Announcing: Public Reopening July 1!
It’s been a long spring, and we’ve missed you! But don’t fret: we’re reopening to the public next Wednesday, July 1. This includes access to our museum building, planetarium, Science Store and Countdown Café. Facility rentals for meetings, weddings and other events are also available beginning July 1.
Visitation Information
Our summer hours from July 1 through August 31 will be Wednesday through Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. We will be closed Mondays, Tuesdays and on the 4th of July.
We are offering three daily planetarium shows, with reduced seating and social distancing measures in place inside the planetarium theater. Our summer shows include:
Take Flight! at 11:30: learn about the forces of flight with demonstrations from the Wright brothers and other famous aviators through history
Dawn of the Space Age at 1:00: feel the excitement of the early days of space exploration, including the first lunar mission and early satellite launches
Tonight’s Sky at 2:30: step into the future and take a virtual tour of the exact sky over Concord, New Hampshire after tonight’s sunset, in this classic planetarium experience led by a Discovery Center educator
Visitors are encouraged to purchase admission and planetarium show tickets on our website. All over-the-counter sales will be by payment card (debit or credit) or check; we are accepting no cash transactions at this time.
Health and Safety
The health and safety of our staff and visitors is of the utmost importance for the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. We are complying with all state guidelines in our reopening procedures, and will be implementing thorough health and safety measures during all operations, including:
Self-serve cleaning and sanitizing stations located throughout the museum
Ongoing cleaning and sanitation by Discovery Center staff, including all hands-on exhibit components and commonly-touched surfaces
Masks are required for all visitors except those ages 0-2 years. A mask will be provided for any visitor who does not have one on hand.
Upon arrival at the museum, visitors will be subject to a brief health screening by a Discovery Center staff member; those experiencing symptoms or risk factors of illness will be asked to visit another time.
We will provide signage and floor decals to regulate traffic flow and occupancy throughout our exhibit space. Visitors are asked to stay within their own groups, and to allow six feet of physical distance between your group and other groups.
We are offering reduced seating capacity in our planetarium theater, with social distance enforced for all groups of theater patrons
Questions? Contact us via this online form. We look forward to seeing you soon!
