s history as well as its future.
“We really want to surprise visitors with details about Cuba that they’ve never thought about before,” said ¡Cuba! co-curator Chris Raxworthy, curator-in-charge of the American Museum of Natural History’s Department of Herpetology. “We hope this exhibition relays an understanding of who the people of Cuba are, how the island nation is biologically unique, how it is connected to the world, and what it’s like to live in Cuba now.”

Exhibition Topics
A Stroll in the City: Cuba’s city streets have been shaped by the country’s history as a Spanish colony and by the enormous wealth created by the sugar industry beginning in the early 1800s. In Havana, Cienfuegos, Camagüey, and many other Cuban cities, stately plazas and grand boulevards are lined with colonnades—covered walkways with graceful arches and columns inspired by Renaissance Europe and ancient Greece and Rome. These airy, multicolored arcades offer protection from the elements as well as open space for community life. The ¡Cuba! exhibition features a long, open city boulevard emulating a street you might find in Cuba. Tables lining the exhibition’s street encourage visitors to try their hand at Cuban dominoes, which, unlike American dominoes, have tiles with up to nine dots; enjoy the aroma of a cup of Cuban coffee, called a cafecito; listen to music you might find on a Cuban radio station today, ranging from classical to rock; and check out Cuba’s 16 baseball teams.
A 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air reveals the story behind the vintage cars that famously rumble down Cuban streets. From 1959 until recently, the Cuban state tightly restricted car imports and sales. At the same time, the United States’ embargo banned most exports to Cuba, including car parts, so Cubans have found ingenious ways to keep old cars running, despite a shortage of spare parts.

Nature: ¡Cuba! explores the extraordinary biodiversity found in the island’s remote forests, mysterious caves, expansive wetlands, and dazzling reefs through immersive exhibits that developed by the American Museum of Natural History with colleagues at MNHN.
The mountainous area of eastern Cuba that includes Alejandro de Humboldt National Park (named for Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt) is among the most biologically diverse island sites on the planet—and is now carefully protected. In the exhibition, visitors will learn about some of the rare animals that live there: the mammal Solenodon cubanus, known in Cuba as the almiquí, which secretes venomous saliva through a groove in its front teeth and was once thought extinct, and the bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), which at about 1/20th of an ounce is the smallest bird in the world—smaller than many bees. Visitors also will see species of live reptiles and amphibians, including the Cuban boa (Chilabothrus angulifer), the Cuban tree frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis), which produces toxic mucus that irritates people’s eyes, and six different species of tree-dwelling lizards called anoles.

Cuba is pitted with caves, created over millions of years as water dissolved underground limestone. Hidden from view, shielded from the elements, caves harbor tantalizing traces of Cuba’s past. Although the written record of Cuba’s people begins in 1492, its caves reveal evidence of a human prehistory thousands of years long. Based on artifacts preserved in those caves, scientists have evidence that people came to the island in a number of waves starting 6,000 or more years ago and may have had their origins in Central America, in South America, or even North America. Cave deposits also reveal that Cuba once had its own unique set of land animals, many of which are now extinct, including an extinct giant owl, Ornimegalonyx, the largest owl that ever lived. The exhibition features a life-sized model of this 39-inch-tall bird. A variety of interactive exhibits—including one that explores landmass changes and sea-level rise over deep time and a “hidden animals” game that invites players to search for Cuban wildlife in its natural habitat—lets visitors discover more about Cuba’s geology and biodiversity.

On the southwest side of Cuba, the Zapata peninsula contains the largest and most important wetlands in the Caribbean. Covering 1.5 million acres, the immense Zapata Biosphere Reserve includes marshes, peat bogs, mangroves, coral reefs, and forests that support a complex web of life, including frogs, turtles, fish, shellfish, birds, and countless plants and insects, making its conservation a top priority for the entire region. An immersive walk-through reconstruction of this reserve will introduce the exhibition’s visitors to these animals, including the two species of crocodiles that live in Cuba: the Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) and the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus). Both have suffered steep declines from overhunting and habitat loss. But with only a few thousand individuals remaining, the Cuban crocodile has the smallest population, and the smallest geographical range, of any crocodile. The Zapata wetlands are the only place where significant numbers of this critically endangered species still live in the wild. Since 1999, a team of U.S. and Cuban scientists led by George Amato, director of the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics at the American Museum of Natural History, have been working in Zapata and Wildlife Refuge Monte Cabaniguán on a long-term study of the evolution and conservation of the two crocodile species.

