Description:

At-Bristol is one of the UK's leading science and discovery centres. The hands-on science centre Explore, and its planetarium, offers an amazing world of hands-on discovery - where exploration and education go hand in hand with an unforgettable, fun day out!

At-Bristol's Open Spaces are large public squares offering stunning water features and public artworks on the historic Harbourside. There are many restaurants, cafés and bars nearby, as well as other attractions and the ferry boats. At-Bristol was the catalyst for a £450 million urban rejuvenation of a previously derelict area of Bristol's city centre.

Explore-At-Bristol ...an amazing world of hands-on discovery

Explore-At-Bristol is the first true 21st century science centre. Building on the interactive science tradition originally pioneered in Britain through Bristol's Exploratory, Explore establishes new precedents on Bristol's Harbourside. Visitors to Explore can discover, experience and enjoy science using the very latest hands-on and multi-media techniques. Aged 5 or 75, an expert in your field or with no previous interest in the subject, visitors will be surprised, fascinated and delighted by the remarkable ways science and technology touch and shape our lives.

Housed in a 1903 GWR railway goods shed, the Explore building is an exhibit in itself - the earliest example of Hennebique reinforced concrete construction in this country, which employed the most innovative engineering methods of its day. Wilkinson Eyre Architects have retained the fabric of the original structure at the core of their design, extending the building upwards with the introduction of a whole new floor and rooftop terraces, and outwards to include a spacious new gallery and façade, both incorporating hi-tech steel and glass. Unlike conventional museum planning, provision of space within Explore is distributed evenly between the exhibition areas and additional conference, education, retail and visitor services needs, with full accessibility for wheelchair users and baby changing facilities integrated throughout the building.

Exploring the attraction...

• Your amazing brain delves into the complex functions of brains and senses and how they affect perceptions and feelings.

Consider the brain itself, one of the greediest organs in the human body to maintain - did you know it weighs the same as an average sized melon (about 1.4kg) but has the consistency of warm butter? Discover exactly what's on your mind by testing your mental abilities, taxing your memory or observing how different drugs influence your brain's behaviour.

A Virtual Sperm Journey provides a stunning introduction to the science of sex and reproduction, while you can rediscover what life was like before you were even born in the world's only Walk-in Womb, complete with wheelchair access and room for up to six people!

• Move it is a hive of energy and activity celebrating the human spirit of ingenuity, our dreams of harnessing technology and the inventive mechanisms employed throughout the ages to extend our strength, or improve upon our natural ability to do things.
  
  
• Wet move it like a giant hamster wheel - letting you to lift moving water and carry it along over a series of connecting pools using pumps, pistons, levers and locks. Apply the principles of aerodynamics to see how easy or difficult it can be to make objects fly, while a further range of experiments concentrate on how structures support themselves. Study various methods of construction and comparing the load-bearing capacity of the different types of bridges you have made.
• Curiosity zone creates a sense of wonder and excitement about natural forces and phenomena in the world around us. Enter the eye of the tornado, play virtual volleyball, or be the star of your own TV show! Investigate magnetic fields, pluck a magical harp, play with light and optics, mirrors, and reflections - you can even freeze your own shadow or solve the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. The Curiosity zone continually asks you to be inquisitive, identify emerging patterns in nature and question the reasons why things occur.
• Live Science zone - including a fully equipped studio with TV broadcast and programme making facilities. This is the events and entertainment hub of Explore and stages science shows, storytelling, debates, specialist lecture series and drama performances - with further potential as host venue for collaborative activities and live links with remote audiences around the global network of science centres.
• Special exhibition area - there is always something new to see in our dedicated special exhibition space. Our latest interactive exhibitions are LoveSport, an investigation into the science of sport, and Inside DNA, a look at the developments in human genomics and the issues they raise. The rolling programme of special exhibitions for visitors of all ages changes regularly. To date we have hosted a wide range including Jet set, go - a special exhibition for the under 8's, Animated Adventures, PuzzleMania, Sportastic!, On the beach - Under(a special exhibition for the under 6s), Myths & Monsters and Special FX - the Sea showcasing the art and science of special effects in film.

Planetarium ...a futuristic star portal

Enter a dazzling virtual world of sensory experiences, travel through time and space and become completely immersed in the infinite wonders of the universe. With a domed screen that completely fills your visual field, the Planetarium offers a changing programme of the very latest in star shows, 3D computer animation, multiple video images, sound and light presentations and laser extravaganzas. Housed in a striking, futuristic sphere clad in stainless steel, this 100-seat state-of-the-art digital planetarium employs cutting-edge panoramic projection technology, seen here for the first time in the UK.