Tommy Bartlett Exploratory

Tommy Bartlett Exploratory remains one of the more unusual attractions in Wisconsin Dells, especially if you’d rather interact with something than just look at it. Originally opened in 1982 as Tommy Bartlett’s Robot World, the Exploratory evolved into a hands-on science center with more than 175 exhibits covering physics, technology, optical illusions and space exploration. The centerpiece is an authentic 43-foot Russian Space Station MIR core module acquired from a Moscow museum in 1997. It is one of only three MIR core modules ever built, and the one displayed in Wisconsin Dells is the only one available for visitors to actually walk through.

The attraction is at its best when you stop treating it like a traditional museum and start messing with everything. The Giant Lever uses a 57-foot steel beam and leverage to let visitors lift a full-size 5,000-pound vehicle, while the Van de Graaff Generator produces the obligatory hair-standing-on-end photo op. There’s also a Mercury Space Capsule, virtual and interactive exhibits, optical illusions, puzzles and the High Wire SkyCycle, which sends riders pedaling on a one-inch cable about 12 feet above the ground. The Exploratory was sold to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! World Entertainment in 2025 and continues operating as the Ripley’s Tommy Bartlett Exploratory.