exhibits

Explore concepts such as gravity, water, light and shadow, math, and electricity

Balance a ball on a stream of air and notice the forces that keep it afloat.
Send a paper rocket flying and wonder how design shapes its path.
Watch a rainbow on the surface of a bubble.
Observe the quiet curiosity of an axolotl.
Transform ordinary materials into a new invention.

With more than 250 hands-on exhibits, Explora welcomes visitors of all ages to explore, reflect, and rediscover the world through science, technology, engineering, art, and math—one question, one experiment, one moment of wonder at a time.

Explora Hours

Monday-Sunday

10am–5pm

Become a Member

Balance a ball on a stream of air and notice the forces that keep it afloat.
Send a paper rocket flying and wonder how design shapes its path.
Watch a rainbow on the surface of a bubble.
Observe the quiet curiosity of an axolotl.
Transform ordinary materials into a new invention.

With more than 250 hands-on exhibits, Explora welcomes visitors of all ages to explore, reflect, and rediscover the world through science, technology, engineering, art, and math—one question, one experiment, one moment of wonder at a time.

Explora Hours

Monday-Sunday

10am–5pm

Monday "Toddler Time"

9am–11am

Become a Member

Download Explora Visitor's Guide

DOWNLOAD EXPLORA VISITOR'S GUIDE

English

Tiếng Việt / Vietnamese

Español / Spanish

中文 / Chinese

English

Tiếng Việt / Vietnamese

Español / Spanish

中文 / Chinese

Family Science at Tiguex Park

Tiguex (te-wish) Park is a mile from where Albuquerque was founded in 1706, but Native Americans had already lived here for thousands of years. Spanish colonizers named the region Tiguex after the Indigenous peoples they found here—people who still call the area home and enrich the region with distinct linguistic, agricultural, and cultural traditions.

Explora partnered with the City Parks & Recreations Department, community groups, and area residents to develop these exhibits to engage families in outdoor play and shared learning experiences.

Click Here to explore activity cards for more hands-on learning.

Perspective Illusion

These stylized building facades appear to change shape and orientation as visitors approach and pass, revealing how our eyes and brains make sense of our surroundings.

Wind Turbines

An array of eight wind-catching turbines mounted in a steel frame illustrates windflow in a visually compelling way, revealing differences in wind speed at different altitudes.

Reflection Tower

Three strategically-sited mirrors on a slim metal pole reflect images of city buildings and geographic features, floating and morphing in the sky as visitors pass.

Shadow Wall

A poem by former Albuquerque Poet Laureate Hakim Bellamy is cut into a strategically placed steel panel. As the sun moves across the sky, the letter openings create an ever-changing mural of light on the ground.

Solar System Scale

Durable decals on a park sidewalk illuminate the distances in our solar system, encouraging visitors to use their own steps as measuring tools.

Pebble Melodies

A steel chamber containing metal rods spans a reservoir of small stones which, when dropped into the aperture, create a tinkling, wind chime-like symphony, different with each use.

Heavy Tones

A limestone block with carved stone "fingers" forms a litho-xylophone that can be played in different ways, creating soothing, meditative sounds designed to reward experimentation.

Sitting Stones

A group of stones, all quarried from sites in New Mexico, offers a place for visitors to relax and enjoy the park. The boulders' colors, shapes, and textures evoke the rich and varied landscapes of our region.

Parts of a Whole

Decimals and fractions painted on a basketball court illustrate different ways numbers can convey information about proportions and percentages.

View the full map

Water Of Life; Life of Water

Agua De La Vida; La Vida Del Agua

Explore the wonders of water with our refreshed collection of liquid-based exhibits! Play with waves and water drops, build streams and waterfalls, and create eddies, vortices, bubbles, and more. Experiment with brand-new experiences and have fun with familiar classics. Make a splash at Explora!

Internal Waves

What do you see in a slowly moving wave?

Turn Vortex

Create a water tornado!

Air Rings

Can you pump the lever to make a ring of bubbles?

