explorhino non-profit GmbH | Opening Hours & Admission Prices

The explorhino Science Center in Aalen is not a classic museum where you just look and move on. It is a place where natural sciences, technology, and curiosity come together immediately. On the university campus of Aalen University, at Beethovenstraße 12, explorhino has had its own home since its opening in March 2018, which is deliberately focused on active participation, free experimentation, and playful learning. More than 120 interactive stations and an exhibition area of around 1,500 square meters make the visit a journey of discovery that appeals to children, teenagers, and adults alike. In addition to the Science Center, there is a student laboratory, so that the exhibition, courses, and learning offerings complement each other and create a strong overall picture of STEM. This is not only exciting for families but also for school classes, daycare centers, teachers, and groups looking for an extracurricular learning location with real practical relevance. The fact that explorhino is described as barrier-free on the website is another plus point for a visit that should be open to as many people as possible. ([hs-aalen.de](https://www.hs-aalen.de/de/news/2104))

Opening Hours, Admission, and the Best Time to Visit

Anyone planning a visit should first take a look at the currently published opening hours. According to the website, explorhino is currently open from Tuesday to Friday from 2 PM to 6 PM, on Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM, and on public holidays also from 10 AM to 6 PM. Additional morning times are planned for registered groups. For the Whitsun holidays in 2026, explorhino even mentions an extended holiday schedule of daily 10 AM to 6 PM, with the note that it will be closed on Monday, June 1, 2026. These clearly communicated times are particularly helpful when families are planning a spontaneous weekend trip or school classes want to coordinate a group visit. The house also works with separate areas for event calendar, admission prices, booking, and group offers, allowing for good advance planning of the day. This is especially practical for guests who want to combine multiple stations in Aalen: a visit to explorhino can be combined with a city stroll, a university appointment, or another cultural and learning location in the area. Those coming with children can plan for half a day, as the combination of trying out, marveling, and repeated testing invites longer stays rather than a quick tour. ([explorhino.de](https://www.explorhino.de/anmeldung/?Itemid=0&event=837&option=com_sv_events_lite))

The thematic orientation of the house also suggests not to time the visit too tightly. explorhino sees itself as a participatory museum, where the path through the exhibition is not rigidly predetermined but arises from the curiosity of the guests. Those coming with children may linger longer at certain exhibits because an effect needs to be understood immediately or because a phenomenon must be tested in several iterations. This dynamic is exactly what makes it appealing. Additionally, explorhino regularly offers holiday programs, workshops, and discovery courses alongside the permanent exhibition. These formats are often time-limited and thus provide a good reason to consciously link a visit to a specific date. For many visitors, the best strategy is therefore: first check the website, then choose the time suitable for the age of the children and their own daily rhythm, and finally plan enough time so that the visit is not squeezed between two appointments. Because the Science Center is thematically broad and targets families, children's groups, adults, and school classes, it is a destination that works for both a spontaneous afternoon visit and a longer, pedagogically planned excursion. ([hs-aalen.de](https://www.hs-aalen.de/de/news/2104))

Directions, Parking, and Location on Beethovenstraße

The location is one of the biggest advantages of explorhino. The Science Center is located at Beethovenstraße 12 in Aalen, directly on the university campus of Aalen University. Even the official opening in 2018 was closely associated with this campus proximity, which was highlighted as a special feature. The official documents describe the arrival by car in detail: Those coming via the B29 should exit at the university exit, turn left for about 500 meters towards Aalen city center or Ostalb Arena, and take the first exit at the roundabout towards explorhino. Parking options directly at explorhino or in the Rohrwang parking garage, about 100 meters away, are also mentioned. This is important for guests arriving with small children, carrying a lot of luggage, or combining their visit with a tightly scheduled family day. At the same time, this description shows that the site remains easily accessible despite its central location if the route is read beforehand. Visitors who do not yet know explorhino benefit from the fact that the directions are not vaguely described but work with clear orientation points. ([begabungslotse.de](https://www.begabungslotse.de/cms-assets/files/downloads/2019-01-23-ph19_web20komprimiert_explorhino_0.pdf?v=1636376471))

During special events, the infrastructure is even expanded. For the museum night, explorhino mentions a shuttle bus from OVA that shuttles between explorhino with the stop Hochschule/explorhino, the Limes Museum, and the visitor mine Tiefen Stollen. For such evenings, several parking areas are also mentioned, including at Berliner Platz in front of the town hall, at St. Johann Cemetery, at explorhino itself, at the Heimatwinkel parking lot, and at the Tiefen Stollen mine. This is an important note, as it shows that the location is not only considered for regular exhibition visits but also for larger event formats. The combination of university campus, city location, and event connections makes explorhino particularly flexible: those arriving by car find clear directions; those attending an event receive additional shuttle and parking options; and those who prefer to walk benefit from the proximity to other Aalener facilities. For many visitors, this location is a real plus point because it combines a science visit with a city experience. ([explorhino.de](https://www.explorhino.de/aktuelles/alles-erleuchtet-am-18-11-ist-nachts-im-museum/?parent=aktuelles&utm_source=openai))

