Exploration Place Debuts Halloween Nights
October 8, 2026
WICHITA, Kan. — This October, Exploration Place launches Halloween Nights, a new after-dark event that takes over the entire museum, including the brand-new $25 million Adventure Playscape.
Outdoors After Dark
The six-acre Adventure Playscape was designed from the start to come alive at night, and Halloween Nights is the first chance for families to experience it after dark. Every part of the playscape is open for play and hands-on science, with the live science team bringing fire, electricity and luminescence to demonstrations throughout the evening. Layered on top are light and sound experiences brought in specially for the event, including falling artificial snow, a glowing LED tunnel, a lighted maze and a laser experience in the Sensory Garden.
Additionally, Skeleton Safari turns the entire playscape into a nighttime expedition, with more than 250 spooky skeletons hiding in the shadows for families to hunt down and identify.
The museum building itself is part of the show, too. Exploration Place was designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, whose buildings around the world have proven to be stunning canvases for large-scale projection. For Halloween Nights, giant animated scenes will cover the museum’s exterior.
Inside the Museum
Two new national traveling exhibits are now open. In Scooby-Doo! Mansion Mayhem, families join Mystery Inc. to follow clues, test traps and unmask a jewel-thieving ghost. The exhibit was produced by The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and runs through Jan. 10, 2027. Visitors can also join the investigation in Mystery Mansion, a live science show where strange happenings become spectacular experiments.
Curious George: Let’s Get Curious! invites young children to build, experiment and explore force, motion and engineering in George’s world, and runs through Jan. 3, 2027.
In the Dome, Laser Halloween surrounds audiences with music from Beetlejuice and Ghostbusters, along with “Thriller” and “Monster Mash.”
“The Adventure Playscape was always meant to come alive at night as well as during the day, and Halloween Nights is the first time families will see that vision fully realized,” said Adam Smith, president and CEO of Exploration Place. “Also, I can’t wait to see Exploration Place light up with giant projections across its walls. I think it’s going to change the way people in Wichita see this building.”
Plan Your Visit
Halloween Nights runs 6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 8–31. Tickets are $21 for adults and $16 for youth and seniors, and members receive 50% off. Laser Halloween shows run at 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. The event is playful and family-friendly, and costumes are encouraged, as long as they allow for clear vision and easy movement on the Adventure Playscape. Tickets are available at www.exploration.org/halloween.
About Exploration Place
Exploration Place is Kansas’ premier science center and a must-visit destination for families across the region. From hands-on exhibits and live science shows to a 60-foot 360-degree Dome theater and the six-acre Adventure Playscape, Exploration Place offers opportunities for visitors of all ages to explore science, technology, creativity and the world around them.
