Your Guide to Roper Mountain Science Center

With summer vacation upon us, we put together this guide to Roper Mountain Science Center, one of our favorite places in Greenville. It has everything you need to know about the various trails, gardens and other features, as well as the must-attend event info and other tips to help make your time at RMSC this summer memorable for the whole family!

YOUR GUIDE TO ROPER MOUNTAIN SCIENCE CENTER

What is RMSC?

In the early 1980’s the Greenville County School District saw a need for a science center that could provide hands-on science enrichment activities to the district’s 68,000 students. In cooperation with the community and with corporate support, the Roper Mountain Science Center Association was born, opening its doors in 1985. Since then its annual student attendance has grown from 4,600 to over 120,000, with 400-600 students visiting every day for learning labs to supplement their classroom education.

However, RMSC isn’t just for Greenville County School students. The facilities are open to the general public during Second Saturday activities, Friday Starry Nights, and Butterfly Adventure as part of admission. Also, during the school year and during daylight hours, families can visit the nature trails, outdoor play area and gardens at no charge.

Exploring the Ecology Lab in Harrison Hall of Natural Sciences

What’s at RMSC?

The 62-acre campus is accessible from Roper Mountain Road, just north of the I-385 exit. A one-way, mile-long driving loop takes you to the various buildings, with three main parking areas located throughout. The largest of those is located just to your right as you enter, and is used for most large events with shuttle buses providing transportation among the various areas.

Just next to the parking lot is the amphitheater, familiar to many local families from Roper Mountain Science Center Holiday Lights. While the holiday light display celebrated its 26^th and final season last year, visitors will soon be making new memories on the site of the old amphitheater; construction will soon begin on a 24,000-square-foot facility that officials say will focus on environmental science. The two-story facility is expected to open by 2022.

The RMSC Marine Lab is home to more than a few animals

  

Next on the loop is Harrison Hall of Natural Sciences, home to the Fred W. Symmes Tropical Rainforest Conservatory, Nancy Hall Eskew Rainforest Lab, the Daniel Keating Norris Discovery Room, the Palentology & Earth Science Labs, the Computer Lab, an Ecology Lab and Marine Lab. The Harrison Hall is open to the public only during special events, however there are plenty of opportunities to explore the newly renovated building during Second Saturday events and the upcoming month-long Butterfly Adventure (see events section below for more on these fantastic opportunities).

Related articles: The Ecology Lab at RMSC

The Marine Lab at RMSC

At the very heart of RMSC is the Giant Dome Theater and Hooper Planetarium. The state-of-the-art planetarium opened in 1989 and just underwent a $1 million renovation, featuring a new 360° full immersion dome, 4K projection, state-of-the-art lighting, dynamic 5.1 surround sound, interactive lobby exhibits and more. The facility is open to the public during the Friday Starry Nights program (see more below in events section) and on 2nd Saturdays.

Hooper Planetarium

Adjacent to the planetarium is the Symmes Hall of Science, also newly renovated, and home to STEM, Physical Science, Weather and Forensics programs, as well as 300-seat Hipp Auditorium. Symmes is open to the public during special events.

At the east end of the campus is Daniel Observatory. Home to a 23″ refractor telescope which is the 8^th largest of its kind in the US, the Observatory is open each Friday evening from 7-10pm for public observation. The facility is also utilized for astronomy classes, special events, and organized activities by the Roper Mountain Astronomers.

Looking through the telescope in Daniel Observatory

The adjacent David H. Wilkins Conference Center houses facilities for meetings, events and classes for school and public programs. For more information on facility rental please call RMSC - 864.355.8925.

Outdoors at RMSC

Adjacent to the Harrison Hall is the Butterfly Garden, a joint project of the Roper Mountain Science Center, the roper Mountain Science Center Association, and the Greater Greenville Master Gardeners. The garden is open during daylight hours when the center’s main gate is open, and a pavilion overlooking the wildlife pond is a perfect spot for a picnic lunch.

