![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/abe8a936-83bd-4f47-8988-44fd61d94e4a/CC_DiscoveryBackground.png)
![Two girls experimenting with sound tubes of different lengths at the interactive Maier Foundation Music Studio exhibit.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/1701120515184-US7FQAYA9TG8FD5H1QEX/MaierFoundationMusicStudio.jpg)
AVAMPATO DISCOVERY MUSEUM
AVAMPATO DISCOVERY MUSEUM
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/8f018f6b-94fb-42d4-b78a-f7749a085388/ClayCenter_AvampatoDiscoveryMuseum_Icon_Illustration_RGB_Reverse.png)
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/449811bf-b626-40ad-ab9f-fba36fc18baa/CC_Website_DepartmentLogos_Discovery-01.png)
The Avampato Discovery Museum houses three floors of hands-on exhibits and more than 12,000 square feet of non-stop fun.
Splash around in WaterWorks, learn about the science of sound in the Maier Foundation Music Studio, and get your body in motion in Healthy Me! Explore “real life” in My Town and climb to new heights on Ashton’s Climbing Sculpture! Like to change it up every once in a while? Our gallery hosts touring exhibits from all over the country.
![Two children play veterinarian; a boy in a lab coat examines a stuffed dog, while a girl watches, in a clinic playroom with animal posters on the wall.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/edbfc868-483d-448a-8bbf-33835365a432/Screen+Shot+2023-11-28+at+10.57.17+AM.png)
![A woman and a young child in a wheelchair laughing together in a colorful exhibit.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/1701117862471-7I51W162RWX8TF9OA2NY/ClayCenter-TreeHouse-C4Preset-2.jpg)
![Three children playfully engaging in a pretend grocery checkout, with one scanning items and two others with a shopping cart.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/cc61ae5b-e389-4e65-8791-456c2e616778/Screen+Shot+2023-11-28+at+10.57.44+AM.png)
![Two children interacting with digital touchscreens in the museum, focusing intently on their tasks.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/c8ea427e-c3c1-492b-ae01-2d9b25c3a405/Screen+Shot+2023-11-28+at+11.00.02+AM.png)
![A young boy in a cap uses a magnifying glass to closely examine a display in the Avampato Discovery Museum.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/1701117864366-OQVM0EOUKKPQQLO2IG9S/ClayCenter-TreeHouse-C4Preset-19.jpg)
![An adult and a child engage with the interactive water exhibit, using tools to direct water flow.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/1701120814655-GJ2Q77UGRY32W9WZ0FPV/DSF7326.jpg)
![Toddler girl in a pink shirt joyfully playing in a yellow boat-shaped play structure in the My Town exhibit.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/1701118804318-SBS3DXIQ03XI3WQ9N582/Baby+in+Boat.jpg)
![Two young girls playing behind the large net of the climbing sculpture, one smiling broadly and reaching out.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/1701120263150-BG378J2WIGQWCR6WI0NO/CGP3759.jpg)
![Two children play veterinarian; a boy in a lab coat examines a stuffed dog, while a girl watches, in a clinic playroom with animal posters on the wall.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/edbfc868-483d-448a-8bbf-33835365a432/Screen+Shot+2023-11-28+at+10.57.17+AM.png)
![A woman and a young child in a wheelchair laughing together in a colorful exhibit.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/1701117862471-7I51W162RWX8TF9OA2NY/ClayCenter-TreeHouse-C4Preset-2.jpg)
![Three children playfully engaging in a pretend grocery checkout, with one scanning items and two others with a shopping cart.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/cc61ae5b-e389-4e65-8791-456c2e616778/Screen+Shot+2023-11-28+at+10.57.44+AM.png)
![Two children interacting with digital touchscreens in the museum, focusing intently on their tasks.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/c8ea427e-c3c1-492b-ae01-2d9b25c3a405/Screen+Shot+2023-11-28+at+11.00.02+AM.png)
![A young boy in a cap uses a magnifying glass to closely examine a display in the Avampato Discovery Museum.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/1701117864366-OQVM0EOUKKPQQLO2IG9S/ClayCenter-TreeHouse-C4Preset-19.jpg)
![An adult and a child engage with the interactive water exhibit, using tools to direct water flow.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/1701120814655-GJ2Q77UGRY32W9WZ0FPV/DSF7326.jpg)
![Toddler girl in a pink shirt joyfully playing in a yellow boat-shaped play structure in the My Town exhibit.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/1701118804318-SBS3DXIQ03XI3WQ9N582/Baby+in+Boat.jpg)
![Two young girls playing behind the large net of the climbing sculpture, one smiling broadly and reaching out.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6564b3d1448c840d9d0b70e8/1701120263150-BG378J2WIGQWCR6WI0NO/CGP3759.jpg)
EXHIBITS
Welcome to a world of discovery! Our playful and interactive science exhibits are designed to foster curiosity and learning in young minds.
Our exhibits rotate frequently, so visit often because there’s always something new to see and explore!
Discover new environments on Earth and in space! Life on the Edge is an exhibition exploring extreme environments on Earth and expanding awareness of the possibilities for life in our Solar System and beyond.
In WaterWorks visitors play and work with water along sweeping flow routes, dramatic water falls, controlling the water to animate and energize everything in its path in an expression of water’s power. Along the way, they will experience the potential, kinetic and mechanical energy of water.
In the Maier Foundation Music Studio, visitors see, listen to, move to, and create their own music; examine the scientific foundations of music they hear; and explore the mathematical concepts of rhythm, pattern, and harmony.
Focusing on the human body in motion, Healthy Me provides a safe environment to test your physical skills and learn why regular physical activity is essential to health.
Enter a town much like Charleston but on a kid’s scale. In My Town, the kids have the jobs, get to spend (imaginary) money and participate in fun activities every day!
See all three stories of the Clay Center from a new perspective as you climb a work of art. From kids to adults, everyone can take part in this interactive exhibit.
ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
We have a wide variety of engaging and educational activities for all ages at the Clay Center. Through our hands-on science labs, art workshops, and classes, children and adults alike can unleash their curiosity and let their imaginations grow.
Our hands-on experiments, playful simulations, and interactive activities make learning fun!
Join us for an evening of frosty fun at "Discovery After Dark," our exclusive monthly event series designed just for museum members! Families are invited to explore larger-than-life experiences together, all happening after work but before bedtime.
Celebrate the shortest day of the year in a BIG way at the Clay Center! This family-friendly event is packed with exciting winter activities and captivating shows that explore the science and magic of the shortest day of the year.
Looking for something to do over winter break? Shake off those winter wiggles and come to the Clay Center for our Winter Wonderlabs at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM each day! Families will explore different STEAM topics together and make some chilly discoveries along the way!
CAMPS
When school is out, camp in session at the Clay Center! Our Discovery Day Camps, Spring Break Camps, and Summer Camps are fun-filled, hands-on educational experiences.