Exploring the Explorium

Photo by Nia Jaco.

Located at 440 West Short Street in Lexington, the Explorium of Lexington is a fun and exciting place to take kids from ages one to ten years old. The Explorium is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am-5pm, Sundays from 1pm-5pm, and Mondays from 10am-5pm only from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Admission for ages 1-54 years old is just $9.00, and anyone above the age of 55 can get in for $8.00. However, the prices go up to $12.00 per person for birthday parties, but group visits have a discount at just $6.00 per person. 

My mother and I took my nephews, who are 1 and 3, to the Explorium in Lexington on a Saturday afternoon. We ran into the issue of deciding where to park, so make sure to be well prepared to pay for parking since the Explorium is in a downtown area and has very limited parking; you will more than likely have to walk a distance because they don’t have separate parking for their visitors.

As you walk in, you enter into the “Around Kentucky Gallery” which has horses and jockey outfits for the children to try on while they “ride” the horses. This exhibit taught us a lot about the culture of Kentucky and its horses. There was also a little water table that was also a map of the Kentucky River. This water experience showed how hydroelectricity and dams work right here in our state! This exhibit also featured a small make-believe cave to show different minerals and nocturnal animals.

Next up we came across the “Wonder Woods” which is a smaller play area for children who are less than one year old. The “Woods” also has a small water play area. Even though they have waterproof jackets for the children to wear when they are playing in the water, we had a hard time keeping my youngest nephew from getting water all over himself, so make sure to keep a close eye on them at this exhibit. The “Wonder Woods” also offers toys that are fun for younger children, including a house that had a play kitchen that my nephews absolutely loved.

 

Across the room was the “Healthy Me Gallery” and the “Explorium Way.” The “Healthy Me Gallery” has a giant mouth that the children can climb on and learn about their chompers! Another exhibit featured a brain which has interactive buttons that, when pushed, tell facts about the brain. In that same room, the “Explorium Way” has several different professional roles that the children can pretend to be including reporters, farmers, bankers, doctors, dentists, veterinarians, and judges. This was my oldest nephew’s second favorite exhibit (after the dinosaur exhibit of course!) This gallery allows the kids to play pretend with props they may not have access to at home. This made my nephew’s imagination run wild; my mother and I were able to teach him a lot about what each profession does and its purpose.

On the top floor of the exhibit was the “Bubble Zone.” Unfortunately, we were not impressed with this gallery. There was not enough soap in the bubble mixture so we weren’t able to make bubbles as we had anticipated. Because of this, we did not spend much time in the “Bubble Zone.”However, this area could have been a lot of fun had the bubble mixture had enough soap.

Outside of the bubble room, the “Physics and Space” exhibit was small but a lot of fun for my nephews. They were able to “climb the moon” and sit in a space ship replica. This gallery taught mostly about the moon and how gravity and shadows are different there than they are on Earth. Lastly, my nephew’s favorite gallery was the “Bone Zone” where there were dinosaur skeletons, eggs, and a place where he could even become an archaeologist! Computers were set up around the gallery that had an interactive match-the-dinosaur game which my nephew really enjoyed for a couple of minutes.

If you have siblings, nephews, cousins, or even if you babysit, the Explorium of Lexington is overall a very fun and inexpensive place to spend your afternoon. Honestly, all of the exhibits are more tailored towards children ages 1-6. At this age, the kids will have fun but also learn and develop their social skills at the same time which is very important for kids. If you’re looking for a way to entertain any little ones in your life, or just want to take them out for a fun day, I highly recommend the Explorium–just be aware of the gift shop on your way out!