Explore, Inquire and Investigate – Awesome Places for the Science Lover in Madison
If you have a kid who loves investigating and experimenting, you are probably on the lookout for things to do and places to go with a science lover in Madison. Get ready to engage in inquiry and exploration by checking these fun stops off your list.
Wisconsin Science Museum
2300 S Park St, Ste 300
Madison, WI
The Wisconsin Science Museum is free and open to everyone and aims to make topics ranging from lasers to nanotechnology to cancer treatment accessible to visitors of all levels. Visiting hours are Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm and you can even pop over into the Saturday Science Workshops from 10 am to 11 hosted by the University of Wisconsin Space Place.
MMSD Planetarium
201 S. Gammon Rd
Madison, WI
The Madison Metropolitan School District Planetarium (MMSD Planetarium) provides immersive experiences for groups and public audiences bringing out-of-this-world concepts down to Earth. The planetarium is a field trip destination for explorers of all ages.
Group programs are offered during the school day, with a very limited number of after school and evening programs that may be scheduled as well.
Public programs are offered on a monthly basis, in the evenings, throughout the school year.
Plan your visit to the MMSD Planetarium.
Madison Children’s Museum
100 N Hamilton St
Madison, WI
If your science lover is a little bit on the younger side, plan on spending some time at the Madison Children’s Museum. Exhibits are designed to inspire wonder, encourage play, and bring out the inner learner in every child with hands-on, interactive experiences. Learn about sustainability, composting, and the science of aquaponics at the outdoor Urb Garden, take an interactive journey through the universe and into the Earth’s core with the Stair Trek exhibit, or investigate the future of human’s relationship with trash and waste for a cleaner future. Families can receive free admission from 4-8 pm every Thursday and they even offer a FREE membership for new parents & their babies until the age of 18 months.
Plan your visit to the Madison Children’s Museum.
UW Geology Museum
Weeks Hall, 1215 West Dayton St
Madison, WI
Geology digs deep into the science of our surroundings and at the FREE UW Geology Museum, you can take a self-guided tour of ancient rocks and sea creatures, explore a cave with glowing minerals, and even visit a complete mastodon skeleton. Come investigate Wisconsin’s deep geological history for yourself!
Leonard R. Ingersoll Physics Museum
Chamberlin Hall, 2nd floor
1150 University Ave
Madison, WI
Another hidden, FREE to the public gem, is the Ingersoll Physics Museum located on the University of Wisconsin – Madison campus. Open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, the museum features exhibits that give guests a hands-on experience of physical concepts ranging from mechanics to modern physics in a kid-friendly environment.
Wisconsin Science Festival
The Wisconsin Science Festival is a state-wide celebration of science generally held in October of each year. Many different UW-Madison departments and science-related industries bring all kinds of hands-on learning experiences to many locations around Madison and around the state of Wisconsin. A few of the past activities in Madison included learning about reptiles, preparing media for stem cell growth, creating a cellfie with a swab of cells from your mouth, learning about topography in a sandbox, and more!