Related article: The butterfly garden at Roper Mountain Science Center

From the butterfly garden it is a short walk to both of the RMSC treehouses. The one closest to the main loop road is ‘Anatomy of a TREE House’ and uses elements that resemble the trees that inspired it including exposed concrete "roots," a wraparound squirrel's nest with a real tree growing through it, and a slide. Overlooking the pond is ‘Treetop Clinic’ which focuses on environmental issues: the water cycle, the solar cycle & path of the sun, and the plant life as seen from the treehouse.

Related article: Treehouses at RMSC

On the opposite side of the pond from the butterfly garden is the Wildwood natural play area. A relatively new addition, children can play with natural materials such as stumps and sand, building, digging and creating to their heart’s content while parents comfortably watch from one of the benches. A big part of Wildwood is in the shade, and the little play house along with various slides, bridges, seesaws and even a canoe will keep the kids busy learning and exploring.

Related article: Big Changes at Roper Mountain

Beyond Wildwood and Harrison Hall of Natural Science are the arboretum and the Living History Farm & Schoolhouse. The farm is open to the public only during special events but is definitely worth a visit during one of the Second Saturdays; history comes to life with authentic log cabins, corn cribs, a barn, a blacksmith shop, a school and a former slave cabin. Gardens, fields, pasture, a farm pond, and farm animals typical of life in the Upstate in the early 1800′s complete the scene.

Winding through the RMSC forest are a 1-mile asphalt nature trail and multiple forest trails. The Nature Trail loops along the hardwood and pine forests of the science center grounds and features signs informing visitors about native plants and animals that might be found in our region. The BeWell fitness trail (which utilizes a portion of the Nature Trail) starts by the main parking lot, and has ten fitness stations that include different stretches and exercises along with instructions on properly completing them. There are several picnic areas along the way, and multiple loops on the east end, connecting the Living History Farm to the butterfly garden and Wildwood. You can find a map of the trails here.

On the Symmes/Daniels Observatory end of the Nature Trail you might notice another of RMSC’s new activities, the Low Ropes Course. Visiting groups can schedule sessions for team-building activities by contacting the Roper Mountain Science Center.

Stumbled upon this #triceratops on our #blueberryfest adventure @ropermountain this morning! Have you been to the Neogene #fossildig yet? #yeahTHATgreenville #secondsaturday #butterflyadventure #sciencecomesalive #sciencecenter #dinosaursrule

A post shared by Liene • South Carolina (@femmefoyer) on Jul 8, 2017 at 10:37am PDT

Another fun feature along the Nature Trail is the Stegasaurus near Harrison Hall. RMSC is hoping to add a dozen replicas of herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs to field stations along the trail, with panels giving details about the dinosaur and its habitat. Keep your eyes open for the 19-foot Tyrannosaurus rex! The Dinosaur Trail is expected to be open the summer of 2020.

Events at RMSC

Starting this Friday, June 1^st, Butterfly Adventure is returning to RMSC for its third year! Visitors will be able to enter the living exhibit in the Fred W. Symmes Tropical Rainforest where hundreds of colorful butterflies will be flitting about until July 13 from Tuesday through Saturday. In addition to the up-close butterfly sncounter, visitors will be able to explore the Harrison Hall of Natural Sciences including the Marine Lab, and experience life in SC in the 1800s in the Living History Farm.

Related articles: A Butterfly Adventure, Year 1

Butterfly Adventure, Year 2

Another great way to experience RMSC is during one of the Second Saturday events. On these select Saturdays the Living History Farm, Harrison Hall, Hooper Planetarium, Daniel Observatory and Symmes Hall of Science are opened to the public for STEM and other programs with hands-on demonstrations and special exhibits. Upcoming 2018 Second Saturdays include Blueberry Festival on July 14, Star Wars on October 13 and the Fall Harvest Festival on November 10.

Related articles: Blueberry Festival at RMSC

Star Wars Second Saturday

Fall Harvest Festival at RMSC

A Green Halloween

On Friday nights (January through November) the Planetarium opens for Friday Starry Nights with 6pm and 7:30p Planetarium shows that include Carolina Skies (a live sky talk), the feature show, and the SpacePark 360 Virtual Rollercoaster.