Exhibition, Exhibits, and Hands-On STEM Experience

At the center of explorhino is what makes the place so special: an interactive exhibition where touching is explicitly allowed and even desired. The official profile of Aalen University describes the Science Center as a learning location with more than 120 experimental stations on around 1,500 square meters. The opening in 2018 made it clear that there is a deliberate focus on independent exploration, experiencing, and understanding. Visitors can come into direct contact with scientific phenomena instead of just reading panels or looking at showcases. The descriptions include oversized soap bubbles, electrical effects, principles of force and tension, shadow experiments, puzzles, and the large plastic 3D relief of the Swabian Jura. This mix of physical experience, optical wonder, and intellectual challenge shapes the character of the house. explorhino is thus less a place for passive observation than a space for active discovery. Those who are there build, try, compare, fail, try again, and gradually come closer to the underlying principle. ([hs-aalen.de](https://www.hs-aalen.de/de/news/2104))

Particularly strong is the connection between science and everyday life. The Science Center works with phenomena that may seem playful at first glance but touch on deep scientific questions at their core. Soap bubbles lead to surfaces, air pressure, and material behavior; a relief or projection of the Swabian Jura serves as an entry point into geology, landscape development, and regional peculiarities; and optical effects link perception with physics. According to the official university information, there are not only the exhibition itself but also interactive media stations, tutors, two visitor laboratories, a course room equipped with workbenches, a stage, and a small cinema. This infrastructure explains why explorhino can switch so well between free discovery and guided learning. It is thus not just a room full of exhibits but a learning environment with multiple levels. Guests can spontaneously test or delve deeper in a course. This structure is attractive for families as well as for teachers looking for an extracurricular learning location that not only entertains but also truly deepens educational content. ([hs-aalen.de](https://www.hs-aalen.de/de/news/2104))

School Classes, Groups, Children's Birthdays, and Discovery Courses

Explorhino is not only interesting for individual visitors but is also a well-developed learning location for groups. The official navigation on the website clearly shows this: there are dedicated areas for schools and teachers, courses for school classes, daycare centers, and the Foundation Children Research, leisure activities, makerspace, discovery courses, and children's birthdays. The official program PDF also explains that private visitors can simply drop by, while groups and school classes should register. This mix of open exhibition and planable educational formats makes the place so versatile. For schools, it is particularly attractive that explorhino and the student laboratory work together. This quickly turns an exhibition visit into a learning setting that can directly connect to teaching topics. Aalen University describes the offer as a bridge between theory and practice, and this is clearly felt in the external presentation of the Science Center. Those coming with a learning group can work with their own research, guided experiments, and complementary courses. Thus, explorhino is not only a leisure attraction but a serious extracurricular learning location with high educational value. ([explorhino.de](https://www.explorhino.de/anmeldung/?Itemid=0&event=837&option=com_sv_events_lite))

Also for families and birthdays, the offer is broad enough to include different age groups. The older but official program PDF lists children's birthdays as a fixed part of the house and simultaneously describes a colorful catalog of other offerings, from children's university to holiday programs to researcher and university camps. Newer announcements on the website also show that explorhino regularly plans discovery courses, holiday workshops, family workshops, and special actions. Examples range from kitchen chemistry to acoustics to optical puzzles and experiments related to the Swabian Jura. This is important because it underscores the character of the house: it is not just about a one-time look but about recurring themes, changing focuses, and formats for different age groups. Families particularly benefit from the fact that a visit can often be linked to an action or a course. This not only creates a short museum visit but an experience that can be discussed further at home. Those who have found a good experiment station with children often return because the next program already answers the next question. ([begabungslotse.de](https://www.begabungslotse.de/cms-assets/files/downloads/2019-01-23-ph19_web20komprimiert_explorhino_0.pdf?v=1636376471))

History, Sponsorship, and Special Features of explorhino

The history of explorhino does not begin with the new building of 2018 but with a private initiative from Aalen. Aalen University describes that explorhino goes back to the Grimminger family, who were early advocates for scientific and technical education. In 2008, the non-profit Dr. Albert Grimminger Foundation was founded, and later more sponsors joined, including regional and national partners. The location on the university campus became concrete with the new building of the Science Center in 2018. The opening on March 17, 2018, was extensively documented by the university: since then, the new house has united the Science Center and student laboratory, allowing children, teenagers, and all interested parties to have a common access to STEM topics. The combination of free experimentation in the exhibition and guided work in courses was particularly emphasized even then. This dual structure remains one of the most distinctive features of explorhino to this day. The house is thus not just another exhibition location but an educational project with a developed identity, regional anchoring, and a clear mission. ([hs-aalen.de](https://www.hs-aalen.de/de/news/2104))

Additionally, explorhino continually presents itself as a lively place with current topics. The website regularly documents special formats, holiday programs, science actions, and collaborations with Aalen University. The team itself is also visible in several places: there are job postings for staff in exhibitions, café, cash register, shop, and course supervision, which clearly demonstrates the proximity to the visitor experience. The location is therefore not a static house but a place where exhibition, pedagogy, and service intertwine. The fact that explorhino is described as barrier-free in the official documents, is considered in the café offerings, and offers various bookable formats for groups rounds out the picture. Thematically, the house positions itself at the intersection of science, everyday relevance, and playful learning. That is why it is suitable for family outings as well as for class trips, teacher training, or a spontaneous discovery afternoon in Aalen. Those who visit explorhino experience not only exhibits but an idea: natural science should be understandable, tangible, and attractive. This idea runs consistently from the historical origin to today's programs. ([explorhino.de](https://www.explorhino.de/aktuelles/explorhino-sucht-verstaerkung/?parent=aktuelles))

Sources:

• Aalen University - From Wonder to Thinking and Experimenting
• explorhino - Official Opening Hours and Contact
• explorhino - Bus Shuttle, Parking, and Catering
• explorhino - Program Brochure with Directions and Parking Options
• explorhino - Special Exhibition and Exhibition Concept