Exhibitions | Rooms

Explore the Museum

Amazement Square is home to 9 permanent, hands-on exhibitions, a changing gallery, and 5 educational spaces spread across four floors of discovery. Each space invites children and caregivers to explore together—through play, creativity, and curiosity-driven learning.

Tip for families: Exhibits are designed for a range of ages and abilities, and most can be explored at your own pace.

Exhibitions

  • What You’ll Discover

    Explore the daily life, housing, and artistic traditions of Native American cultures through hands-on

    experiences inspired by the Monacan, Lakota, and Pueblo peoples.

    Try This

    •Step inside a tipi and explore how families lived

    • Gather crops from the “Three Sisters” garden

    • Create patterns using a Pueblo-style weaving loom

    Best For

    Ages 0 – 7 · Cultural exploration · Hands-on learning

  • What You’ll Discover

    Discover one of the tallest climbing structures in the nation that interconnects all four floors, even extending into the roof!

    Try This

    • Navigate through tunnel systems

    • Climb and slide from each floor

    Best For

    Ages 3 – 10 · Climbing and Navigation - under 5 must be accompanied by an adult

  • What You’ll Discover

    Steer miniature batteau boats down the James River and uncover the secrets of how this mighty waterway really works through hands-on learning.

    Try This

    • Navigate batteau boats using locks and canals

    • Discover what happens when a rainstorm strikes downtown

    Best For

    Ages 0 – 7 · River navigation · Hands-on learning

  • What You’ll Discover
    Become an architect, urban planner, or construction worker while you learn how buildings are constructed.

    Try This
    • Operate a larger-than-life crane to build structures
    • Build different structures from different-sized blocks
    • Dig through the Excavation Station

    Best For
    Ages 0 – 7 · Building · Architecture

  • What You’ll Discover

    Step onto the farm and discover how it all works! Feed animals, tend the garden, and experience a day in the life of a farmer.

    Try This

    • Collect crops

    • Milk a life-size cow

    • Greet interactive animals

    Best For

    Ages 0 – 7 · Toddler Friendly · Imaginative play

  • What You’ll Discover

    This gallery houses temporary and traveling exhibitions that explore global and regional topics in the arts, humanities, and STEM concepts.

    Current Exhibition: The Art & Architecture of Insects

    This immersive exhibition explores insects and their vital role within the global ecosystem! Shrink down to the size of a bug and experience how fascinating these creatures are! 

    Visitors will explore: 

    Insect Anatomy
    Ecological Roles of Insects
    Color and Camouflage
    Insect Architecture and Building Strategies
    Life Cycles 

    Best For
    Ages 0 – 7

  • What You’ll Discover

    Paint on the walls! Rock out on stage! Jam in the music studio or bring puppets to life. The Kaleidoscope

    The gallery is where imagination runs wild, and creativity takes center stage.

    Try This

    • Paint masterpieces on the wall in the Paintbox

    • Perform your own concert in On Stage: The Rockstar Experience

    • Create your own music and jam out in Listen to the Rhythm’s music studio

    • Perform your own puppet show at the Puppet Tree

    Best For

    Ages 0 – 7 · Imaginative play · Arts exploration

  • What You’ll Discover

    It’s showtime! Dress up in fabulous costumes, hit the stage, and bring your favorite scenes to life.

    Try This

    • Act out different plays from provided scripts or create your own!

    • Dress up in costumes

    Best For

    Ages 0 – 7 · Theater · Imaginative play

  • What You’ll Discover

    Explore the critical importance of bees in our daily lives, and how we can learn much from these amazing insects. 

    Try This

    • Explore a bee’s life in the hive

    • Master Melissa’s bee quizzes

    • Discover a live beehive

    • Learn the importance of bees in the environment

    Best For

    Ages 0 – 7 · Environmental Education · Interactive learning

  • What You’ll Discover

    Discover Sea life in a low-stimulation environment just for children 3 years old and younger.

    Try This

    • Explore a pirate ship

    • Play at interactive tables and sensory boards

    • Interact with a coral reef

    Best For

    Ages 0 – 3 · Sensory Play · Early Childhood Exploration

  • What You’ll Discover

    Zip, swirl, and twirl as you explore gravity, inertia, velocity, and electricity in a setting that brings science to life.

    Try This

    • Race golf balls down different ramps

    • Create your own track for your golf ball to travel down

    • Build your own circuit

    • Use hair dryers to get your ball through the net

    Best For

    Ages 0 – 7 · STEM Education · Hands-on Learning

  • What You’ll Discover
    Join Scorpy Bug and his League of Healthy Heroes as they work to restore the balance of healthy lifestyle choices.

    Try This

    • Bike and kayak against the hungry Sofablix
    • Make healthy lifestyle choices to shrink the Screen blob

    Best For
    Ages 0 – 7 · Health Education · Active play

Rooms and Workshops

Looking to host a celebration or gathering at the Museum? Select spaces are available to rent for private events. Learn more on our Facility Rentals page.

  • The Exhibit Hall gives Amazement Square the opportunity to host nationally significant exhibitions and partner with other cultural organizations to hold collaborative events, performances, and other programs.

  • The Hive makerspace is dedicated to learning through the engineering-design process. Children and adults experiment, learn craftsmanship, and grow as they test hypotheses through STEAM challenges that merge creativity with math and science.

  • Modeled after a turn-of-the-century train car, the Pullman Room provides the unique experience of traveling around the globe without ever leaving Lynchburg! Watch as you travel through cities during birthday parties, sleepovers, school programs, and more!

  • The Wonder Lab classroom has already provided additional space for our WonderCamp programs, which prevent learning-loss during school breaks, and unique, interactive learning activities for children! This multipurpose classroom hosts a variety of school programs and in-house educational activities.

  • More exhibit space means more opportunities for our exhibit development and fabrication team to create bigger and more exciting and educational exhibitions! A²’s unique, award-winning philosophy will flourish with this space to work its magic.