Related article: Starry Nights at the Newly-renovated Hooper Planetarium

During the months of July and August the Planetarium is also open select Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights for planetarium programs. There are shows suitable for all ages; for a schedule and more info check out the calendar here. If music is more your thing, check out one of the laser shows featuring music ranging from pop to country, from the Beatles to Pink Floyd. Laser Shows in the Planetarium will be taking place from July 17-28, see website for schedule.

RMSC also has summer Science Exploration camps, however all the programs for the 2018 season are currently full. The robotics, Lego, nature and other programs are in very high demand, often filling up during the first weeks of registration.

Patch programs and group programs are available for Cub Scouts & Boy Scouts ranging from a self-guided program to Webelos Activity Badge Workshops in Harrison Hall. See website for more information.

Admission Info

Fee info for the various RMSC programs can be found on their website, here. However possibly the most convenient option is to purchase an annual family membership. We have been RMSC members for years, enjoying free admission to Friday Starry Nights, Second Saturdays and Butterfly Adventure. Members also enjoy discount ticket prices for special events such as the laser shows, and early registration and discount to summer camps. Family memberships are $65 – see website for details.

Along with a RMSC membership you’ll also get the benefit of admission to more than 300 different science centers and museums through the ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers) Passport Program. They include nearby favorites such as EdVenture Children’s Museum in Columbia and the Spartanburg Science Center, as well as North Carolina’s Greensboro Science Center, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill, the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, and the Western North Carolina Nature Center in Asheville.

Related article: There's so Much to Explore at Roper Mountain Science Center 

Five on Friday: the August edition

It’s hot. With temperatures in the mid-90s for the past week, I don’t think I’m the only Upstate mom that has been spending more time indoors. While we’ve been enjoying our time at the library, The Children’s Museum of the Upstate, Summer Movie Express $1 movies and on the couch at home watching TV (shhh, don’t tell!), we’ll be making the effort to get out to cross some last things off the summer bucket list before school starts this month. Now if only we could get temperatures to drop under 90 for a week or so, that would be great.

1. The Carolina Panthers return to Spartanburg! The Panthers kicked off their training camp at Wofford College Wednesday with a kickoff party, and practice will continue through mid-August here in the Upstate. For more on what to expect, check out last year’s post, Carolina Panthers training camp. For a training camp practice schedule, please visit the official team page.

2.  Every Friday night the Roper Mountain Science Center hosts two showings of their feature show Eclipse: The Sun Revealed in the newly renovated T.C. Hooper Planetarium. Learn about the historical and cultural view of eclipses, the geometry behind them, and how to safely view one in preparation for the total solar eclipse that will take place on August 21^st. Starry Nights at RMSC have never been more exciting! For more information and for tickets please visit the RMSC Starry Night website, and for a review of the show please see my post on Starry Nights. Bonus: Hooper Planetarium is air conditioned…

3. The Indie Craft Parade is coming back to Greenville for the 8^th year this September, and tickets go on sale August 1^st! The three-day festival celebrates handmade art, and has become one of the premier Southern craft events showcasing quality southern-made goods. Read about it here, buy tickets here.

4. This next event requires a bit more of a commitment, but it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore one of the two Frank Lloyd Wright properties in South Carolina, and his only plantation – Auldbrass. The estate is only opened to the public every other year on one weekend in November, and online ticket reservations are opening August 1st. Warning - the tickets sell out quickly! For a picture tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Auldbrass please visit my post on the subject, and for ticket reservations visit the Open Land Trust website.

5. A public service announcement: The $10 lifetime National Park Service senior pass for U.S. citizens age 62 or over will increase to $80 on August 28, 2017. Although still a good deal in my opinion, if you’re not already a lifetime pass holder, you might want to take advantage of the lower rate by visiting a federal recreation site before the end of the month. If you would prefer to buy online from the USGS store, or by USPS, there is an additional charge of $10 for processing the application. The passes are valid at more than 2,000 Federal recreation sites where entrance fees are charged. The National Parks centennial has passed, but our public lands need our support now more than ever!

