Xplore!

Heritage attraction

Explorer Tom

Xplore! on Henblas Street in Wrexham is a science centre where touching things is rather the point, a dangerous invitation for a man who once tried to fix a radio with toast. Its interactive exhibits and live demonstrations turn a city-centre visit into a string of little experiments; the laws of physics have agreed to supervise me. This centre was formerly Techniquest Glyndŵr, based at Wrexham Glyndŵr University, and moved to its present city-centre home in 2020. The operator now offers more than 85 hands-on exhibits, a live science show and a planetarium. Those are real things to seek out, not props from a television scientist's cupboard. The address is 17 Henblas Street, with an entrance also on Chester Street, across from Tŷ Pawb. Try an exhibit, change one thing, and see whether your confident prediction survives. That is the pleasing trap here: a familiar idea about movement, light or the body becomes much more interesting when you can test it yourself. I reckon one machine keeps a tally of how often grown-ups say, 'I knew it would do that' after being completely surprised; that is my invention. The centre's invitation to play and ask questions is quite genuine. Xplore! is a staffed attraction with tickets, and the operator advises booking ahead, especially at busy times. Its weekday arrangements can differ because of school visits, so check the current booking page before setting out. Leave time for the show as well as the exhibits, and look out for the planetarium programme if space has got its hooks into you. You may leave with an answer, several better questions, and an unjustified urge to wear a laboratory coat.