The Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale is marking its 50th anniversary with a year-long celebration that starts this month and runs into 2027. The festivities, billed “Golden Moments. Infinite Discovery,” include festivals, tastings and community events.
The museum began in 1976 as the Discovery Center and opened to the public in 1977 at the historic New River Inn. It moved to its current home in Fort Lauderdale’s Riverwalk Arts and Entertainment District in 1992. It draws more than half a million visitors a year, including more than 90,000 students on field trips.
MODS is also opening its first satellite location, the Deerfield Beach Nature Center, expected in January 2027. The museum is working with the Deerfield Beach Community Redevelopment Agency on a marine science center at Sullivan Park.
Two anniversary events come first. The 30th Annual Wine, Spirits & Culinary Celebration is set for Oct. 23 and will include food trucks and an after-party under the museum’s Great Gravity Clock. Proceeds benefit its STEMobile. The Visit Lauderdale Science Festival follows on Jan. 16, 2027, and the museum expects more than 15,000 guests if 2026 attendance holds.
President and CEO Joseph P. Cox said the museum has added curricula on artificial intelligence, with the goal of teaching young people to use the technology without losing critical thinking skills. The museum is a private nonprofit that depends on donations, sponsorships and memberships, which include free year-round admission.