Not far from the main island of Cuba, along a string of jewel-like keys called Gardens of the Queen, silvery fish zip past banks of coral studded with colorful starfish, sea fans, and sponges. To protect this vital diversity, Cuba has created the largest marine reserve in the Caribbean. Coral reefs are some of the richest ecosystems on Earth, and on many Caribbean coastlines, they are in danger of disappearing. But in this protected area in Cuba, the reef is wonderfully alive. An open coral reef diorama in ¡Cuba! showcases some of that life, including hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), which nest on beaches in Gardens of the Queen, and spotted eagle rays (Aetobatus narinari), which move between Cuba and the coasts of Florida and Mexico.

Culture: Cuba is home to more than 11 million people, who can trace their ancestry to indigenous people, Spanish colonists, African slaves, and immigrants from the Philippines, China, Europe, the Canary Islands, Jamaica and Haiti. A wide variety of religious traditions coexist in Cuba, and in recent decades, their role in Cuban society has grown. In the early years of the Cuban Revolution, the government declared Cuba an atheist state and suppressed organized religion. But new constitutions in 1976 and especially 1992 recognize the right to religious freedom. Today, many churches and temples in Cuba maintain strong ties with congregations in the United States and other countries. Cubans from many different walks of life find inspiration in orisha religion, a spiritual practice with West African roots often called Regla de Ocha, or Santería. Those who follow this path seek guidance from orishas, sacred beings who reign over human endeavors and the forces of nature. Ceremonies take place inside a home, rather than a public temple or church. To honor the orishas, practitioners sometimes create elaborate altars or “thrones”—sacred spaces that present these powerful beings in regal splendor. Two such thrones were created especially for display in the exhibition.

When Spanish sailors first explored Cuba in 1492, they returned with accounts of tall forests, chattering birds, and men and women going from place to place “with a firebrand of weeds in their hands to take in the fragrant smoke.” Before long, Spanish colonists were growing and smoking tobacco, too. As the demand for tobacco spread, the “weeds” became a profitable crop, powered by the labor of African slaves who also made possible the lucrative trade in coffee and especially sugar. Cuba opened its first cigar factories in the early 1800s. Today, cigars are still one of Cuba’s leading exports, with around 100 million handcrafted and shipped around the world every year. To plant, tend, and prepare fine tobacco for Cuban cigars, farmers use exacting methods passed down over generations. Working meticulously, they pick leaves one by one, string them along wooden poles, and hang them in sheds with vents that can open and close to control temperature and humidity. Visitors can see a replica of one of these sheds in the exhibition. Over weeks, the leaves cure, losing water and turning from bright green to soft brown. Professional rollers called torcedores make each cigar by combining leaves from different varieties of tobacco. Cigars are sorted by color, checked for flaws, and then boxed for sale.

Perhaps best known as the birthplace of rhythmic dances like the mambo and the cha-cha, Cuba is also home to a rich ballet tradition and film making—and a broader art scene that is dynamic and constantly evolving. The Cuban government has supported the arts through specialized schools, galleries, concert halls and many other cultural institutions and programs, but it has also limited some artistic expression. Since the 1990s, reforms have allowed artists to travel abroad and sell their work more freely, and today, many Cuban artists collaborate with artists outside Cuba and display or perform their work on the global stage. In ¡Cuba! visitors will see a large collection of original posters created in the last decade by a new generation of Cuban artists. Most of the artworks on display were commissioned by government-run cultural institutions to advertise plays, films, festivals, and concerts, but recent years have also seen a blossoming of art and design as an autonomous and independent enterprise. The exhibition also includes an interactive art “gallery”—a room where visitors can choose paintings, sculptures, or performance art created by Cuban artists to be projected on the walls.

¡Cuba! is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org) in collaboration with the Cuban National Museum of Natural History.
About the American Museum of Natural History (amnh.org)

The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869, is one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. The Museum encompasses more than 40 permanent exhibition halls, including the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals which opened in 2021 – and those in the Rose Center for Earth and Space and the Hayden Planetarium, as well as galleries for temporary exhibitions. It is home to New York State’s official memorial to Theodore Roosevelt, a tribute to Roosevelt’s enduring legacy of environmental conservation. The Museum’s scientists draw on a world-class research collection of more than 34 million artifacts and specimens, some of which are billions of years old, and on one of the largest natural history libraries in the world. Through its Richard Gilder Graduate School, the Museum grants the Ph.D. degree in Comparative Biology and the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree, the only such free-standing, degree-granting programs at any museum in the United States. The Museum’s website, digital videos, and apps for mobile devices bring its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs to millions more around the world. Visit amnh.org for more information.

