Community Calendar

This is a full-scale interactive exhibition experience, here for a limited time and included in Museum admission.

Step into the world of deep-sea exploration onboard an interactive replica of OceanXplorer—the world’s most advanced research and filmmaking vessel. Navigate the ship or choose an ocean mission focused on humpback whales, orcas or great hammerhead sharks.

Humpback Whales – study how humpback whales use their habitat to communicate.

Orcas – study orca group dynamics and how they share their habitat with other species.

Great Hammerhead Sharks – study the Bahamian waters to determine why they are a hot spot for great hammerhead sharks.

As you explore the OceanXplorer vessel and engage in hands-on STEM-based research tasks, your journey is tracked and enhanced with RFID technology. Your adventure culminates in an interactive facilitated HoloLab experience and powerful cinematic scenes in the 360-degree immersive area.

Exhibition Areas + Highlights

OceanXperience recreates rooms on the OceanXplorer vessel to give visitors a sense of being a real ocean scientist onboard. Filled with soundscapes, tactile experiences and visually dynamic media, the exhibition is sure to engage all senses.

Mission Control – ROV stations, mapping table, sonar stations

Bridge – pilot stations, mapping table, immersive lookout windows, captain’s switch board, tagging station

Wet Lab – hologram station, mahi-mahi model dissection, coral samples, living rock display

Dry Lab – genetic sequencer, data collection tools, projection microscope

Sub Hangar – Triton submersible replica, engineering interactives, submersible stations, porthole lookout windows

HoloLab and Immersive Area – mission debrief interactive touchscreens, 360-degree immersive footage and environmental soundscapes

OceanXperience is a traveling exhibition produced and toured internationally by Flying Fish, based on the National Geographic series OceanXplorers, produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and OceanX in association with Lightship Earth Productions.

Grab a drink and light bites, and join us for an informative social hour learning about the latest efforts to promote democracy, both locally and nationally. How can our historical experiences shape our civic engagement today? We'll chat about this and more. Admission is free!

This is a full-scale interactive exhibition experience, here for a limited time and included in Museum admission.

Step into the world of deep-sea exploration onboard an interactive replica of OceanXplorer—the world’s most advanced research and filmmaking vessel. Navigate the ship or choose an ocean mission focused on humpback whales, orcas or great hammerhead sharks.

Humpback Whales – study how humpback whales use their habitat to communicate.

Orcas – study orca group dynamics and how they share their habitat with other species.

Great Hammerhead Sharks – study the Bahamian waters to determine why they are a hot spot for great hammerhead sharks.

As you explore the OceanXplorer vessel and engage in hands-on STEM-based research tasks, your journey is tracked and enhanced with RFID technology. Your adventure culminates in an interactive facilitated HoloLab experience and powerful cinematic scenes in the 360-degree immersive area.

Exhibition Areas + Highlights

OceanXperience recreates rooms on the OceanXplorer vessel to give visitors a sense of being a real ocean scientist onboard. Filled with soundscapes, tactile experiences and visually dynamic media, the exhibition is sure to engage all senses.

Mission Control – ROV stations, mapping table, sonar stations

Bridge – pilot stations, mapping table, immersive lookout windows, captain’s switch board, tagging station

Wet Lab – hologram station, mahi-mahi model dissection, coral samples, living rock display

Dry Lab – genetic sequencer, data collection tools, projection microscope

Sub Hangar – Triton submersible replica, engineering interactives, submersible stations, porthole lookout windows

HoloLab and Immersive Area – mission debrief interactive touchscreens, 360-degree immersive footage and environmental soundscapes

OceanXperience is a traveling exhibition produced and toured internationally by Flying Fish, based on the National Geographic series OceanXplorers, produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and OceanX in association with Lightship Earth Productions.

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ / WORK celebrates Leibovitz’s illustrious 50-year career. Her legacy is one of capturing the essence of her subjects with unparalleled intimacy and artistry. Leibovitz’s images feature a remarkable roster of artists, musicians, politicians, athletes, and other influential figures. From her early black-and-white work to her more recent, painterly conceptual portraits, the exhibition showcases the breadth and depth of her creative journey.

Visitors will enjoy the exhibition in an engaging dual format, with prints on paper complemented by cutting-edge digital displays.

