About
Xplore! is North Wales's dedicated hands-on science discovery centre, occupying a town-centre building between Henblas Street and Chester Street in Wrexham after relocating from its original home on the city's university campus. The centre exists to make science, technology, engineering, and mathematics tangible and enjoyable for children and families through interactive exhibits rather than static displays, following the same hands-on philosophy pioneered by science centres such as Techniquest in Cardiff, whose Wrexham outpost — originally branded Techniquest Glyndŵr — Xplore! effectively continues under new independent management.
The centre is run by North Wales Science, a registered charity established to promote STEM engagement across the region, particularly among children who might not otherwise encounter hands-on science outside the school curriculum. This charitable structure has allowed Xplore! to survive the funding pressures that have closed similar smaller science centres elsewhere in the UK, sustaining a programme of gallery exhibits, workshops, and outreach activities that extends well beyond the walk-in visitor experience into local schools and community groups across Wrexham and the wider North Wales region.
Inside, exhibits span physics, biology, engineering, and general scientific inquiry, built around the core discovery-centre principle that visitors learn best by touching, operating, and experimenting rather than reading labels — visitors can expect exhibits covering forces and motion, light and sound, the human body, and basic engineering principles, refreshed periodically to keep repeat visits worthwhile for local families. A programme of workshops, holiday activities, and outreach visits supplements the permanent gallery, reflecting the charity's broader educational mission.
For Wrexham and North Wales families, Xplore! fills a role few other attractions in the region offer: a genuinely hands-on, child-focused science experience within easy reach of the city centre, distinct from the more history- and heritage-focused museums that dominate the region's visitor attractions, and a valuable resource for schools seeking curriculum-linked STEM engagement beyond the classroom.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Arrive early on weekends and during school holidays, when the centre is busiest with families.
- Check the website for the current school-holiday extended opening hours before visiting during term breaks.
- The centre is best suited to primary-school-aged children, though older children can still find plenty to engage with.
- Xplore! is closed on Mondays outside school holidays — check the website before travelling.
- There is no dedicated on-site car park; use one of Wrexham's town-centre public car parks a short walk away.
- Combine your visit with Wrexham County Borough Museum, a short walk away, for a fuller day out in the town centre.
- Ask about annual passes if you expect to visit more than once — they can offer good value for local families.
Highlights
Hands-On Physics and Forces Gallery
Xplore! 's core gallery is built around interactive exhibits demonstrating forces, motion, balance, and basic mechanics — visitors can operate levers, pulleys, and simple machines themselves rather than reading about them on a label, following the discovery-centre philosophy that physical experimentation builds genuine scientific understanding far more effectively than passive observation.
This approach makes the centre particularly valuable for younger children encountering physics concepts for the first time, translating abstract classroom ideas about force and motion into something they can see and feel happening under their own hands.
Light, Sound and Sensory Exhibits
A dedicated section of the centre explores how light and sound behave, with hands-on exhibits letting visitors manipulate mirrors, create sound waves, and experiment with colour and perception — exhibits that are popular with visitors of all ages precisely because the underlying science, while genuinely rigorous, produces immediately visible and often delightful effects.
These exhibits are frequently refreshed as part of North Wales Science's ongoing programme to keep repeat family visits worthwhile.
North Wales Science's Charitable Educational Mission
Xplore! is run by North Wales Science, a registered educational charity whose remit extends well beyond the walk-in visitor centre into schools and community groups across the wider North Wales region — the centre's continued survival, at a time when several comparable smaller UK science centres have closed under funding pressure, reflects the strength of this charitable model and its integration with regional STEM education priorities rather than reliance on visitor admissions alone.
The Techniquest Glyndŵr Legacy
Xplore! continues the hands-on science-centre tradition established in Wrexham under the Techniquest Glyndŵr name, when the centre operated on the city's university campus in partnership with Cardiff's pioneering Techniquest science centre — one of the UK's first dedicated hands-on science discovery venues.
Understanding this lineage helps explain the centre's exhibit philosophy and its continued regional significance as North Wales's principal hands-on science attraction.
Collections
Xplore! 's core offer is its hands-on physics, engineering, light and sound, and human-biology exhibit galleries, designed for interactive family and school-group learning rather than static object display. The centre is run by the educational charity North Wales Science, which also delivers a wider STEM workshop and school-outreach programme across the region, continuing the hands-on science-centre tradition established in Wrexham under the earlier Techniquest Glyndŵr name.
Forces, Motion and Engineering
Interactive exhibits covering basic physics, mechanics, and engineering principles through hands-on experimentation.
Light, Sound and the Human Body
Sensory science exhibits exploring light, sound, perception, and human biology through interactive activities.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.