EDUCATOR’S RESOURCES
¡Cuba! Educator’s Guide
¡Cuba! Visitor’s Guide (English)
¡Cuba! Visitor’s Guide (Spanish)
Additional Resources via AMNH can be found here including English and Spanish reading guides and more. CLICK HERE.
More resources coming soon so check back periodically.

Also featuring Cuba on the Poarch Band of Creek Indians Digital Dome Theater (formerly IMAX). Click the image below for a sneak peek of this stunning new movie.

CUBA tells the powerful story of a land preserved in time, yet poised on the cusp of dramatic change. The nation’s vibrant culture, meticulously maintained colonial architecture, and pristine ecosystems provide a vivid window into the island’s history and spirit. CUBA will transport audiences across breathtaking landscapes, under the ocean surface to iridescent reefs, and into streets throbbing with music and dance in the heart of Havana. Through the eyes of Cuban artists, historians, and scientists, the film provides an intimate look this vivacious island nation. Filmed exclusively for giant screen formats, CUBA reveals why Cuba continues to stir the imagination of the world. CUBA is produced by Golden Gate 3D, in association with BBC Earth, Giant Screen Films and the Giant Dome Theater Consortium.
CUBA Movie Educator’s Guide Download

Saturday Science!
2024-02-03 11:30 - 15:30
Saturday Science!
Don’t miss your last chance to see some crazy science demonstrations and to see the iCuba! Exhibit!
Guess what’s back! Saturday Science is back in business so come for the science and stay for the fun. Admission is free for members, and non-members get in for the price of general admission; iCuba! is not included with admission.
Saturday Demo Schedule
11:30- Reptile Rumble in the Wharf Of Wonder
12:30- Flaming Hands in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Bernoulli’s Planets in the Space Gallery
3:30-Head’s up in the ihealthy Lab
Every Saturday we have demonstrations happening from 11:30am to 3:30pm. The schedule and location will change each week.
Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

Saturday Science!
2024-02-10 11:30 - 15:30
Saturday Science!
Don’t miss your last chance to see some crazy science demonstrations and to see the iCuba! Exhibit!
Guess what’s back! Saturday Science is back in business so come for the science and stay for the fun. Admission is free for members, and non-members get in for the price of general admission; iCuba! is not included with admission.
Saturday Demo Schedule
11:30- Gulf Coast Animals in the Wharf of Wonder
12:30- Dragon’s Breath in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Alka Seltzer Rockets in the Space Gallery
3:30-Organ Exploration in the ihealthy Lab
Every Saturday we have demonstrations happening from 11:30am to 3:30pm. The schedule and location will change each week.
Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

Saturday Science!
2024-02-17 11:30 - 15:30
It’s a Reptile Rumble this Saturday at the Exploreum during Saturday Science! Come for the science and stay for the fun. Admission is free for members, and non-members get in for the price of general admission; iCuba! is not included with admission.
Saturday Demo Schedule
11:30- Reptile Rumble in the Wharf Of Wonder
12:30- Disappearing Water in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Bernoulli’s Planets in the Space Gallery
3:30-Kitchen Chemistry in the ihealthy Lab

Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

Saturday Science!
2024-02-24 11:30 - 15:30
Saturday Science!
Get your flame on with us at the Exploreum during Saturday Science! Come for the science and stay for the fun. Admission is free for members, and non-members get in for the price of general admission; iCuba! is not included with admission.
Saturday Demo Schedule
11:30- Gulf Coast Animals in the Wharf Of Wonder
12:30- Flaming Hands in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Bernoulli’s PLanets in the Space Gallery
3:30-Head’s Up in the ihealthy Lab
Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

Saturday Science!
2024-03-02 11:30 - 15:30
Saturday Science!