This is a Weekly Recurring Event
Runs from Apr 27, 2025 to Aug 31, 2025 and happens every:
Tuesdays: 11:00am - 6:00pm Timezone: EDT
Wednesdays: 11:00am - 9:00pm Timezone: EDT
Thursdays: 11:00am - 6:00pm Timezone: EDT
Fridays: 11:00pm - 9:00pm Timezone: EDT
Saturdays: 11:00am - 6:00pm Timezone: EDT
Sundays: 1:00pm - 5:00pm Timezone: EDT

This is a full-scale interactive exhibition experience, here for a limited time and included in Museum admission.

Step into the world of deep-sea exploration onboard an interactive replica of OceanXplorer—the world’s most advanced research and filmmaking vessel. Navigate the ship or choose an ocean mission focused on humpback whales, orcas or great hammerhead sharks.

Humpback Whales – study how humpback whales use their habitat to communicate.

Orcas – study orca group dynamics and how they share their habitat with other species.

Great Hammerhead Sharks – study the Bahamian waters to determine why they are a hot spot for great hammerhead sharks.

As you explore the OceanXplorer vessel and engage in hands-on STEM-based research tasks, your journey is tracked and enhanced with RFID technology. Your adventure culminates in an interactive facilitated HoloLab experience and powerful cinematic scenes in the 360-degree immersive area.

Exhibition Areas + Highlights

OceanXperience recreates rooms on the OceanXplorer vessel to give visitors a sense of being a real ocean scientist onboard. Filled with soundscapes, tactile experiences and visually dynamic media, the exhibition is sure to engage all senses.

Mission Control – ROV stations, mapping table, sonar stations

Bridge – pilot stations, mapping table, immersive lookout windows, captain’s switch board, tagging station

Wet Lab – hologram station, mahi-mahi model dissection, coral samples, living rock display

Dry Lab – genetic sequencer, data collection tools, projection microscope

Sub Hangar – Triton submersible replica, engineering interactives, submersible stations, porthole lookout windows

HoloLab and Immersive Area – mission debrief interactive touchscreens, 360-degree immersive footage and environmental soundscapes

OceanXperience is a traveling exhibition produced and toured internationally by Flying Fish, based on the National Geographic series OceanXplorers, produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and OceanX in association with Lightship Earth Productions.

This is a full-scale interactive exhibition experience, here for a limited time and included in Museum admission.

Step into the world of deep-sea exploration onboard an interactive replica of OceanXplorer—the world’s most advanced research and filmmaking vessel. Navigate the ship or choose an ocean mission focused on humpback whales, orcas or great hammerhead sharks.

Humpback Whales – study how humpback whales use their habitat to communicate.

Orcas – study orca group dynamics and how they share their habitat with other species.

Great Hammerhead Sharks – study the Bahamian waters to determine why they are a hot spot for great hammerhead sharks.

As you explore the OceanXplorer vessel and engage in hands-on STEM-based research tasks, your journey is tracked and enhanced with RFID technology. Your adventure culminates in an interactive facilitated HoloLab experience and powerful cinematic scenes in the 360-degree immersive area.

Exhibition Areas + Highlights

OceanXperience recreates rooms on the OceanXplorer vessel to give visitors a sense of being a real ocean scientist onboard. Filled with soundscapes, tactile experiences and visually dynamic media, the exhibition is sure to engage all senses.

Mission Control – ROV stations, mapping table, sonar stations

Bridge – pilot stations, mapping table, immersive lookout windows, captain’s switch board, tagging station

Wet Lab – hologram station, mahi-mahi model dissection, coral samples, living rock display

Dry Lab – genetic sequencer, data collection tools, projection microscope

Sub Hangar – Triton submersible replica, engineering interactives, submersible stations, porthole lookout windows

HoloLab and Immersive Area – mission debrief interactive touchscreens, 360-degree immersive footage and environmental soundscapes

OceanXperience is a traveling exhibition produced and toured internationally by Flying Fish, based on the National Geographic series OceanXplorers, produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and OceanX in association with Lightship Earth Productions.

This is a full-scale interactive exhibition experience, here for a limited time and included in Museum admission.

Step into the world of deep-sea exploration onboard an interactive replica of OceanXplorer—the world’s most advanced research and filmmaking vessel. Navigate the ship or choose an ocean mission focused on humpback whales, orcas or great hammerhead sharks.

Humpback Whales – study how humpback whales use their habitat to communicate.

Orcas – study orca group dynamics and how they share their habitat with other species.

Great Hammerhead Sharks – study the Bahamian waters to determine why they are a hot spot for great hammerhead sharks.

As you explore the OceanXplorer vessel and engage in hands-on STEM-based research tasks, your journey is tracked and enhanced with RFID technology. Your adventure culminates in an interactive facilitated HoloLab experience and powerful cinematic scenes in the 360-degree immersive area.

