Explorit Science Center

The New Building on 2nd Street Explorit Nature Center (formerly called the Mace Park Branch)

General Information Explorit celebrates 25th anniversary in 2007 Explorit's Expansion History 525 C Street in 1983 West Davis Intermediate School around 1988 2810 Chiles Road 1991 Past Exhibits Pictures Also See Media

General Information

Explorit Science Center is a non-profit organization committed to the mission: to involve people in science experiences that touch our lives. It's a great place to visit with your family and friends for hands-on science fun. Popular public events include the Family Exploration programs which often feature guest scientists from the community and the Science Festivals held 3 times per year. Weeklong summer day camps and birthday parties with hands-on science themes are popular programs just for children. Explorit also organizes a monthly public science lecture series held at the Davis Branch Library. It has featured notables such as Paul Moller.

At its main site and also at its Explorit Nature Center (formerly called the Mace Park Branch), Explorit hosts school field trips on weekday mornings. Teachers can choose from Discovery Lessons, Discovery Labs, Nature Labs and Nature Safaris. In the wider region, Explorit also has extensive mobile programs which serve elementary schools and community sites within 13 counties in the greater Sacramento area. These traveling programs include classroom programs, assemblies, after-school programs, and family science nights. The Explorit Nature Center has The Science Mosaic Bench out front.

Explorit celebrates 25th anniversary in 2007

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Explorit hosted a hands-on family science festival on April 28, 2007. The free public event took place at both Explorit’s main facility, 2801 Second Street, and at the Mace Park Branch, 3141 Fifth Street. Visitors took a trip back in time to see how Explorit has grown and changed since its founding in 1982 and tried out some favorite science activities from the past 25 years. Special events at the festival included the unveiling of the “Give Explorit a Hand” donor wall and the dedication of Standing Wave, an outdoor science-art sculpture by local artist Chris Daubert. Later this year, Explorit will be planning a reunion gathering for the many staff, trustees and volunteers who have contributed to the Center's growth and success since 1982.

Explorit's Expansion

After several years of planning and fundraising to expand its facilities, in spring 2006 Explorit publicly announced its plans to expand into the south side of the Davis Indoor Sports Center building. This new site opened to the public on September 23, 2006 and was celebrated with a Grand Opening Festival on October 14, 2006. The facility features hands-on exhibits, a Discovery Room, a Microscope Nook, a Wet Lab, an Animal Alcove and more. Additional galleries and exhibit spaces will be phased in over the next year at the site. This 2801 2nd Street site is now Explorit's primary public location. The old location, the Explorit Nature Center at 3151 5th Street, continues to be used by Explorit for school field trips focused on nature themes that utilize the surrounding park, as the main site for summer day camps and as the hub for Explorit's outreach programs. More information is available at the Explorit website. Before Explorit was in its Mace Ranch location, it was at 2828 Cowell Boulevard, where there was a large mural of a head with long, wild hair. This building now has offices for the UC Davis Bookstore, and has a mural of the Aggie Logo.

History

525 C Street in 1983

West Davis Intermediate School around 1988

2810 Chiles Road 1991

Past Exhibits

• A dollhouse with solar panels electrically engineered by Mark Chang and sponsored by Talbott Solar.

Does anybody have photos of the old or new mural, or the old explorit on Cowell?

Pictures

Bugs

Inside Examining corn

Also See

Also see museums and exhibits.

Media

• 2008 Feature — 2008 story in Davis Life Magazine including an interview with Megan Chiosso, program director of Explorit Science Center.

Comments:

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2004-08-12 15:21:54   I attended their 2004 Perseid viewing, and while I only caught the tail end of the Explorit organized part, I had a really nice time. The location was near perfect — far, far West Davis (so far that it was actually in the Outskirts of town) — and the sky was crystal clear. They had telescopes and neon-glowing lights set up, but they were closing up shop as we got there (around 1AM). —PhilipNeustrom

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2007-01-02 14:23:28   They finally got a paved parking lot, that was the big project for ever and a day. I also have tons of fond memories as an inquisitive little kiddie running around explorit —StevenDaubert

please note this is for old explorit ie Mace Ranch

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2007-04-29 11:26:00   lawl, the Davisites can start calling the new explorit just that, hahahah. I have many fond memories of going to the "Mace Ranch branch" when I was young —StevenDaubert

Man, the real old explorit is on Cowell. Don't you remember that mural of the person with the hair? —NickSchmalenberger