Stay cool,

x Femme au Foyer

The Ecology Lab at RMSC

Second Saturdays are the perfect time to get out to the Roper Mountain Science Center, located right here in Greenville! On the second Saturday of select months, the learning spaces throughout the science center are open to the public, offering visitors an opportunity to enjoy experiences similar to those which engage students during the weekday lessons held in the center’s classrooms and labs. The Living History Farm, the Planetarium & Observatory, the Symmes Hall of Science... In addition to special activities geared towards that Saturday’s topic, there are also plenty of resident animals to meet and exhibits to explore - and if you’re a RMSC member, it’s free!

Red Eared Slider

Our favorite summer stop on Second Saturdays is Harrison Hall of Natural Sciences, and during the recent Blueberry Festival we spent some time exploring the Ecology Lab. Located right next door to the Marine Lab, the Ecology Lab showcases South Carolina habitats from the mountains to the sea. Oriented like a classroom, the center of the room is filled with long tables and chairs; on the Second Saturdays these are often filled with crafts and activities. The Butterfly Adventure was in its final day, and so thousands of butterflies had been created at one station to form an enormous hanging work of art that fluttered in a corner.

Four large “Living Habitats” line the far wall: a Mountain Trout Stream, a Beaver/Turtle Pond, a Cypress Swamp (with alligator), and a Salt Marsh. Murals, faux rock work, and aquariums with live animals & plants showcase these habitats, while a fifth terrarium with carnivorous plants highlights our Carolina Bay habitat.

Along one end of the lab is a mural of a forest, and a large window overlooking the pollinator garden which is often buzzing with the resident bees. A bench faces the window, offering a quiet place for observation.This is also where the live indoor honeybee hive is located; this brand new hive was installed in June of this year as an Eagle Scout project, replacing an older display without the convenient feeding station of the new one. The full pollen sacs on legs of bees returning from their foraging were clearly visible, and we watched in fascination as they performed the waggle dance, the figure-eights that instruct the rest of the hive where to find a food source. 

Meanwhile the other end of the lab has the Invertebrate Zoo, which displays native and tropical invertebrates. On Second Saturdays there is usually a volunteer, or two, who are more than willing to help answer any questions visitors may have; in our case it was concerning large snakes of the Upstate…

With the ‘don’t touch’ policy many science museums enforce with their exhibits, it is wonderful to see the hands-on approach that Roper Mountain takes with the Ecology Lab. In addition to the ‘touchable’ aspect of the Living Habitats (small doors to open to find answers to questions, and models of various animals) the Lab has an “In Touch with Nature Table” that allows kids (and adults!) to hold real artifacts; a snake skin, turtle shells, pieces of coral and seashells were scattered amongst beaver-gnawed branches, pine cones and various other objects found in the great outdoors.

Soon enough the kids had their fill and we headed outdoors to see what was new in the butterfly garden. The Living History farm also beckoned, but it was good to know that on such a scorching hot day we could always return to the cool labs of the Harrison Hall of Natural Science. For more information on the Second Saturday events at Roper Mountain Science Center (the next ones are scheduled in October and November) please visit the RMSC website, which will also have admissions info and hours. Remember, if you’re a member not only do you get free admission to Second Saturdays and Starry Nights, but you also gain admission to over 300 science centers and museums worldwide – for membership info click here and join the RMSC community today!

Five on Friday: 5 must-visit exhibits

Here are five highlights to visit with kids this summer here in Greenville, SC!

1. Curious George: Let’s Get Curious! at the Upcountry History Museum

Not even two weeks old, the newest exhibit at UHM is geared towards children ages 2-8 and emphasizes early STEAM concepts: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math. Children explore familiar places from the Curious George books and television series, and are led on a fun, interactive adventure along with George, the Man in the Yellow Hat and other friends. My boys (ages 2, 5 and 7) all enjoyed the exhibit, and on our most recent visit we spent about two hours there. The exhibit runs through September 24^th.