Exhibition Areas + Highlights

OceanXperience recreates rooms on the OceanXplorer vessel to give visitors a sense of being a real ocean scientist onboard. Filled with soundscapes, tactile experiences and visually dynamic media, the exhibition is sure to engage all senses.

Mission Control – ROV stations, mapping table, sonar stations

Bridge – pilot stations, mapping table, immersive lookout windows, captain’s switch board, tagging station

Wet Lab – hologram station, mahi-mahi model dissection, coral samples, living rock display

Dry Lab – genetic sequencer, data collection tools, projection microscope

Sub Hangar – Triton submersible replica, engineering interactives, submersible stations, porthole lookout windows

HoloLab and Immersive Area – mission debrief interactive touchscreens, 360-degree immersive footage and environmental soundscapes

OceanXperience is a traveling exhibition produced and toured internationally by Flying Fish, based on the National Geographic series OceanXplorers, produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and OceanX in association with Lightship Earth Productions.

Celebrate Independence Day at the Charlotte Museum of History with our annual program honoring the spirit of freedom and community. A cornerstone of this special day is the Naturalization Ceremony, where new American citizens take their oath of citizenship. Join us for a meaningful celebration that brings people together through shared history, tradition, and the enduring promise of the American story. This is a free event.

This is a full-scale interactive exhibition experience, here for a limited time and included in Museum admission.

Step into the world of deep-sea exploration onboard an interactive replica of OceanXplorer—the world’s most advanced research and filmmaking vessel. Navigate the ship or choose an ocean mission focused on humpback whales, orcas or great hammerhead sharks.

Humpback Whales – study how humpback whales use their habitat to communicate.

Orcas – study orca group dynamics and how they share their habitat with other species.

Great Hammerhead Sharks – study the Bahamian waters to determine why they are a hot spot for great hammerhead sharks.

As you explore the OceanXplorer vessel and engage in hands-on STEM-based research tasks, your journey is tracked and enhanced with RFID technology. Your adventure culminates in an interactive facilitated HoloLab experience and powerful cinematic scenes in the 360-degree immersive area.

Exhibition Areas + Highlights

OceanXperience recreates rooms on the OceanXplorer vessel to give visitors a sense of being a real ocean scientist onboard. Filled with soundscapes, tactile experiences and visually dynamic media, the exhibition is sure to engage all senses.

Mission Control – ROV stations, mapping table, sonar stations

Bridge – pilot stations, mapping table, immersive lookout windows, captain’s switch board, tagging station

Wet Lab – hologram station, mahi-mahi model dissection, coral samples, living rock display

Dry Lab – genetic sequencer, data collection tools, projection microscope

Sub Hangar – Triton submersible replica, engineering interactives, submersible stations, porthole lookout windows

HoloLab and Immersive Area – mission debrief interactive touchscreens, 360-degree immersive footage and environmental soundscapes

OceanXperience is a traveling exhibition produced and toured internationally by Flying Fish, based on the National Geographic series OceanXplorers, produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and OceanX in association with Lightship Earth Productions.

“Decomposers Glow,” an art installation with larger-than-life glowing snails and mushrooms, is the centerpiece for the museum’s summer programming and events

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Nature, art, and technology come together for “Decomposers Glow,” an awe-inspiring larger-than-life landscape of illuminated snails and mushrooms. Created by Meredith Connelly, a Charlotte, N.C. based and award-winning multidisciplinary artist, the site-specific installation portrays the agents of decomposition through an interplay of light and technology. A curving path leads visitors through a soft glowing, otherworldly environment to observe over one hundred hand-constructed and 3D printed sculptures. Decomposers Glow is open from May 10 – Nov. 10, 2024.
Leading viewers into Connelly’s “Decomposers Glow,” a concurrent exhibit highlights the variety and importance of nature’s agents of decomposition. “Return to Earth” features photographs of actual fungi by Mike Hammer, painted mushroom models, a Carolina Piedmont snail shell collection, and two-dimensional cut paper works by Meredith Connelly that reference nature’s microscopic structures. “Return to Earth” on exhibit at Museum of York County from May 4 – Dec. 15, 2024.
More of Mike Hammer’s photography is on exhibit in the museum’s Nature Nook Gallery. “Endless Trail” features the natural settings of the Carolina Piedmont and beyond, capturing the uniquely beautiful moments of each season. “Endless Trail” opens at Museum of York County on May 18, 2024.