Discovery World, the science and technology museum located on Milwaukee’s downtown lakefront, is working to reimagine its visitor experience with updates to its exhibits.
On Monday, Discovery World announced a $2.5 million project to build a 2,700-square-foot new exhibit called “Life of Water.”
Discovery World also has a $1 million project underway to renovate its Caribbean Tunnel exhibit. Construction work on the Caribbean Tunnel — a 65,000-gallon saltwater tank that is part of Discovery World’s Reiman Aquarium — has begun and it is expected to reopen in September. Discovery World plans to update coral and structures inside the Caribbean Tunnel tank, as well as add a new six-foot dome lookout window. The dome lookout addition will increase the tank’s capacity by over 4,000 gallons, which will allow Discovery World to potentially bring new and larger marine species to the exhibit.
“It is the most popular exhibit that we have here throughout the museum,” said John Emmerich, who was named Discovery World’s new president and CEO in November. “The emphasis on changing and providing a dynamic experience is something that we want to place a lot of intentionality on going forward. That was the first exhibit that was picked in order to reimagine and re-envision and then relaunch here in 2025.”
“Life of Water,” the science museum’s largest exhibit project since 2018, will replace Discovery World’s “City of Freshwater and Liquid House” exhibit. Keeping the City of Freshwater and Liquid House exhibit content and experience relevant has been a challenge, Emmerich said, and Discovery World needs to continue to update its content to maintain relevancy. The current exhibit covers topics such as how Milwaukee Water Works purifies water; how businesses, schools and homes use water; and how the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District protects Lake Michigan, according to Discovery World’s website.
“Life of Water” will provide freshwater education through interactive exhibits, hands-on labs and community outreach initiatives. It will explore three major themes:
- Water and the City: Water’s role in communities and daily lives.
- Water and People: Water’s global story and Milwaukee’s freshwater legacy.
- The Nature of Water: The science of water cycles and ecosystems.
“Life of Water” is expected to open in spring or summer of 2026. Over 65% of the $2.5 million needed for the new “Life of Water” exhibit has been raised so far, Emmerich said. Once Discovery World has secured all funding for the project, demolition and fabrication will begin.
Gilbane Building Co. is a construction partner for the exhibit projects.
Together, both exhibit projects serve as an opportunity to engage a broader audience at Discovery World, Emmerich said.
“We need to continue to maintain our high level and a very high level of public experience in order to fulfill an obligation that we made to the community over 20 years ago,” Emmerich said.
