Enjoy a new exhibit and IMAX film focused on our canine friends
WICHITA, Kansas — Exploration Place wants visitors to have a doggone good time this summer, and thanks to the state’s Sunflower Summer program, Kansas families can visit for free.
Kansas families with kids in pre-K through 12th grade can download the Sunflower Summer app to receive free All-Access Passes funded through the Kansas state Department of Education to keep learning going over the summer. Sunflower Summer starts May 28 and runs through August 14.
All-Access Passes include all permanent exhibits, live science shows, unlimited dome theater movies plus Exploration Place’s new summer exhibit, Dogs! A Science Tail. The exhibit is open May 27 – Sept. 5. Dogs! A Science Tail is a hand-on science exhibition that highlights the dynamic nature of the bond between humans and dogs. Guests will experience the extraordinary way that dogs see, hear and smell the world. All information is presented in both English and Spanish.
Visitors can also take in the IMAX movie Superpower Dogs, now showing in The Dome at Exploration Place. Join an immersive adventure to experience the life-saving superpowers and extraordinary bravery of some of the world’s most amazing dogs. In this inspiring true story, our best friends are also real-life superheroes from around the globe that save lives. Viewers will meet Henry, an avalanche rescue expert in British Columbia; Reef, a Newfoundland lifeguard with the Italian coast guard; Ricochet, a California surf legend helping people with special needs; and Tipper and Tony, bloodhounds fighting to save endangered species in Africa.
“As a lifelong dog lover myself, I’m blown away by how much I’ve learned from this exhibit,” said Adam Smith, Exploration Place’s president and CEO. “It brought me closer to my own pets, having learned how dogs experience the world.”
In conjunction with the Dogs! A Science Tail exhibit, Exploration Place is also hosting a special event that will show guests you can teach an old dog new tricks after all. In the Canine Stars dog stunt show – as seen on America’s Got Talent – a team of adopted dogs will wow audiences with stunts including dock diving, freestyle disc tricks, agility skills and high jumping. Tickets are on sale now at www.exploration.org for 13 shows scheduled June 16-19 with gated entry on Exploration Place’s Festival Plaza.
Dogs! A Science Tail was created and developed by the California Science Center with support from Annenberg Foundation and Wallis Annenberg PetSpace. PetSmart Charities is sponsoring the national tour. Locally, the exhibit is sponsored by Woof’s Play and Stay, Equity Bank, Heartland Animal Hospital, The Hairy Sofa and the Kansas Humane Society. Additional underwriting comes from Animal Health Center of Wichita, the Animal Hospital at Auburn Hills Courage Fund, Bogue Animal Hospital, Kevin Brauning and Stephanie Patrick, Caring Hearts Veterinary Clinic and the WSU Tech Vet Nursing Program.
The mission of Exploration Place, Kansas’ premier science center, is to inspire a deeper interest in science and technology through creative and fun experiences for all. Exploration Place is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and through 8 p.m. on Thursday evenings. For more information, visit exploration.org.
