Get Curious about the Maryland Science Center

You can’t miss the Dinosaur Mysteries exhibit on the ground floor. Grab a magnifying glass to examine fossils, measure a dinosaur’s footprint or marvel at the T-Rex and Astrodon skeletons that loom overhead.

Sit back and be prepared to be awed by a stellar IMAX film on the museum’s five-story screen. The program changes daily, but features a mix of travelogues, Hollywood features and 3D nature documentaries.

Dedicated to the smallest scientists, the Kids Room emphasizes learning through play and features a water play area and a safe zone for babies under two. You’ll enjoy their wonder as they play with scarves in a wind tunnel, build Lego towers and learn about gravity with ramps.

Get mesmerized by science in Newton’s Alley.

One of the most popular exhibits at the Maryland Science Center is Newton’s Alley, a people-powered exhibit designed to encourage exploration of energy, force and motion. Here you can see sound, touch a cloud and even race bubbles.

Part workshop, part laboratory, the Shed is a place for older children to try their hand at making furniture, designing jewelry and much more. With a different DIY activity each day, this is a space where art and science combine to create tons of fun.

Visitors from third grade on up can don lab coats and goggles as they practice real science at various experimentation stations. Don’t forget to check out Terra Link—part media center, part discovery center—presenting the latest and greatest in Earth system science.

Fans of the board game Operation will love this 12,000 square-foot exhibit, which consists of 35 interactive kiosks and play spaces designed to teach us more about how our bodies perceive and interact with the world around us. You’ll be put through tests that reveal how your body is calibrated and encouraged to ponder the body’s capabilities, limitations and possibilities. 

Learn about space exploration, examine the night sky or learn how to identify stars and constellations at the Davis Planetarium. In “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure,” you can take an imaginary trip to the moon with friends from Sesame Street. Other presentations like “To Space and Back,” will teach you about what’s beyond Earth.

The Science Center’s rooftop urban observatory has a computer controlled telescope that lets you view planets and stars, along with other astronomical events.

Every Friday, explore the night sky with a free stargazing session at the Observatory, weather permitting.