Maryland Science Center
Three floors of experiments, a planetarium, and a demonstration stage turn the Inner Harbor into a place to test ideas.
Artwork inspired by Charles Willson Peale
The Maryland Science Center asks visitors to do more than read an explanation. Its interactive exhibits turn forces, living systems, mathematics, and the Chesapeake into things one can manipulate and compare. That approach has roots in a much older Maryland Academy of Sciences, but the contemporary experience is deliberately hands-on rather than a cabinet of historic specimens.
A planetarium presentation adds a different scale to a day spent experimenting at tables and stations. Leave time for a live demonstration, where an unexpected result can be more memorable than a perfect one. The IMAX theater is a separate choice and extra charge; the planetarium and demonstration stage are included with regular admission, so a useful visit need not include a film.
- Setting
- Inner Harbor
- Exhibit levels
- Three
- Included show
- Planetarium
Quick guide
- Start hands-on
- Choose one exhibit to test slowly instead of racing every floor.
- Check showtimes
- Fit the included planetarium or a demonstration around your exploration.
Know before you go
- Change one variable
- Try the same experiment twice and notice what changes.
- Connect to home
- Look for Chesapeake examples among broader science topics.
- Use a show strategically
- Take a seated planetarium break between active floors.
- Decide on IMAX
- Its separate fee and showtime deserve a conscious choice.
Good to know
A ticket includes the planetarium but not an IMAX film. A timed theater showing can interrupt the otherwise self-paced exhibit visit.
Notice these
- Harbor-side stepped building
- Interactive exhibit tables
- Davis Planetarium