Birefringent Fluid

As you move shapes through this liquid, crystals in the fluid bend light in beautiful ways.

Water Paraboloid

What happens to the blue liquid as you spin the drum?

Vortex Vessel

Spin the drum and watch as the sand particles react to the motion.

Tea Leaves

How does the confetti move as you spin the drum at different speeds?

Water On Air

When the tube is vertical, why doesn't the water drip through the screen?

Boulders

Move the shapes to build pools and eddies downstream.

Trickle Wall

Move the chutes to create unique liquid pathways.

Wave Channel

Drag the square shapes through the channel to create new kids of waves.

"Illustrated guide titled 'See if you can find all of our new water exhibits!' showing 11 interactive exhibits: Internal Waves – observe slowly moving waves. Water Paraboloid – spin a drum to see how the blue liquid moves. Air Rings – pump a lever to create a ring of bubbles. Turn Vortex – create a water tornado. Vortex Vessel – spin a drum and watch sand particles react. Tea Leaves – watch confetti move at different drum speeds. Water on Air – discover why water doesn’t drip through a vertical screen. Boulders – move shapes to create pools and eddies. Trickle Wall – adjust chutes to form liquid pathways. Wave Channel – drag shapes to make new waves. Birefringent Fluid – move shapes in a fluid that bends light in colorful ways.

Exhibit News

Permanent Exhibits

Family Science at Tiguex Park

Tiguex Park is officially home to nine new interactive STEAM exhibitions!

In partnership with the City of Albuquerque Parks & Recreation Department, community groups, and area residents, we worked together to create nine new outdoor STEAM exhibits designed to engage families in play, curiosity, and shared learning.

On Thursday, November 13, 2025, our Exhibits team spent the afternoon exploring the installations with students from San Felipe de Neri School, chatting with them about how each piece connects movement, science, and discovery. Their energy brought the exhibits to life in the best way!

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported this project from start to finish!

Water Flow Patio

Explore properties of water flow with one of our many water flow patio exhibits! Get hands-on experience with solar power, build your own fountain, create a lego dam to withstand the rush of water, and more!

The Water Flow Patio is currently closed for the season and will reopen in March

The Science of Kindness

Explora is proud to have partnered with The Jennifer Riordan Foundation to develop, fabricate, and install a new exhibition called The Science of Kindness at Explora. The Science of Kindness provides a distinctive interactive opportunity for New Mexico families and visitors to explore neurochemistry, psychology, and other science related to the giving and receiving of kindness. It also gives the occasion to experience Jennifer Riordan’s mantra of being kind, loving, caring, and sharing. Numerous hands-on exhibits such as the Make an Emotion kiosk, the ever-evolving Kindness Cactus, and Your Brain on Kindness, a massive interactive neuron model, work together to:

Illuminate how scientists in a range of fields study kindness and its effects on the body, mind, and community;
Create new, engaging opportunities for families to explore the exchange of kindness with others in compelling ways; and
Prompt self-reflection and meta-cognition on how giving and receiving kindness can affect our perceptions of ourselves and our actions toward others.

EXHIBIT NEWS

Permanent Exhibits

New Exhibit: Mechanics Alive!

Get an up-close look at a collection of wonderful automata, which are artistic mechanical sculptures. These intricately hand-crafted artworks are making Explora their exclusive stop in New Mexico. This is the second visit of Cabaret Mechanical Theatre automata to Explora, and there are both new artworks and old favorites included in the collection, which will be shown in groupings throughout the museum.

LEARN MORE

Water Flow Patio Re-opens

Get an up-close look at a collection of wonderful automata, which are artistic mechanical sculptures. These intricately hand-crafted artworks are making Explora their exclusive stop in New Mexico. This is the second visit of Cabaret Mechanical Theatre automata to Explora, and there are both new artworks and old favorites included in the collection, which will be shown in groupings throughout the museum.

Family Science at
Tiguex Park

Tiguex (te-wish) Park is a mile from where Albuquerque was founded in 1706, but Native Americans had already lived here for thousands of years. Spanish colonizers named the region Tiguex after the Indigenous peoples they found here—people who still call the area home and enrich the region with distinct linguistic, agricultural, and cultural traditions.