2. Future Park: Art + Technology at The Children’s Museum of the Upstate

This one-of-a-kind exhibit combines technology and art for a digital playground like none other! In Sketch Town we drew pictures of cars, buildings and spacecraft to populate an amazing, interactive virtual town projected on the exhibit wall. Hopscotch for Geniuses allowed visitors to traverse a digital hopscotch course complete with colorful (and changing) art and patterns. In a separate (dark) room, Light Ball Orchestra was a sensory experience; the kids rolled oversized balls that change color when they come into contact with other balls. Finally, in Connecting! Train Block, blocks are used to create digital thoroughfares for cars, boats, trains and planes. Note: on our recent visit Connecting! Train Blocks was out of order. Future Park runs through September 4^th.

3. Granger McKoy at the Greenville County Museum of Art

Renowned artist and carver Grainger McKoy grew up in Sumter, South Carolina, and attended Clemson University. McKoy carves gravity-defying sculptures of birds rendered in incredible detail; my boys loved pointing out all the different birds in the exhibit, and speculating on how they are held up! This exhibit runs through the end of the year. Remember, this Sunday is Family Art Adventure at the museum; the free activity will involve creating a work of art exploring what lies beneath the ocean's surface.

4. Butterfly Adventure at Roper Mountain Science Center

Step into the butterfly adventure habitat with hundreds of butterflies flitting around! Plan to spend more than a few hours as you’ll want to explore the rest of Roper Mountain as well, including the Ecology and Marine Lab, the Living History Farm, and WildWood. See the post Butterfly Adventure for my review and more info!

5. First Friday at Greenville’s Center for Creative Arts

You can meet the 16 studio artists who have studios on the second floor of GCCA during their First Friday events in the Village of West Greenville. In addition to the art exhibit there is a kids area with a craft (which varies month to month), and a local food truck will usually offer dining options. Check out the art class and camp options for kids! 

Butterfly Adventure

Roper Mountain Science Center has brought back Butterfly Adventure this June, working out the kinks to make the second year of this exhibit a success! In addition to the butterfly adventure habitat, the Harrison Hall of Natural Science and the Living History Farm & Schoolhouse are open to visitors, ensuring that a visit to Roper Mountain this summer is an experience you don’t want to miss.

Butterfly Adventure is open from 9am to 3pm. We timed our visit to arrive early, as we remembered the long lines and extensive wait times last year (see my post A butterfly adventure). However, we need not have bothered, as throughout the day there really weren’t any lines. We were able to stay in the butterfly room in Fred W. Symmes Tropical Rainforest Conservatory for over 30 minutes, and even then only left because the boys were ready to explore further.

Similar to last year, both Discovery Rooms are dedicated to fun activities. In addition to meeting the resident animals that call Roper Mountain home, the boys were able to make a variety of crafts to take home with them. The Design Lab was also a hit in this regard; while the older boys designed their own butterfly to test in the wind tunnels, Vilis made a balloon butterfly, complete with beating wings.

The Ecology Lab and Marine Lab had the usual exhibits, plus a few special displays. On Thursdays and Fridays you can make your own seed balls in the Ecology Lab, and there is a special animal talk in the Marine Lab on Thursday and Friday at 1pm.

On your way to the Living History Farm make a loop in order to swing by the Fossil Pit, the Butterfly Garden, and the two treehouses. Then, across the pond the WildWood play area is a new addition to the RMSC playscape. The natural play area makes use of blocks, bridges and slides for hours of play for all ages; we usually spend quite a bit of time here, but today we still had the farm to explore!

We met the baby lambs at the barn; these tiny little guys were only about a week old! Make sure to stop by at 10am or 12pm when the lamb feeding takes place. On Fridays Red Clay Soap does presentations on the health benefits of goat milk, but volunteers are on hand to help children pet the baby goats throughout the week.

Kids also enjoy the school house craft at 9:30am, and ‘school lessons’ are taught at 11am while storytime is at noon. I recommend a stop in the heritage garden – there is so much in bloom! Finally, a visit to the Kitchen Cabin brings historic food preparation to life.