Join us as we BLAST OFF to a new world of science this weekend in our space gallery! From crazy kitchen chemistry to encountering animals of the Gulf Coast you are in for a ride at this week’s Saturday Science! Come for the science and stay for the fun.
Saturday Demo Schedule
11:30- Reptile Encounter in the Wharf Of Wonder
12:30- Dragon’s Breath in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Alka Seltzer Rockets in the Space Gallery
3:30-Kitchen Chemistry in the ihealthy Lab
Admission is free for members, and non-members get in for the price of general admission; iCuba! is not included with admission.
Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

Saturday Science!
2024-03-09 11:30 - 15:30
Saturday Science!
Try not to float away when we demonstrate Bernoulli’s principle this weekend during Saturday Science! Come for the science and stay for the fun. Admission is free for members, and non-members get in for the price of general admission; iCuba! is not included with admission.
See the schedule for this week!
Saturday Demo Schedule
11:30- Gulf coast Animals in the Wharf Of Wonder
12:30- Fire hands in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Bernoulli’s Planets in the Space Gallery
3:30-Head’s up in the ihealthy Lab
Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

Exploreum Easter Egg-travaganza!
2024-03-23 10:00 - 14:00
It’s time for an Exploreum Easter Egg-travaganza!
Mark your calendars and join us for one of our favorite family events of the year on March 23rd, from 10:00-2:00 p.m. Easter egg hunt starts promptly at 10:30am, so make sure you get here on time and are ready to hunt!

Following the egg hunt are several EGG-citing STEM demonstrations in our labs like Egg in a Bottle and Liquid Nitrogen Egg Smash.
More details coming soon!
FREE for Exploreum members. General Admission for non-members. (¡Cuba! exhibit extra.)
Sponsored by Publix Super Market Charities

Saturday Science!
2024-04-13 11:30 - 15:30
Bounce around like 💫Bernoulli’s planets🪐 with us this weekend! This Saturday we invite you to experience science like never before. 🤯Come for the science and stay for the fun.
Admission is free for members, and non-members get in for the price of general admission; iCuba! is not included with admission.
✨See the schedule for this week!✨
Saturday Demo Schedule
11:30 – Gulf Coast Animals in the Wharf of Wonder
12:30 – Dragon’s Breath in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00 – Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30 – Bernoulli’s Planets in the Space Gallery
3:30 – Heads Up in the iHealthy Lab
Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

Saturday Science: Earth Day Edition!
2024-04-20 10:30 - 15:30
Saturday Science on Earth Day!!
Join us this weekend for Saturday Science, where we’re celebrating Earth Day with a day full of exciting demonstrations! 🌍✨ From numerous “Animal Encounters” to “Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream”, it’s sure to be a day like no other. Explore the wonders of science while honoring our planet. Don’t miss out on the fun!
Admission is free for members, and non-members get in for the price of general admission; iCuba! is not included with admission.
See the schedule for this week!
Saturday Demo Schedule
Celebrating Earth Day 2024
10:30-11:00-Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
11:30- Gulf Coast Animals in the Wharf of Wonder
12:30- Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Bernoulli’s Planets in the Space Gallery
3:00-3:30- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
3:30-Heads Up in the iHealthy Lab
Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

Saturday Science!
2024-04-27 11:30 - 15:30
Join us this weekend for some 🔥Firey Fun🔥 during Saturday Science! From 🚀rocking rockets to encountering Gulf Coast animals🐢 we can’t wait to show you the world of science. Don’t miss out on the fun!
Admission is free for members, and non-members get in for the price of general admission; iCuba! is not included with admission.
See the schedule for this week!
11:30- Gulf coast Animals in the Wharf of Wonder
12:30- Flaming Hands in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Alka Seltzer Rockets in the Space Gallery
3:30-Poppin’ Popcorn in the ihealthy Lab
Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

May The Fourth Be With You
2024-05-04 10:00 - 17:00
May The Fourth is BACK!!!
Join us as we celebrate the return of one of our favorite “holidays” here at the Exploreum.
We will have special, space-themed activities scheduled throughout the day for all ages.
May the Fourth Demo Schedule
11:30- Gulf coast Animals in the Wharf of Wonder
12:30- Han Solo Liquid Nitrogen Freeze in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Alka Seltzer Rockets in the Space Gallery
3:30-Pickle Star in the ihealthy Lab
4:00- Imperial March Ruben’s Tube in the Science Squad Headquarters
Featuring Droid Robotics in the Hands on Hall gallery
Costumes (family friendly) are encouraged as always!

