Life-Sized Models, Real Artifacts & Hands-On Interactives Reveal the Life Story of the Largest Creature Ever on Earth
ST. LOUIS, MO – May 14, 2026 – Combining life-sized models, scientific discovery, hands-on interactives, and compelling storytelling, the Saint Louis Science Center’s new traveling exhibition, The Blue Whale Story, shares the life story of the largest creature to have ever lived on Earth. The exhibition opens Saturday (May 23) in the Science Center’s Boeing Hall (located on the First Floor of the Oakland Avenue building, near the main entrance) and continues into January 2027.
Produced and circulated by the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, Canada, The Blue Whale Story reveals the immense size, majestic beauty and critical vulnerability of blue whales and presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stand alongside an ocean giant. Designed to be both awe-inspiring and thought-provoking, the exhibition provides a deeper understanding of these elusive creatures and their impact on the surrounding ocean. Featured display items include:
- A life-sized replica of “Blue,” an 80-foot long, female blue whale skeleton.*
- The world’s only full-scale blue whale heart model.
- A full-scale model of a blue whale jaw.
- The “Whale Sound Chamber” that projects surround-sound whale calls to learn how these animals communicate.
- “License to Krill,” an exciting game of survival, where participants dodge dangerous obstacles and “dive deep” to capture and eat krill (the predominant part of the blue whale diet).
- A display on whale evolution from a 4-legged, wolf-sized and deer-like mammal (Pakicetus) that lived on land 50 million years ago to the modern-day ocean giant.
- Displays highlighting the devastating impact of commercial whaling in the 19th and 20th centuries and the current science and preservation efforts to help whale populations recover.
- Presentations on active whale-focused research underway in St. Louis that inspire improvements to marine life and waterways around the globe.
WHEN:
The Blue Whale Story opens to the public at 9:30 a.m., on Saturday (May 23) and runs through January 10, 2027.
WHERE:
Saint Louis Science Center Boeing Hall
5050 Oakland Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110
TICKET INFORMATION:
While admission to the Science Center is free, tickets for a specific timed entry are required to enter The Blue Whale Story. Tickets are $8 for current or new Science Center members. For non-members, tickets are $16 for adults (ages 13-59); $12 for children (ages 5-12); $14 those ages 60 or older and military personnel; and $10 per person for groups of 10 or larger. Children 4 and under are free but must obtain a ticket to enter the exhibition.
Tickets are on sale through the Science Center website, by phone at 314-289-4424 or in person at the Science Center.
MORE TO “SEA” AT THE SCIENCE CENTER
Along with The Blue Whale Story, the Science Center will offer additional ocean-themed activities during the run of the exhibition, including:
- Displays and presentations featuring Dr. Jean Potvin, a Saint Louis University professor in the School of Science and Engineering. Serving as a “Scientist in Residence” during the exhibition, Dr. Potvin and his team of researchers will host presentations on:
- How baleen whales have inspired a filter cleaning system to remove microplastics from water, including a special project undertaken at Spanish Lake in North St. Louis County.
- How researchers attach non-invasive video trackers on whales to follow their movement and monitor behaviors.
- The vocalization styles and communication methods of blue whales and other baleen whale species.
- Playing in the Science Center’s OMNIMAX® Theater this summer and fall, Secrets of the Sea focuses on the importance of marine biodiversity and shares why so many of the ocean’s living things depend upon one another for survival. Tickets are free for Science Center members and are $9.50-$11.50 for non-members.
The mission of the Saint Louis Science Center is to inspire everyone to be curious and engaged in science. Named a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate in 2016, America’s Best Free Museum by Newsweek in 2025, and one of America’s Best Science Museums by USA Today, the award-winning Science Center engages guests through on-site experiences, including hundreds of hands-on exhibits, the OMNIMAX® Theater, which is one of the only IMAX® Dome with Laser theaters in the world, and the James S. McDonnell Planetarium, ranked among America’s Best Planetariums by USA Today. For more information about the Saint Louis Science Center, please visit slsc.org.
Contact:
Doug Bolnick, Public Relations Manager
314.289.4461
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