The cardoon is related to the artichoke

A visit to Butterfly Adventure is included in a RMSC membership, and tickets can be reserved ahead of time. For those visitors who are not members, admission is $8 for adults, $7 for children 4 to 12, and free for 3 and younger. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, from 9am to 3pm with the last entry at 1:30pm. Butterfly Adventure will be closed Sundays, Mondays, and July 4^th, and runs through July 7^th. Please visit the RMSC website for more information. 

Starry Nights at the newly-renovated Hooper Planetarium

The T.C. Hooper planetarium at Greenville’s Roper Mountain Science Center (RMSC) reopened early this year with more than $1 million in improvements. The 1989 planetarium was forced to close last year due to mold, but is back and better than ever this spring. The three shows currently running have been selling out in advance, and with the solar eclipse at the end of the summer approaching, the planetarium’s popularity is only going to increase.

The renovations are obvious as soon as the show starts; the old planetarium projector was replaced with a new 4K digital system, and a 360° full immersion dome with dynamic 5.1 surround sound and state-of-the-art cove lighting has been installed. Simple cosmetic work was also done, including painting the theater and lobby, and replacing the chairs and carpeting.

My boys loved the new arcade-style games in the lobby, especially piloting the moon lander. At one table they can build their own spaceship, and cool posters line the walls. RMSC advises ticketholders to arrive 20 minutes before the start of the program to facilitate parking, seating and a timely start, but a line will sometimes form in the lobby even before then. Don’t want to show up 30 minutes early just to guarantee a spot in the front of the line? Although the seats in the rear of the planetarium are considered the best, the comfortable chairs and 360° full immersion dome mean that even those visitors seated in the front row will still have an excellent experience.

In addition to programs for the 50,000 students that visit the planetarium annually, RMSC offers public programs each Friday on “Starry Nights.” Tickets cost $6 for adults and teens, and $5 for children, senior citizens, and military. Admission is free for RMSC members and children under the age of three. Currently showing are programs appropriate for a wide range of ages.

The ceiling in the lobby

In One World: Big Bird’s Adventure children can join Big Bird and Elmo on an unforgettable journey to the Moon and back. “When Elmo’s friend Hu Hu Zhu stops by Sesame Street for a visit, he notices that Sesame Street is a little bit different from his home in China. But when he looks up at the sky, he feels right at home. Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu may live in different cities, but they share the same sky! With a little help from Big Bird, the two friends learn about the Sun, the Moon, and the Big Dipper, then blast off in an imaginary rocket to the Moon! Along the way, they invite the audience to sing along to songs about space and celebrate the sky that belongs to everyone.”

In Magic Tree House: Space Mission travel with Jack and Annie in their Magic Tree House as they proceed to answer questions left for them in a mysterious note. “With the help of the astronomer, the Internet, an astronaut, books, and the note's author, Jack and Annie are… taken on a wondrous journey of adventure and learning.” Space Mission was produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, and features Mary Pope Osborne, author of the Magic Tree House book series and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Finally, in Eclipse: The Sun Revealed, viewers are taken on a journey through the historical and cultural view of eclipses, exploring the geometry behind an eclipse while covering how to safely view an eclipse. With a first-hand account of one eclipse chaser's experience during a total solar eclipse, the audience will be ready for the solar eclipse this August. RMSC even has viewing glasses available for purchase in the lobby.

The Big Dipper and Ursa Major in the Upstate's Sky Tonight

Each program kicks off with Upstate’s Sky Tonight, a 15 minute pre-show where you’ll learn what’s visible in tonight’s sky with a view of the planets and constellations as visible in Greenville. Then after the feature program comes the Mars rollercoaster, although this aspect may not be as popular with viewers who tend to get motion sickness…  

After each show, viewers are invited to observe the stars through the 23-inch refractor telescope at the Charles E. Daniel Observatory. For tickets and more on Roper Mountain Science Center, T. C. Hooper Planetarium and Starry Nights, please visit the RMSC website. 

The Marine Lab at RMSC

We spent one last morning at Roper Mountain Science Center’s Butterfly Adventure. The exhibit will close with this month’s Second Saturday event, the Blueberry Festival: All Things Blueberry! We lucked out with a short line, spent some time with the monarchs & swallowtails, and then headed over to the Marine Lab at the other end of the Harrison Hall of Natural Science.