Explora partnered with the City Parks & Recreations Department, community groups, and area residents to develop these exhibits to engage families in outdoor play and shared learning experiences.

Click Here to explore activity cards for more hands-on learning.

View the full map

Water Of Life; Life of Water

Agua De La Vida; La Vida Del Agua

Explore the wonders of water with our refreshed collection of liquid-based exhibits! Play with waves and water drops, build streams and waterfalls, and create eddies, vortices, bubbles, and more. Experiment with brand-new experiences and have fun with familiar classics. Make a splash at Explora!

Internal Waves

What do you see in a slowly moving wave?

Turn Vortex

Create a water tornado!

Air Rings

Can you pump the lever to make a ring of bubbles?

Birefringent Fluid

As you move shapes through this liquid, crystals in the fluid bend light in beautiful ways.

Water Paraboloid

What happens to the blue liquid as you spin the drum?

Vortex Vessel

Spin the drum and watch as the sand particles react to the motion.

Tea Leaves

How does the confetti move as you spin the drum at different speeds?

Water On Air

When the tube is vertical, why doesn't the water drip through the screen?

Boulders

Move the shapes to build pools and eddies downstream.

Trickle Wall

Move the chutes to create unique liquid pathways.

Wave Channel

Drag the square shapes through the channel to create new kids of waves.

EXHIBIT NEWS

Permanent Exhibits

Tiguex Park Transformed Into Unique Outdoor Classroom

Explora and the City of Albuquerque’s Parks and Recreation Department are bringing new permanent STEAM exhibits to Tiguex Park.

These nine hands-on installations are designed for all ages and invite visitors to explore shapes, patterns, numbers, wind, light, and sound. You’ll discover optical illusions, mirrored towers, pebble harps, wind turbines, and more—all in a fun, outdoor setting near the museums.

The project is based on community feedback and encourages curiosity, creativity, and learning together. You’ll also find more activities online and in the museums to keep the fun going.

Installation began in August and is expected to be complete by the end of September. We’re excited to welcome you to a new way to learn and play at Tiguex Park.

The Science of Kindness

Explora is proud to have partnered with The Jennifer Riordan Foundation to develop, fabricate, and install a new exhibition called The Science of Kindness at Explora. The Science of Kindness provides a distinctive interactive opportunity for New Mexico families and visitors to explore neurochemistry, psychology, and other science related to the giving and receiving of kindness. It also gives the occasion to experience Jennifer Riordan’s mantra of being kind, loving, caring, and sharing. Numerous hands-on exhibits such as the Make an Emotion kiosk, the ever-evolving Kindness Cactus, and Your Brain on Kindness, a massive interactive neuron model, work together to:

Illuminate how scientists in a range of fields study kindness and its effects on the body, mind, and community;
Create new, engaging opportunities for families to explore the exchange of kindness with others in compelling ways; and
Prompt self-reflection and meta-cognition on how giving and receiving kindness can affect our perceptions of ourselves and our actions toward others.

Water Flow Patio

March - October

Explore properties of water flow with one of our many water flow patio exhibits! Get hands-on experience with solar power, build your own fountain, create a lego dam to withstand the rush of water, and more!

"We drove from Boulder, CO just to come here. Who needs Disneyland when you’ve got Explora? Thanks."

-Visitor’s Comment

Explora's Permanent Exhibits

Download a map of Explora's exhibits

Ball Run

Engineering Gravity / La ingeniería de la gravedad

Experiment with balls and ramps to slow down the effects of gravity. How can you use friction, slope, and momentum to send a marble down a ramp on a pegboard wall?

Electricity

Charges, Currents, and Circuits / Descargas, corrientes y circuitos

Experiment with electricity. How can you make electricity? What does electricity need in order to flow and do the work we want it to do? What happens to electricity transmitted over a distance? How does a switch work? Can you make a light bulb turn on with only two wires?

