Family STEM Days

Family STEM Days are hands-on, interactive events hosted by PARI designed to engage families and friends in exploring STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) topics together. Each event in the series focuses on a different theme, offering participants the chance to learn through experiments, demonstrations, and collaborative activities.  

Intended Audience

This program series is designed for family and friends to experience together. Activities and experiments are for a broad range of ages and are best when solved with collaboration between adults and students working in a team. Explore and learn together!

Tickets

Each ticket covers a group to participate in the event. At least one attendee on each ticket must be an adult, age 18 or older.

Free or Discounted Tickets

Thanks to the generous support of a local charity, tickets for Transylvania County residents may be free or discounted.

If a child in your party attends Rosman Elementary, Middle, or High School, or TC Henderson, in Transylvania County, your ticket may be free.

If you are a Transylvania County resident your ticket may be available at a discount.

Contact us at 828-862-5554 between 10am and 4pm, Monday through Friday, for a voucher or discount code before registering. These will be given out first come, first served, while there is space available at the event.

Upcoming Events in the Series

Meteorites Overnight - Space In Your Hands

7:00 pm Friday, June 19th to 3:00 pm Saturday, June 20th, 2026

At Meteorites Overnight, participants will explore space rocks that fell to Earth with a streak of fire and light! Learn how they are found, identified, and studied. Discover what they can reveal about our solar system and beyond. Then, use what you've learned in experiments and activities and take in some classic PARI experiences.

• Examine real meteorites: hold and inspect specimens, comparing different types and learning their unique characteristics.
• Perform hands-on lab experiments: separate decoys from real meteorites and keep the one you identify. That's right, each person will be taking a real meteorite home with them!
• Build meteorite-catching tools: design simple devices to collect micro-meteorites at home.
• Engage with stories and creativity: hear tales of famous meteorite events, including the Ensisheim and Chelyabinsk meteorites, and create your own meteorite story or artwork.
• Enjoy immersive experiences: take in a planetarium show and explore PARI’s museum exhibits.
• Relax and refuel: with a PARI provided breakfast and lunch in our dining hall on Saturday.

Additional Information

We recommend reviewing our Frequently Asked Questions before purchasing your tickets. Please take special note if you are attending an evening event that our campus is a dark sky site and outdoor lighting is extremely minimal to preserve the darkness for both viewing and research.

Each ticket will include a single, non-refundable, $6 registration fee. This fee is not eligible for discounts.