We The Curious

About the museum

We The Curious is a science centre and educational charity on Bristol’s Harbourside. It occupies a former railway goods shed from 1906, known as Cannon Marsh Goods Shed, which served the Bristol Harbour Railway. The building was one of the early users of reinforced concrete and is now Grade II listed. After the railway yard closed in 1965 the site was used as a car park.

The story of the science centre starts in 1984, when Professor Richard Gregory founded The Exploratory, the first centre in the UK that let visitors play with science. It closed in 1999 after more than two million visitors. With National Lottery Millennium Commission funding and other partners, the goods shed was converted, and in 2000 Explore At-Bristol, soon known simply as At-Bristol, and its planetarium opened. In 2015 the planetarium was upgraded to become the first 3D planetarium in the UK, and the centre was later renamed We The Curious.

The ground floor is dominated by Project What If, an exhibition built around seven questions chosen from more than 10,000 gathered across the city. It opened in 2021 after a 14-month Covid closure. A fire in 2022 forced another closure, and the centre reopened on 2 July 2024 after extensive repairs, having run free activities in schools and communities in the meantime.

Today there are more than 200 interactive exhibits across two floors, along with a programme of live science shows, workshops and planetarium screenings.

Highlights

• Over 200 interactive exhibits across two floors
• UK’s only 3D planetarium with daytime shows and adult Planetarium Nights
• Project What If, an exhibition built from questions asked by people in Bristol
• Live Science team with shows and activities
• Grade II listed 1906 railway goods shed on the harbourside

Permanent exhibitions

• Project What If – Ground-floor exhibition built around seven questions asked by people across Bristol, with interactive exhibits on big mysteries.
• Planetarium and Space Gallery – The UK’s only 3D planetarium, with live space and stargazing shows, and a gallery on space exploration on the first floor.
• First Floor Gallery – Hands-on exhibits on sound, illusions, animation, energy and the human body.

Founded

2000

Operated by

We The Curious (educational charity)

Admission & discounts

Prices shown are for tickets without a donation; tickets with a donation and Gift Aid cost more (adult £23.40, child £16.00). Members and children aged 0 to 1 are free but still need to book a ticket. Tickets are non-refundable. Personal assistant and foster carer tickets are free and are best arranged through the bookings team in advance.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Lifts connect the floors, every floor has a level surface, and the exhibits are placed low with space for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Toilets accessible to wheelchair users are on every floor, and a Changing Places facility is on the ground floor just inside the exhibition space; it needs a Radar key, available from the Welcome Desk, and visitors bring their own sling. The Millennium Square car park has 22 Blue Badge spaces and lifts with a flat route to the entrance. Two wheelchairs can be borrowed, and 10 free sensory bags with noise-cancelling headphones and fidget toys are available. There is a quiet room with weighted blankets and a multi-faith room. Exhibits have high colour contrast, large type and English subtitles, though many areas are dimly lit. The planetarium has wheelchair spaces that must be booked with the day ticket, a hearing loop and calm, low-light shows. A visual guide helps visitors prepare. Guide and assistance dogs are welcome but pets are not.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

All exhibits are interactive and placed low so that children can reach them, and the Live Science team runs shows and activities through the day. Baby changing facilities are on both floors, there are highchairs in the café and picnic area, the café has bottle and food warming facilities, and buggy parking spaces are provided. Breastfeeding is welcome throughout and a private space is available on request.

Getting there & parking

The centre is inside the Bristol Clean Air Zone, so a fee of £9 for private cars applies if the vehicle does not meet the emission standards. The venue is close to the National Cycle Network.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Lockers

The Double Puc Café serves coffee, cookies and vegetarian lunches, is open 10:00 to 17:00 Tuesday to Sunday and daily in Bristol school holidays, and can be used without a ticket. Visitors may also bring their own food to the picnic area. Lockers on Level 0 next to the picnic area take a £1 coin that is returned. Large bags are not allowed and random bag searches take place on entry. There is a cash point outside the main entrance.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Hire spaces include the exhibition floors after hours, the Rosalind Franklin Room, the Annexe with a roof terrace, the Planetarium, Millennium Square and Anchor Square.

Plan your visit