Visit the Science Oxford Centre, open every Saturday for a unique family experience. Explore, discover and play in the Exploration Zone, where children and grown-ups alike have fun experimenting with interactive exhibits – create and test flying designs at the Air Table, build a giant magnetic ball run, and see what’s hot and what’s not with the Curious Camera. Create fun animations from astronauts exploring space to dinosaurs in a Jurassic world.
With 15 acres of woodland and ponds, there’s plenty to explore outside too. Pick up an Explorer Backpack and see what wildlife you can spot on our Nature Trails. Splash science at the outdoor Water Lab is designed for children to play and experiment with water flow, dams, and floating objects – bring waterproofs or a change of clothes!
Please note: Saturday 5 September with Planetarium show ‘Life Elsewhere’ in the inflatable science dome. (booking essential)
Saturday 3 October is our Sensory-friendly Family Day with Planetarium show.
Session Times:
10am – 12pm
12.30pm – 2.30pm
3pm – 5pm*
Suitable for ages 3+ (all welcome)
Under 3s free.
Tickets
£8.50 per person (includes Eventbrite fee)
From 1st September 2026 tickets will be £9.50 per person.
Pre-booking essential.
All visitors to the Centre require a ticket including adults and children, but free tickets are available for Under 3s and Carers.
See below in ‘Additional Support’ for Carers information, or ‘FAQ Carer Ticket’ on our Centre Visiting page.
Maximum size of a Family Day order is 10x tickets. For orders above 10, please contact us to enquire about a Group Booking.
Woodland access all day (10am-5pm).
Book:
Planetarium show in our inflatable science dome
Monthly pop-up feature! Strictly limited places available – pre-booking essential.
Saturday 5 September with Planetarium show ‘Life Elsewhere’ in the inflatable science dome.
Journey from the icy moons of our own Solar System to distant worlds orbiting other stars. Explore the thousands of exoplanets already discovered in our galaxy, and consider what it would mean if we found life beyond Earth. Along the way, we’ll travel across the Milky Way, zoom out to the vastness of the cosmos, and reflect on our own fragile world. An inspiring exploration of science, scale and one of humanity’s biggest questions: could there be life elsewhere?
Admission to the planetarium show requires both a Family Day Ticket and a £3 Planetarium Ticket for each person.
Each 30-minute session includes the show, a brief Q&A, and time to enter and exit the planetarium.
Children must be accompanied by an adult. No entry for under 3s.
Show times:
Please queue 10 minutes before your planetarium show time.
11:00AM – 11:30PM
12:00PM – 12:30PM
13:30PM – 14:00PM
14:30PM – 15:00PM
The same show is repeated in all sessions.
You can choose any planetarium show time that fits your plans — before, during, or after your visit to the woodland and other Family Day activities.
Due to the nature of the inflatable planetarium, capacity is limited to 25 people per show for safety and comfort. Booking early is recommended to avoid disappointment.
Please note: Seating is on the floor with a cushion. We can accomodate a limited number of wheelchairs or chairs if required. Please contact us with any accessibility enquiries: [email protected].
Planetarium Visual Guide here.
Visitor Information & FAQs, Centre floorplan and virtual tour.
Food and drink: Emira’s Kitchen the visitor café at the Science Oxford Centre is open on Saturdays from 10am-4pm, serving hot and cold drinks, snacks and rolls. Visitors are also welcome to bring their own refreshments and picnics to eat at our indoor or outdoor lunch tables. Everyone must have a ticket.
Bike Parking: This is available on site
Car Parking: Parking only available at weekends on a first come first serve basis*.
Limited spaces, please see here for information on alternative parking and how to get here.
Contact us on [email protected] if you require parking for accessibility reasons.
Our skilled staff ensure that every child can access the activities and differentiate to engage all children. If your child has specific additional needs, please get in touch via [email protected] to discuss how they can be best supported. See our Accessible Resources.
One carer is permitted free entry when accompanying your cared for person. To book your free carer ticket, select from the ‘Add On’ option in Eventbrite when prompted at check out. Select one ticket per cared for person that is attending.
These are applicable for our Family Days and we may ask to see one of the following documents on arrival:
- A Gateway Card, Max Card or Access Card
- A Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance award letter
- Personal Independence Payment letter
- A letter from your GP or consultant confirming the need for a carer, personal assistant, or essential companion
- Your Blue Badge or a photocopy or scan of your Blue Badge
- A Carer’s Allowance Letter of Award
- Carer ID letter or card from your local authority
Visit the Science Oxford Centre for our Sensory-Friendly Family Day, designed to better accommodate and support families who experience autism and/or have other additional needs, or those who prefer a reduced capacity visit. During this visit, we please ask that everyone respects the space and needs of others, so that everyone can enjoy their time in a way that is comfortable for them.
Our next Sensory-friendly Family Day is Saturday 3 October (with Planetarium show) – Book now
What we do to support you during your visit:
- A reduced number of tickets gives everyone more space.
- Loud exhibits are signposted.
- Hand-dryers are switched off and replaced with hand towels.
- Ear defenders are available on request.
- Lighting is switched to a dimmer setting.
- A display will show clearly how much time is remaining in your session.
During your visit, we please ask that everyone respects the space and needs of others, so that everyone can enjoy their time at the Science Oxford Centre in a way that is comfortable for them. If you require use of a quiet space during your visit, please ask a member of staff for assistance.
Before your visit, we recommend viewing or downloading our Family Day Visit – Visual Story, to help familiarise you and your family with the site ahead of your arrival.
You can also find our virtual 360 tour and other accessible resources here.
Contact
Visiting information: Science Oxford Centre visiting information and FAQs here.
Email [email protected] for all event booking and visiting queries. Please allow 24-48 hours for a response, possibly longer over a weekend.
If you have an urgent query or require immediate assistance, please speak to a member of the team on 01865 810000 Monday – Saturday during office hours.
Ticket booking: For information on our refund policy and event terms and conditions visit here. Tickets are refundable up to 48 hours before the event.
Group Booking – contact us for group booking enquiries.
Venue
Science Oxford Centre
Quarry Rd, Headington, Oxford, OX3 8SB
Due to the ongoing site improvement works, you may notice some changes to the area immediately outside the centre and access to the woodland and trails.
There are temporary diversions in place directing parking (please use all available bays). There is also unrestricted free parking available on Quarry Road on Saturdays, plus limited 2-hour (and 3-hour) bays.
If you have any queries, please contact us via [email protected] or 01865 810000. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we complete these necessary improvements.
We are committed to safeguarding the privacy, safety, and wellbeing of all children and young people that visit Science Oxford.
Our visitors are welcome to take photos and videos at the Science Oxford Centre of the children in your care, with parental permission. We encourage you to follow us and share your visit on your social media and tag us @scienceoxford.
Please avoid photographing or filming children who are not in your care and we kindly ask you not to share any images of other people’s children on social media or online, without parental permission.
We may occasionally take photographs or film at our events for publicity purposes to share on our social media, online on our website or local media for our reporting and records. We will notify visitors and you can opt-in via our Eventbrite ticket photography permissions sign up in advance or on the day, or opt out on the day.
We thank you for your co-operation.
Science Oxford is part of a charitable organisation, The Oxford Trust. Please see our privacy policy and our events and data policies here.
