Signature Exhibits

Great Lakes Science Center has hundreds of hands-on, minds-on exhibits available for you to see, touch and explore! Take a brief tour of our exhibit halls below and get a glimpse of what the Science Center has to offer.

Science Phenomena Floor

Experiment with more than 100 hands-on exhibits that satisfy and delight the curious scientist in each of us. Explore the science of light, optics, sound, resonance, motion, mechanics, electricity, magnetism and weather. Some featured exhibits include:

• Indoor Tornado -learn what is needed to form a tornado and stick your hand in the middle of the whirling cyclone!
• Shadow Room - experience the phenomenon of photoluminescence when the flash of a strobe light freezes your shadow against the wall!
• Bridge of Fire - a static generator generates 200,000 volts of electric current, causing the shortest hair to stand on end!

NASA Glenn Visitor Center

Great Lakes Science Center is the new official site of the NASA Glenn Visitor Center. We’re creating a brand new visitor center dedicated to aeronautics, scientific discovery and space exploration. Phase One is currently open and features 20 artifacts including shuttle and rocket models, a moon rock, a lunar lander model and more! A complete build-out of the highly anticipated new NASA Glenn Visitor Center will be complete in 2011. Learn more.

OMNIMAX® Theater

Experience movie magic on a giant screen that’s six stories high. Our Cleveland Clinic OMNIMAX Theater features a domed screen that surrounds you with breathtaking images and ultra-real digital sound. It’s an unforgettable cinematic experience. See what’s playing now.

Biomedical Technology Gallery

Learn about advances in modern medicine and everything doctors are doing to stay ahead in the field of biomedical technology. Covering everything from stem cells to MRIs to robotic arms, the BioMedTech Gallery will satisfy the scientist in all of us - including the aspiring doctor! For more information about the BioMedTech Gallery, click here.

Polymer Funhouse

Just for those 7 and under, the young ones in your group will find no end to the fun as they bounce around in the ball pit and take the helm on the paddlewheel steamship Polymer II, located on the outdoor deck in Port Polymer. For more information, click here.

Steamship William G. Mather

Become a sailor as you explore this historic, 1925-built steamship from bow to stern. With hands-on exhibits onboard you can learn about the history of the Great Lakes, how to navigate the Cuyahoga River with a 618-foot steamship and how to tie a knot like an old deckhand! For more information on the Mather, click here.

Alternative Energy

Dedicated to being eco-friendly, Great Lakes Science Center installed a 150-foot tall wind turbine right on our own front lawn to generate clean, renewable energy. Coupled with that is a 300-foot solar array canopy - combined, they provide about 6% of the Science Center's power supply. Click here for more information.