As doors to the building are only open to visitors during special events and Second Saturdays, a weekday visit to the Marine Lab is a special treat. Not only are there dozens of ocean animals for the kids to interact with, but the aquariums lining the walls are full of wonders, and exhibits provide visitors with an opportunity to discover the many organisms that inhabit our oceans.

We immediately headed to the sink to wash our hands, and then to the tide pool tank. These touch tanks are home to stingrays, horseshoe crabs and a sea snail. All three boys (and mom!) had the opportunity to ‘pet’ a stingray – surprisingly sponge-like, as opposed to the slick surface I expected. We then played peekaboo with the crabs…

The six aquaria were a never-ending movie of movement and color, and although the tropical fish held the boys’ interest for some time, the sea turtles were probably their favorites.

We explored the seashore ecosystem through the giant mural, and then wondered over the hawksbill turtle display. Mikus had some fun with the ocean observation buoy, learning about these instruments through the touch screen information center. We even took a look at the research vessel, a work station utilized by students on field trips.

Although the Marine Lab will not be open daily anymore once Butterfly Adventure ends, it is always open during Second Saturdays. The display near the door alone is worth the visit; hundreds of dried specimens of marine organisms including sponges, sea stars, crabs, corals, fossils and more make for a fascinating exploration of life under the sea – without getting your toes wet. Hopefully you’ll be getting your hands wet (do stop in and meet the manta!), so as Roper Mountain Science Center says, “come sea for yourself” what the Marine Lab is all about!

A butterfly adventure

For the first time in its over 30-year history, Roper Mountain Science Center is opening the doors to Harrison Hall of Natural Science to the public during the week for a live butterfly exhibit! Following the grand opening of its “Butterfly Adventure” exhibit on Saturday during the Second Saturday event, the butterfly habitat will be open starting today through July 8^th, Monday through Saturday from 9am – 2pm. You will also be able to explore the Natural Science habitats, Marine Lab, Rainforest, Living History Farm, butterfly garden and trails.

A Zebra Longwing butterfly

We headed to RMSC Saturday to get the full experience during the Butterfly Festival, and we weren’t disappointed. Our first stop was the Rainforest Butterfly Encounter, where we were able to get up close with butterflies in the greenhouse. The lines got very long very quickly – some visitors waited over two hours for their time with the butterflies! However since the exhibit will be at RMSC for the next month, there will be plenty of opportunities to visit without waiting in line. We were handed ‘nectar sticks’ to feed the butterflies with, and this provided some neat photo opportunities…

Mikus with a Red Spotted Purple and Lauris with a Zebra Longwing

As part of the butterfly festival there were dozens of crafts and activities set up, and Clemson Extension and the SC State Parks were available with brochures, freebies and Madagascar hissing cockroaches(!). Although these will not be part of the adventure over the coming weeks, there will be plenty of other interesting exhibits to explore as part of admission: the Natural Science habitats, the Marine Lab (including touch tanks!) and the Living History Farm with all of its animals and historic structures. Make sure you stop by the butterfly garden to see some wild butterflies!

On our visit we also checked out the STEM exhibits at Symmes Hall of Science. Between the bubble playground, the “extreme science show” and the Starlab portable planetarium we had a jam-packed but educational morning of fun – something I’ve come to expect from the Second Saturday events at Roper Mountain. The next Second Saturday will be the Blueberry Festival on July 9^th.

Vilis on the bubble playground

Admission to the Butterfly Adventure is free to Roper Mountain Science Center members, otherwise $8.00/adult, $7/children ages 4-12, seniors and military, and free for children 3 and under. Closed on Sundays and the 4^th of July, you may buy tickets online or at the ticket booth in the main parking lot. For information on the different types of butterflies you’ll see you can visit the Butterfly Adventure blog, which also features videos of eggs hatching into larvae, caterpillars eating and growing, and a time lapse video of a Monarch butterfly emerging.