Bubbles

Curious Bubbles/ Burbujas Curiosas

Investigate properties of bubbles. From micro bubbles to giant bubbles and everything in between. Will your bubbles stack? Which size of bubble will float for the longest amount of time?

Water

Water of Life; Life of Water / Agua de la vida; La vida del agua

Explore water and its unique characteristics. Is water sticky? Can it flow uphill? What patterns will water make when different objects interrupt its flow?

Water Flow Patio

Outdoor water exhibits. These exhibits are a little bit wetter than our indoor water exhibits, and offer just as many possibilities for experimentation and investigation into the intriguing properties of water. Can you build a dam out of LEGO® DUPLO® blocks? What happens when you pump water into a water tower that’s ten feet tall? Can you move a solar panel so it powers a fountain of your own design?

LEGO® and DUPLO® are a trademarks of the LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this web site.

Air

Moving Air / Aire en movimiento

Experiment with air and the things it can do. What happens when you squeeze air? What is the best way to cut a paper cup to help it fly? Is there a relationship between air speed and air pressure?

Knee-Hi Sci

Hands-on area specifically designed for our youngest visitors to safely engage.

$Children and a docent interacting with a digital math exhibit$

Math

Math Moves! / ¡Movidas matemáticas!

Get a feel for proportion – fractions, ratios, similarity, scaling, and percentages. Can you balance weight the same way you balance an equation? Why might a 120-tooth gear create a 5-segmented pattern when driven by a 24-tooth gear? What might the pattern be when a 36-tooth gear drives the 120? How do the locations of a weight or of pivot points change the force needed to lift a lever?

A hand interacting with a red laser experiment

Light and shadow

Light, Shadow, Color / Luz, sombra, color

Investigate light. Can you make light bounce? What affects how much light will bend? What makes things focused or blurry? What makes a shadow big or small? What produces a yellow shadow?

Children and a docent interacting with a digital math exhibit

Rotary Pavilion

The Rotary Pavilion

How would you build something you can sit inside? What can you transport using a wheelbarrow, a basket, or a 20-foot conveyor belt? In our “Working Together to Build a Village” exhibit area, tabletop and large-scale materials invite experimentation with architecture design, engineering, and construction. Families can build together, while enjoying a view of the Sandia Mountains.

Explorations

KneeHiSci

Experiments for our youngest visitors.

Arts and Crafts Workshop / Taller de artes manuales y artesanías

Work with recycled materials for making anything you can imagine. Can you make an object that is physically or visually balanced? Can you make something that doesn’t look like anything else?

Experiment Bar / Barra de experimentación

Microscopes, Pigments, Chromatography… You never know what you’ll encounter in our Experiment Bar. Activities change throughout the month, and are available for visitors to drop in and explore during their visit.

Curious Bubbles / Burbujas curiosas

Blow, pop, dip, float, and swirl while you investigate all the amazing properties of bubbles in our bubble exhibit space. We have big bubbles and micro bubbles and everything in between with our exhibits built right here at Explora!

Riding the High Wire Bike two stories high / Montando la bicicleta de cuerda floja a dos pisos de altura

For safety reasons you must meet these requirements:

Height: Taller than 56 inches, but shorter than 6 feet 5 inches

Weight: Less than 225 pounds

Paradox Café / Café de las paradojas

Explore your perception. Are your eyes or your brain telling you the truth? How can our eyes be misled? How do black, white, shades of grey, and shadow affect our brains’ interpretations?

Rotary Pavilion

How would you build something you can sit inside? What can you transport using a wheelbarrow, a basket, or a 20-foot conveyor belt? In our “Working Together to Build a Village” exhibit area, tabletop and large-scale materials invite experimentation with architecture design, engineering, and construction. Families can build together, while enjoying a view of the Sandia Mountains.

Sketch Theater!

Imagine, sketch, and release your very own animated character into the digital world. Watch as it comes to life in teamLab’s interactive installation from Japan. Explora will alternate the Sketch Aquarium with Sketch Town.