Parque Explora

Parque Explora is Medellín’s hands-on science museum, and it’s home to one of the largest aquariums in South America — which makes it the city’s default plan when it rains or when you’re travelling with kids who need to touch everything. The unmistakable red buildings sit in the northern culture cluster, next to the Jardín Botánico and the Planetarium.

What’s inside

• The aquarium is the headline: big tanks of Amazon and marine species, from stingrays to the giant freshwater pirarucú, in a dark, blue-lit hall built for gawping.
• The vivarium — snakes, frogs and reptiles for the brave.
• Hundreds of interactive exhibits across physics, biology and the mind — the kind you push, pull and pedal rather than read.

Practical notes

It’s a ticketed museum, and you can buy combined tickets with the Planetarium next door if you want to make a day of the cluster. It’s closed on Mondays; on weekday mornings expect school groups, while weekends are busier with families. Give it three to four hours if you want to do the aquarium and the exhibits justice.

Getting there

Take Metro Line A to Universidad — Explora is a short walk from the station, alongside the Jardín Botánico, so the two pair naturally into a single outing.