We will be showing our regular PCI Digital Dome movies throughout the day, then having a special showing of the Star Wars classic, A New Hope, that afternoon. Space is limited for that one time showing so guests will need to reserve their space upon arrival. First come, first served. No advanced ticket sales.
General Admission for non-members. FREE for Exploreum members. (A New Hope additional fee for members.)

MSO Presents: Los Hermanos (The Brothers)
2024-05-14 17:00 - 20:30 | Exploreum Science Center
Mobile Symphony Orchestra presents Los Hermanos (The Brothers) in partnership with the Exploreum Science Center, the Society Mobile-La Habana and the Hispanic American Business Association of the Gulf Coast.
Join us for an exclusive, one time screening of the beautiful and endearing documentary, Los Hermanos, in the Exploreum’s PCI Digital Dome Theater.
Tuesday, May 14 from 5:00-8:30 p.m.
Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and the movie will start at 6 p.m.
Guests will be able to explore the ¡Cuba! exhibit for approximately an hour before the screening.
Following the film, a brief, catered reception will take place thanks to Society Mobile- La Habana.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of event, if available.
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE.

More on Los Hermanos:
Virtuoso, Cuban-born brothers—violinist Ilmar and pianist/composer Aldo — live on opposite sides of a geopolitical chasm a half-century wide. Tracking their parallel lives in New York and Havana, their poignant reunion, and their momentous first performances together, Los Hermanos/The Brothers offers a nuanced, often startling view of estranged nations through the lens of music and family.
Los Hermanos/The Brothers features an electrifying, genre-bending score, composed by Aldo, performed with his American brother, Ilmar, and with guest appearances by maestro Joshua Bell and the Harlem Quartet.

View trailer below:

Aldo will be performing A Latin Rhapsody at the Mobile Symphony on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19.
Details and tickets for those performances can be found here:
https://mobilesymphony.org/event/a-latin-rhapsody

Saturday Science!
2024-05-18 11:30 - 15:30
Don’t Panic, we are supposed to be on fire! It’s about to be an exciting weekend this Saturday here at the Exploreum, so come and escape the heat with us. Don’t miss out on the fun! #SaturdayScience
Admission is free for members, and non-members get in for the price of general admission; iCuba! is not included with admission.
See the schedule for this week!
Saturday Demo Schedule
11:30- Gulf Coast Animals in the Wharf of Wonder
12:30- Flaming Hands in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Alka Seltzer Rockets in the Space Gallery
3:30-Kitchen Chemistry in the iHealthy Lab
Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

Saturday Science!
2024-05-25 11:30 - 15:30
Summer Science is almost here!

Join us for the last weekend of Saturday Science before we officially begin our Summer Science programming, so don’t miss out on the fun.
STEM demonstrations will be happening periodically from 11:30am to 3:30pm in our various exhibits. All demonstrations are included with general admission. Come for the science and stay for the fun! #saturdayscience

Admission is free for members, and non-members get in for the price of general admission; iCuba! is not included with admission.

See the schedule for this week!

Saturday Demo Schedule
11:00-12:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
12:30- Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Bernoulli’s Planets in the Space Gallery
3:30-Poppin’ Popcorn in the iHealthy Lab

Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

Summer Science!
2024-05-28 11:00 - 2024-06-01 15:30
Summer Science is officially back!!
Encounter some animals from the Gulf Coast and more this week during Summer Science! Cool off in our air conditioning and join our interns as they test the limits of science, through all sorts of demonstrations. This will be ongoing Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00am – 3:30pm, included with general admission and free for Exploreum members, iCuba! not included. The demos and schedules will change every week, check out what’s happening this week!
Weekly Demo Schedule
11:00-12:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
12:30- Dragon’s Breath in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Alka Seltzer Rockets in the Space Gallery
3:30-Heads Up in the iHealthy Lab
General admission for non-members, free for Exploreum members, iCuba! not included. Additional cost for Digital Dome movies.
Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

Summer Science!
2024-06-05 11:00 - 2024-06-08 15:30, 2024-06-11 11:00 - 2024-06-15 15:30
Encounter some animals from the Gulf Coast and more this week during Summer Science!
Cool off in our air conditioning and join our interns as they test the limits of science, through all sorts of demonstrations. This will be ongoing Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00am – 3:30pm, included with general admission for non-members, iCuba! not included. The demos and schedules will change every week, check out what’s happening this week!
Weekly Demo Schedule
11:00-12:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
12:30- Fire Hands in the Science Squad Headquarters
1:00-2:00- Animal Encounters in the Nature Pavilion
2:30-Bernoulli’s planets in the Space Gallery
3:30-Poppin’ Popcorn in the ihealthy Lab
Included with general admission and free for Exploreum members, iCuba! not included. Additional cost for Digital Dome movies.
Schedules and demos are subject to change based on special events, weather, staffing, and other unforeseen circumstances. Check with our Box Office upon arrival for the current schedule.

