Safe Exploration of the Future

The EcoTarium is a museum in Worcester, Massachusetts. offering visitors a unique opportunity walk through the treetops, take a spine-tingling excursion through the galaxy at a digital planetarium, meet animals, wander nature footpaths, ride a narrow-gauge railroad, and enjoy exciting displays.

EcoTarium offers three levels of exhibits that make the most of the museum's natural history collection and live animals to teach guests about the Earth's story.

Seasons of Change is an interactive exhibit where visitors learn about the local environment and its effect on climate change. Explore the displays and learn how moving weather patterns change as southern climates move farther north.

Guests will observe the effects of carbon dioxide on plant species, how warmer winters Impact the maple sugar industry, and increased acidity in the oceans effecting lobstering.

Secrets of the Forest is an area where you can join museum staff for special programs inside this indoor forest. Unlike the forests in your neighborhood, this one has plenty of comfortable places to sit and observe. There are lots of animals and plants within this forest setting. Guides will tell you the value of dead trees in the ecosystem and how everything within the forest has a unique purpose.

On the second floor visitors will be fascinated by the carnivore plants that have an appetite for insects. The exhibit was created by the New England Carnivorous Plant Society. Visitors will see Venus flytraps and cobra lilies just to name two, but there are many others that rely on insect for survival.

The Curator's Workshop is a reproduction of a 19th century naturalist's studio displaying actual artifacts from the museum's natural history collection. An onsite interpreter is there to answer any question about the tools and artifacts on display

Visitors can observe a wide range of wildlife from tiny frogs up to a polar bear. Some of the animals encountered would be unable to survive in the wild and rely on the EcoTarium for their survival. Many have been injured or raised in captivity leaving them without the survival skills needed to survive.

Eco Tarium offers three exciting trails to explore. The Vibram Walking Trail loops around the Lower Pond. The trail guide are willing and able to show you how to read the landscape. The Great Blue Heron is known to frequent the pond shoreline in search of lunch. There is a pavilion at the far end of the pond that's a great place to stop and rest. The Timescape Trail traces thousands of years in geologic and human time during this short stroll along the edge of the property. Lastly, the Meadow Trail is a pleasant walk through a New England meadow looking for butterflies, birds, and the other small creatures living there. The meadow is an example of a healthy ecosystem.

EcoTarium has a dedicated space for preschool-aged children and adults to play, create and investigate science and nature. The Discovery Room is a bright, welcoming area sized for young children and stocked with wonderful learning toys and tools. The little ones will be treated to a puppet theater or they can crawl through a boat. There is a large display where the furry ferrets romp and play. The Discovery Room is full of activities to stimulate children to think about the world around them.