September 23, 2023 – February 4, 2024

Explorers of all ages will dive into the incredible world of ocean exploration when Splash and Bubbles: Dive In, Lend a Fin makes it’s only South Carolina stop at the Upcountry History Museum. Visitors will join Splash, Bubbles, and the Reeftown Rangers in exploring marine biology, ocean science, and different ocean ecosystems.

Based on the popular PBS KIDS TV show, Splash and Bubbles, a hit animated series that encourages children to explore ocean science through character-driven comedy, the series is co-produced by The Jim Henson Company and Herschend Entertainment Studios.

Both the television series and the exhibition follow the adventures of Splash, a yellow fusilier fish who has migrated all of the oceans before settling down in Reeftown, where he befriends three inquisitive fellow sea creatures.  Until Splash came along, Bubbles, Dunk, Ripple, and most of the other Reeftown residents had no idea what lay beyond the cozy confines of their coral walls.

The 2,500 square foot, interactive exhibition, builds on kids’ connections to the characters and their habitats, immersing them in a larger-than-life marine environment and introducing them to the incredible world of ocean exploration.

While exploring the early childhood STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) based exhibit, children are encouraged to build both scientific inquiry and social emotional skills as they learn how to protect the ocean and its ecosystems.  Ocean conservation is a key message throughout the exhibit, encouraging families to understand that they can create “a small ripple to help our big ocean.”

Featuring a variety of hands-on exhibit components, Splash and Bubbles invites children to discover a whole new world as they navigate an under-the-sea maze in a kelp forest, explore a sunken ship that has become an artificial reef, interact with puppet characters created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, become a Reeftown Ranger, dress up as a stingray or a sea turtle, and learn fun “Fin Facts” at Flo’s School of Fish.

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