After Hours 21 & Up: Featuring Havana Motor Club
2024-07-20 17:30 - 21:00
After Hours 21 & Up: Featuring Havana Motor Club
Join us for a special screening of the award winning documentary!
Bring your own beer/wine, no liquor please. Valid ID required. 21+ ONLY.
Please limit drinks to one bottle/one 6-pack per person! Drink responsibly.
The Cafe will be open for light refreshments, snacks and beverages.
We will also have a few classic cars on display as well as a few food trucks on site including Sugar Love, Taco Spot, and Arepa.USA.
Space is limited so grab your Tickets right away!
More on Havana Motor Club:HAVANA MOTOR CLUB tells a personal, character-driven story about Cuba’s vibrant community of underground drag racers and their quest to hold Cuba’s first official car race since shortly after the 1959 Revolution. It tackles how Cuba’s recent reforms — the owning of property, allowance of small businesses, and greater exchange between Cubans, Cuban Americans, tourists, and other foreigners — have affected the lives of these racers and their families.
One racer enlists the help of a Cuban American patron in Miami to bring in parts for his modern Porsche. His main competitor is a renowned mechanic who uses ingenuity rather than resources to create a racing machine out of his 1955 Chevy Bel Air. Another racer ponders whether he will participate in the race or sell his motor — one that he recovered on the ocean floor from a ship used to smuggle Cubans off the island — in order to flee Cuba on a raft headed to Florida.
Meanwhile, the race itself is in jeopardy of coming to fruition due to factors ranging from its status as an elitist sport to the arrival of the Pope in Cuba.
Through the experiences of these racers and their community, HAVANA MOTOR CLUB explores how Cuba is changing today.

The Amazing Castle & Framed: Step into Art - Opening Day
2024-09-21 10:00 - 16:00
Join us for the highly anticipated opening day to the newest traveling exhibits, The Amazing Castle and Framed: Step into Art filled with special Saturday Science demonstrations, animal meet and greets, and more! From flaming hands to dragon flight challenges, you will not want to miss this day full of magic and fun. There will be a special showing of How to Train Your Dragon at 12:00 p.m. in the PCI Digital Dome Theater. Seating is very limited, so be sure to come secure your spot.
Title Sponsor: Mobile County – District 2
Supporting Sponsors: Spire Energy & Adline Clarke
Both exhibits are bilingual (Spanish and English)

The Amazing Castle™
Travel back in time to a fanciful, medieval village, filled with opportunities for problem-solving, storytelling and imaginative play. Plant and harvest your own vegetables in the garden while building a chair or making your own design in the carpenters workshop. Use a metal patch to fix a hole in the blacksmith workshop, and dress in costumes and role-play as lords, ladies, and castle villagers.
Exhibit Features:
As visitors explore The Amazing Castle and its eight themed areas, they will encounter graphic panels introducing seven citizens who are part of the castle community. From entertaining to sewing, each citizen has a special duty to do. As they move through the castle, visitors can playfully explore ideas related to community life. Children will experience the interconnectedness of individuals as they interact with friends, family and new acquaintances.
Exhibit Entry and Big Book
The Keep
The Great Hall and Garden
Royal Puppet Theatre
The Royal Workshops
The Dragon Tower

