Family Days every Saturday

• Two-hour timeslot in the Exploration Zone
• Access to the woodland and outdoor areas from 10am–5pm (last entry 4.30pm)
• Access to outdoor Water Lab from April – October (change of clothes recommended)
• Parking (limited availability, see below for details)

What’s not included:

• STEM Clubs

Entry to Club (book separately here for Nature Club – The Woodlouse Experiment for ages 5-9 & adult/s.

Planetarium show in our inflatable science dome
Monthly pop-up feature! Strictly limited places available – pre-booking essential.

Life Elsewhere Show

Saturdays 7 November & 5 December Family Days

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.

From learning about blood to extracting strawberry DNA, the Live Lab is a drop-in space in the Exploration Zone where we can share short demos and hands-on activities for our visitors on Family Days. Live Lab activities typically last up to 15 minutes led by our own Science Oxford team.

Live Lab activities give families an opportunity to discuss different areas of science and provide children and adults with opportunities to design and carry out their own short experiments. Children can develop their science skills and vocabulary, and feel like a real scientist! Look out for pop-up activities led by local experts or organisations, giving families a chance to meet and talk to visiting scientists about their research.

Live Lab sessions run regularly as part of our Family Days from November through to March. They are subject to staffing and availability, so please check details when you book. (Please note Live Labs are not available for STEM club visitors.) The development of the Live Lab programme has been supported by the Evolution Education Trust as well as by local scientists providing activities.

Saturdays 14, 23, 28 November 

Seeing Differently: Look at different types of visual impairment with a range of special glasses. Can you still read an eye chart, unlock a box, find an object or make a cup of tea?

Saturdays 12 & 19 December and 9, 16, 23, 30 January 

Red Cabbage Indicators: Find out more about these special chemical ‘detectives’. Make your own indicator and use it to test and experiment with a range of household products.

Saturdays 13, 20, 27 February

Mealworm Lifecycles: Discover more about the lifecycle of mealworms, often a tasty snack for birds and wildlife!

Saturdays 13, 20, 27 March 

Strawberry DNA: Find out more about inheritance and our ‘recipe for life’. Why is life so varied and can you design and carry out your own experimental method for getting the DNA out of a strawberry?

Dates / themes subject to change.

The Planetarium show in the inflatable science dome runs on the first Saturday of the month, booking required.

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.

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.