Jeanes Discovery Center
Spanning two floors, the Themed Discovery Rooms invite visitors to explore science through hands-on discovery. These immersive exhibits are designed for children and families to experiment, create, and learn together—turning curiosity into understanding.
From uncovering the hidden colors of light to making music on a walk-on piano or stepping into a prehistoric world, each Discovery Room encourages exploration, problem-solving, and imaginative play—showing how science connects to everyday life.
Play Waco
Designed especially for children five and under, Play Waco invites young learners to explore a kid-sized version of their city. From a grocery store and post office to a fire station and the Waco Hippodrome, children build early literacy, math, and social skills through imaginative play.
Simple Machines
Hands-on and highly interactive, Simple Machines introduces the building blocks of engineering. Through levers, pulleys, wheels, and ramps, visitors experiment with force and motion—discovering how everyday tools make work easier.
Bubble Exhibit
Science meets pure delight in Bubbles. This immersive space is filled with bubble activations that invite visitors to test, build, and play—exploring surface tension, air, and light through joyful experimentation.
SpaceX
Explore the science and engineering behind modern space exploration. This gallery features a Merlin engine and a space-flown thruster from SpaceX, alongside interactive elements that bring rocket science, propulsion, and life beyond Earth within reach.
Discovery Lab
Discovery Lab is a rotating exhibit space that highlights cutting-edge research from Baylor University scientists. With regularly changing installations, visitors encounter real-world discoveries—from the lab to the field—and see how research shapes our understanding of the world.
Light and Sound
Make music, shape shadows, and experiment with waves. Light and Sound blends science and creativity through hands-on instruments, light play, and interactive exhibits—including a larger-than-life piano—that reveal how we see, hear, and experience the world.
Backyard Ecology
Inspired by Central Texas landscapes, Baylor University research, and everyday natural phenomena, Backyard Ecology explores the science of the world just beyond your doorstep. This hands-on gallery brings together live animals, interactive experiences, and museum collections to spark observation and inquiry.
Visitors can test their strength against a boa constrictor, explore the Brazos River at an interactive water table, and step inside a pollinator’s world by climbing into a honeycomb. Designed for children and families, Backyard Ecology highlights the connections between people, wildlife, and the ecosystems of Central Texas through play and discovery.