Framed: Step into Art™
Travel back in time to a fanciful, medieval village, filled with opportunities for problem-solving, storytelling and imaginative play. Plant and harvest your own vegetables in the garden while building a chair or making your own design in the carpenters workshop. Use a metal patch to fix a hole in the blacksmith workshop,
Children and adults can enjoy a pretend noontime meal in Grant Wood’s “Dinner for Threshers,” climb into a tent and explore camping gear in John Singer Sargent’s “Camp at Lake O’Hara,” add corn husks to the flower tower in Diego Rivera’s “Corn Festival” and get behind the reins of a giant rooster in an area inspired by Clementine Hunter’s artwork. Visitors can also explore a collection of “Mona Lisa” prints and famous parodies, then step behind a cutout version and replace her famous face with their own.
Exhibit Details
“Dinner for Threshers” by Grant Wood
Enter Grant Wood’s “Dinner for Threshers” and learn about rural life at the turn of the century. Visitors tend to a chicken and eggs, prepare a meal in the kitchen, set the dining table, enjoy a pretend dinner and mix and match the farmers’ patterned shirts.
“Camp at Lake O’Hara” by John Singer Sargent
Visitors travel to the Canadian Rockies in 1916 at John Singer Sargent’s “Camp at Lake O’Hara.” Children climb inside a tent and explore camping gear like Sargent would have used. After cooking a pretend meal over the campfire, kids tell stories around the fire and arrange items in a magnetic frame to show what a painting of today’s campsite might look like.
“Corn Festival” by Diego Rivera
Travel south of the border through this piece from the Court of Fiestas in the Ministry of Education Building in Mexico City. Visitors explore a rendition of one of Rivera’s frescos, add flowers and ribbons of corn husks to the flower tower for a celebration and include their flourish in a mural on a miniature building.
Clementine Hunter
Step inside a world inspired by the artwork of folk art icon Clementine Hunter. Load a cart with zinnia flowers, then climb behind the reins of a giant rooster and take the load to town. Create imaginary creatures like Hunter’s “goosters” by mixing parts from different animals.

Book Release: Mobile and Havana - Sisters Across The Gulf
2024-10-03 11:30 - 13:30
A sumptuously illustrated and vivid account of the deep ties that bridge the histories and cultures of two colorful and storied port cities
Mobile and Havana: Sisters across the Gulf presents a beautifully written and illustrated survey of the many historic linkages between these exotic port cities. Through an effortless blending of word and image, John S. Sledge, Alicia García-Santana, Chip Cooper, and Julio A. Larramendi, historians and photographers from each side of the basin, share a colorful, complex, and sometimes difficult story never before fully told.
Over twenty years ago, Mobile’s visionary municipal archivist Jay Higginbotham remarked, “Mobile, Alabama, and Havana, Cuba, have only three things in common. The past, the present, and the future.” This book demonstrates just how much that is the case.

Join us Thursday, October 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Exploreum Science Center for this special event!
You will have the option to pre-purchase you book when you reserve your seats for the book signing.
Reserve your seat below. Seating is limited so if you plan on attending, please book ahead of time.

“. . . an ambitious romp across the two port cities that combs through the many threads of their intertwined histories.” —Mobile Bay magazine
“A colorful tale of two cities and their intertwined relationship over time—lovingly crafted in words and evocative photographs. But this book is also more than that. It’s an inspired collaboration, reminding us of transcendent ties of geography, culture, and architecture beyond present-day political differences.” —Robert Gamble, retired Senior Architectural Historian, Alabama Historical Commission

Exploreum 21+ After Hours Featuring: Practical Magic!
2024-10-05 18:00 - 21:30
Exploreum 21+ After Hours Featuring: Practical Magic!
Join us for an enchanting 21+ After Hours event at the Exploreum Science Center on October 5th, from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm! Immerse yourself in the mystical atmosphere as we screen the beloved film Practical Magic in the PCI Digital Dome Theater.
Before the movie, explore a unique market featuring oddities, jewelry, and vintage treasures. For those seeking a deeper connection with the mystical, tarot readings will be available (not included with the admission ticket). Put your magical skills to the test using liquid nitrogen to freeze herbs for your own witch’s potion and join us for captivating photo opportunities and exciting raffle prizes.
This is a BYOB (beer, one six-pack max) and BYOW (wine, one bottle max) event, so feel free to bring your favorite wine or beer; please drink responsibly. Your ticket includes light refreshments, and one raffle ticket, giving you a chance to win something special.
As a 21+ event, proof of age must be shown at the door.
Online tickets cost $20 for non-members and $15 for members.
To get tickets online and save, click here!
Savings Tips: Tickets may be purchased the night of the event at a higher price, if available.
Don’t miss out on this spellbinding night—secure your tickets now and get ready for an unforgettable evening of magic and fun!

Medieval Halloween Party!
2024-10-26 09:30 - 14:00
Calling all lords and ladies!
Join us for our fan favorite, annual Halloween event at the Exploreum Science Center on October 26th from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Journey back to medieval times through exciting demonstrations and hands-on STEM activities. From Dragon’s Breath to magical chemistry experiments, families will partake in many STEM adventures through interactive experiences all throughout the building. We will even have our infamous pumpkin explosion in the courtyard! Our newest traveling exhibit The Amazing Castle will transport visitors back in time to a fanciful, medieval village, filled with opportunities for problem-solving, storytelling and imaginative play. Face painting will be available on a first come, first served basis.

