Hands-On Experiments
Discover, explore and experiment with interactive science activities happening daily across our labs.
What's Happening This Season
From special event weekends to daily lab activities, there's always something new to discover.
Summer 2026: Building and Engineering
Special Event Days
World Play Day
Build on play throughout the Museum and explore a variety of engineering and build challenges including a unique spin on marble machines.
Shark Week
Celebrate Shark Week at Discovery Place and discover the facts behind the fins. Sharks are integral to maintaining a healthy balance in marine ecosystems and benefit the ocean and the climate.
Community Partnerships
From the Field
From the Field: Injury Prevention
July 11, 2026 | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Join medical professionals as they share the science of safety and injury prevention through hands-on activities.
From the Field: Superhuman Event
July 18, 2026 | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Participate in engaging activities alongside scientists from the Pearl to explore some of the medical marvels and technology that make humans “super.”
From the Field: Infinite Turtles
July 11 & August 1, 2026 | 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Come see robots in action as they navigate obstacles, move objects, and take on real-world challenges! Infinite Turtles, a student-led and state-champion robotics team from Matthews, NC, brings their engineering skills and passion for STEM to life on the field.
From the Field: UNC Charlotte BITE
June 20, July, August | Open – 1:00 p.m.
Students from UNC Charlotte's Bat Immunology Training and Education (BITE) are here to dispel myths and share their research about our coolest flying mammals.
Explore Our Labs
Daily Lab Activities
Each of our labs offers unique daily experiments and activities. Here's what's happening this season.
Block Party
Daily, open – closeHow do materials connect, stack, and balance? Construct towers, map out a city, and learn how our world is built, from the foundation up.
Activities include:
- Exploring different types of attachments—slots, snaps, pegs, magnets, suctions, and more
- Adding components to a collaborative city build
- Building pipes and waterways to direct the flow of water
Bug Builders
Daily, open – closeFrom the teeniest termites to the tallest towers, come see the functional structures that some of our smallest animals build—and how their creativity inspires human design.
Activities include:
- Weave a spiderweb
- Build like a termite or wasp
- Look at real specimens under the microscope
Forces by Design
Daily, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.Explore how architects and engineers use forces like tension, gravity, and mass to design structures that stay strong, stable, and safe in a changing world.
Activities include:
- Building Tensegrity structures
- Dynamic versus Static Load Tables
- What is the difference between mass and weight?
From Molecules to Medicine
Daily, open – closeExplore the world of biomedical science from the microscopic to macroscopic level.
Activities include:
- Building a prosthesis out of Lego bricks
- Solving medical mysteries with Mystery Diagnosis
- Exploring the tiny world of enzymes
- Debating new neurological breakthroughs
- Testing your knowledge with a game of fact or fiction
Pop Up Experiences
A variety of experiences will happen throughout the Museum.
Project Build
Build Challenges
In Project Build: Join Discovery Place's STEM Design Specialist and compete in engineering challenging to test your structures and design.
KidScience
Can You Build It?
In KidScience: Our youngest guests are invited to build structures with surprising construction materials, ranging from ice cubes to real (mini!) bricks.
Throughout the Museum
Paper Airplane Engineer
Design and create a paper airplane then conduct test flights to see how far and fast it can fly.
Past Activities
A look back at recent seasonal programs and lab activities that have already wrapped up.
Special Event
Spring into Action
April 3 – 12, 2026
Science doesn't just happen at a museum! Celebrate spring break at Discovery Place Science and discover different ways to take science outside the museum and into your world. Activities will provide opportunities to experiment and explore how science, nature and sustainability make an impact on you, your community and the world.
Special Event
Take Flight Weekend
April 18 – 19, 2026
Final boarding call to experience Discovery Place's traveling exhibition Above and Beyond. Guests will experiment with flight and aviation throughout the Museum, including building hydraulic systems, exploring how animals fly and the physics of flight.
Special Event
Star Party
April 24, 2026 | 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Discover the magic of the Moon at Discovery Place's Star Party! Guests will use telescopes to explore the night sky, search for stars and observe the Moon. Interactive stations include building stomp rockets, creating craters and sizing up the Moon.
From the Field
Brain Day
March 28, 2026
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, so come learn about this amazing organ with the professionals at Carolinas Rehabilitation and the Center for Injury Prevention.
From the Field
UNC Charlotte BITE
February 21, March 21, April 18, 2026
Students from UNC Charlotte's Bat Immunology Training and Education (BITE) are here to dispel myths and share their research about our coolest flying mammals.
From the Field
Science of Safety
May 16, 2026
Join medical professionals from all over the Charlotte area and explore the science of safety and injury prevention to start the summer off safe.
Explore All Our Labs
Dive deeper into each of our interactive labs and discover even more hands-on science experiences.
View All Labs