Summer adventures await at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Discovery Center

New, interactive exhibits and fun learning experiences await visitors to the village of Woods Hole

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Woods Hole, Mass. (June 2, 2025) – The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is welcoming summer 2025 with new, interactive exhibits and fun learning experiences for the entire family.

“Science meets the sea at the Woods Hole Discovery Center,” said Colin Reed, WHOI’s Director of Community Engagement. “We are excited to welcome guests to our new, interactive exhibits and updated favorites like our shark research and Titanic exhibits.”

Eva Falcao, age 7, learns about the traces of environmental DNA, or eDNA, that ocean twilight animals leave behind as they migrate from the mid-ocean zone to the surface each night. (Elise Hugus, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Ocean Twilight Zone Interactive Exhibit

A new, interactive exhibition is now open at WHOI’s Discovery Center. Twilight Zone: Sensing the Ocean is a walk-through experience, spotlighting the beauty and mystery of the ocean twilight zone’s creatures, revealing the weird and wonderful life forms hidden in its depths while underscoring their vital role in our planet’s health. Follow along as the ocean robot Mesbot tracks and observes deep-sea life.

By blending scientific research with interactive artistic expression, the installation demonstrates science as a “superpower” that unlocks hidden wonders, fostering a deeper understanding of our ocean.

The exhibition was created by ARTECHOUSE Studio, in collaboration with WHOI, and was originally presented in Washington, D.C.

Sharks!

Sharks can be found everywhere this summer, not just in the water, as the Cape and Islands celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the blockbuster movie JAWS, filmed on Martha’s Vineyard.

In the movie, the Dr. Hooper character from “the Oceanographic” could have been patterned after a WHOI researcher. But most scientists today are uncomfortable with the way the movie portrayed the shark, and WHOI shark researchers point to their critical role as an apex predator in the ocean, and the importance of shark conservation for the health of the ocean.

WHOI's newly updated shark research exhibit at the Discovery Center offers an engaging glimpse into the lives of sharks. Through an interactive display, visitors can explore the cutting-edge technology used to study and tag sharks and see what a real shark bite looks like on one of WHOI's robots!

Shark Merchandise

Shark mania has reached the WHOI Visitor Center and Store! Check out new merch items on display (and you can always order through our SHOP WHOI site).

The 40^th Anniversary of the Discovery of the RMS Titanic

WHOI's Titanic exhibit at the Discovery Center chronicles the 1985 discovery of the RMS Titanic wreck by WHOI and its partner, IFREMER. The newly updated exhibit features detailed photomosaics and video taken on the day of the discovery.

Visitors can also explore the groundbreaking deep ocean technology which captured the first images of the sunken ship almost two miles below the surface.

Alvin Sphere

Now on display in the village of Woods Hole in front of the Redfield science lab on Water Street, the original Alvin sphere is a titanium pressure vessel that carried pilots and scientists on deep-sea missions, including the first human visit to the Titanic wreck. Designed for extreme depths, it withstood immense ocean pressure and symbolizes groundbreaking ocean exploration and engineering achievement.

Tours

In June, July, August, September, and October, knowledgeable WHOI volunteers guide visitors on free walking tours through the WHOI dock area and other restricted village facilities.  Launched from the WHOI Visitors Center Store at 93 Water Street in the center of Woods Hole village, the tours take approximately one hour and fifteen minutes and provide background on the research conducted at WHOI and on the history of the Institution.

Dates and times:

• June, September, and October, tours are available on Thursdays and Fridays at 11:00 a.m.
• July and August, tours are available Monday–Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
• Space is limited. Call (508) 289-2252 or email information@whoi.edufor more information. Tours are recommended for teenage to adult audiences.

Climate Walking Tour

Explore Woods Hole Village through the lens of climate change and learn more about the climate impacts in Woods Hole. This self-guided walking trail guides visitors through 13 stops around the Village, with each physical location marked by a waypoint. Each stop highlights a brief history of Woods Hole, climate change projections, adaptation solution charts, current and historic images, and video interviews of Resilient Woods Hole leaders and community members.

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About Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate an understanding of the ocean’s role in the changing global environment. Top scientists, engineers, and students collaborate on more than 800 concurrent projects worldwide—both above and below the waves—pushing the boundaries of knowledge and possibility.