State Museum announces MARS 1001 planetarium show and new summer events
May 18, 2023
Guests Are Invited to Disability Pride Day, See Laser Light Shows, Enjoy Baseball Day and More
The South Carolina State Museum is set to celebrate summer with a variety of new and returning shows and exciting events.
Back by popular demand, MARS 1001 takes viewers away from planet Earth, into space, and across our solar system to our neighboring planet, Mars. Debuting Sat., May 27, this thrilling planetarium experience follows the fictional story of the Mars IRIS 1 mission, a daring 1001-day voyage to fly an international crew to the planet and return them safely to Earth. The crew faces a few dangers along the way, including a solar coronal mass ejection that threatens their safety. And, once on Mars, viewers will see the team work on the planet’s surface, exploring the landscape, looking for water, and retrieving rocks in a search for the history of water.
MARS 1001 Image Credit: © 2021 Mirage3D All rights reserved
MARS 1001 is a visually beautiful show that brings the reality of Mars exploration to audiences. It’s set just far enough in the future to seem real and tells a story we all hope to see and hear in our lifetimes: a trip to the Red Planet.
Guests are also invited to enjoy DC League of Super-Pets: 4D Experience, now showing in the museum’s 4D theater. This wildly funny 4D Experience® filled with special effects and state of-the-art 3D follows the crime-fighting DC Super-Pets including Krypto™ the Super-Dog on a mission to save Superman™ and the rest of the Justice League™.
In addition to these new and exciting shows, the State Museum has special events and programs planned throughout the summer. Tickets and information on upcoming events are available on the museum’s website at scmuseum.org
Featured Summer Events at the State Museum
Accessibility Mornings- Sponsored by Richland County
Sat., June 10, Aug. 12 from 9- 11 a.m.
Guests who are neurodiverse, autistic, or have other disabilities are invited to enjoy the museum at their own pace and participate in optional sensory-friendly and disability adapted activities.
Fri., June 16, July 21 and Aug. 18 from 6 – 10 p.m.
The museum’s popular summer series returns with immersive laser light shows, including new experiences featuring the music of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé and a show celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon.”
Sat., July 8 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Celebrate Disability Pride Day with inclusive activities, including a silent disco, sensory friendly planetarium shows and a chance to meet Curious George. Plus, guests can enjoy an ASL museum tour and Zot Art Community Art Creation sponsored by Colonial Life. Registration is required at scmuseum.org.
Baseball Day at the State Museum
Sat., July 22 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The museum will celebrate America’s pastime with special baseball themed activities and presentations inspired by the museum’s current exhibition, The 521 All-Stars: A Championship Story of Baseball and Community.
General admission to the South Carolina State Museum is $8.95 for adults, $7.95 for Seniors, and kids aged 3-12 are $6.95. Infants 2 and under are free. Tickets to planetarium experiences and 4D shows are an additional charge. The museum is open Tues. – Sat. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sun. from Noon – 5 p.m.
About the South Carolina State Museum
As the state’s largest and most comprehensive museum, the South Carolina State Museum offers a unique, entertaining and educational experience to visitors throughout its 225,000-square-foot facility located in the heart of downtown Columbia’s Congaree Vista. The State Museum is housed in one of its greatest artifacts, an 1894 old textile mill full of character and charm. In addition to beautiful meeting spaces throughout the facility, guests can explore outer space in one of the largest planetariums in the Southeast, watch an interactive 4D movie and look through a vintage telescope in a one-of-a-kind observatory. These exciting opportunities are all in addition to the four floors of South Carolina art, cultural history, natural history and science/technology that guests can experience. For more information about the museum, visit scmuseum.org.