Join us for special showings of the movie Shrek with showtimes at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Seating is very limited, so be sure to come secure your spot.

To secure your 10:00 a.m. showtimes, click here: https://bit.ly/4fWXRjF
To secure your 2:00 p.m. showtimes, click here: https://bit.ly/3XjCu5a

*Tickets for these showtimes MUST be booked in advance to save your seats. Walk-ins are not guaranteed. MEMBERS – Make sure to book your spot in advance as well so that you can secure your seats.

We encourage everyone to come dressed in your most creative and magical Halloween costumes!

Event Admission is FREE for Exploreum members and $12 Special Event Pricing for non-members. Advance admission with the Shrek movie can be purchased at the link above.
If you do not want to see the film, you can still purchase tickets at the door. Tickets are non-refundable/non-transferable.

Exploreum After Hours: Die Hard + Nakatomi Christmas Party
2024-12-07 18:00 - 22:00
Yippee-Ki-Yay, M-m-m-m-m-moviegoers!!!
Join us for the ultimate 21+ After Hours Christmas Celebration—a Nakatomi Christmas party—at the Exploreum Science Center on December 7th, from 6:00 pm to 10:00pm! Ring in the holiday season 80s style and enjoy a special screening of the Christmas classic Die Hard in the PCI Digital Dome Theater.

Since Die Hard IS a Christmas movie, we have upped the ante and are having a full-on Nakatomi Christmas party before the film. Blast to the past by using some irresponsible science to make your own souvenir Nakatomi Christmas buttons or a nostalgic Shrinky-Dink. If you survived the 80s, you won’t want to miss this! Be sure to give Tony a visit in his elevator and capture your own version of the classic air duct scene at our photo booth. You can also have the chance to win some of our exciting raffle prizes before the film!

This is a BYOB (beer, one six-pack max per person) and BYOW (wine, one bottle max per person) event, so feel free to bring your favorite wine or beer; please drink responsibly. Your ticket includes light refreshments, and one raffle ticket, giving you a chance to win something special. Don’t forget to wear your Nakatomi Christmas sweater to secure an additional raffle ticket.

Frank N’ Lola’s food truck will be parked out front, so be sure to bring your appetite to the party!

As a 21+ event, proof of age must be shown at the door.

Online tickets cost $20 for non-members and $15 for members. Tickets purchased at the door cost $25 for non-members and $20 for members.

Tickets are non-refundable/non-transferable.
Grab your tickets HERE!

Christmas at the Exploreum!
2024-12-14 09:30 - 14:00
Happy Holidays!
Join us at the Exploreum for a magical Christmas at the Castle on December 14th from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Explore the wonders of the season through engaging demonstrations and hands-on STEM challenges for the whole family. From chilling Liquid Nitrogen demonstrations to “White Elephant” toothpaste, families will enjoy a whimsical holiday celebration full of exciting STEM activities and experiments. We will even have our traditional paper snowball fight in our new Prehistoric Courtyard!
Face painting will be available on a first come, first served basis. Don’t miss out on delicious frozen treats from the Southern Cream Ice Cream truck.
While you’re here, you’ll also want to visit our newest traveling exhibit, The Amazing Castle, which will transport you back in time to a fanciful, medieval village, filled with opportunities for problem-solving, storytelling and imaginative play.
Finally, be sure to join us for a special viewing of Disney’s Frozen in our PCI Digital Dome Theater with showtimes at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Seating is very limited, so click on the link below to secure your spot.
To secure your 10:00 a.m. showtime, click here: https://bit.ly/3BnYxzd
To secure your 2:00 p.m. showtime, click here: https://bit.ly/3ZKH25G
*Tickets for these showtimes MUST be booked in advance to save your seats. Walk-ins are not guaranteed. MEMBERS – Make sure to book your spot in advance as well so that you can secure your seats.
Event Admission is FREE for Exploreum members and $12 Special Event Pricing for non-members. Advance admission with the Frozen movie can be purchased at the link above.
If you do not want to see the film, you can still purchase general admission tickets at the door.
Tickets are non-refundable/non-transferable.
