Asheville Museum of Science

What Asheville Museum of Science does

The Asheville Museum of Science (AMOS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit science museum founded in 1960 and headquartered at 43 Patton Avenue in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, with 11–50 employees. It operates as Western North Carolina's only dedicated hands-on science museum, serving young learners ages 3–12 and their families, homeschool and school groups (K–5th grade), and 21+ adults through evening programming. Core offerings include permanent collections in paleontology, geology/minerals, and climate science; a rotating portfolio of traveling exhibits sourced on loan from peer institutions such as Sciencenter, Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, Catawba Science Center, and Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI); and a hands-on STEAM Lab with monthly themed programming. Educational programs span summer, spring break, and winter science camps, school field trips, afterschool visits, homeschool takeovers, and one-day collaborative workshops with the Asheville Art Museum.

The museum's business model is a hybrid earned-revenue and contributed-revenue nonprofit structure. Earned revenue streams include general admission (children $7, subsidized from a $20 cost — a 65% donor-supported subsidy), four annual membership tiers ($35 Curiosity, $70 Trailblazers, $130 Expedition, $180 Expedition Plus), ticketed adult 21+ After Hours events ($25–$35, with a $15 sliding-scale option), birthday party rentals ($325–$400), summer and break camps, and a museum store (on-site and online via Square). Contributed revenue comprises individual donations across eight tiers up to $20,000 and a corporate Science Circle sponsorship program reaching 100,000+ audience members. Ticketing is processed through Blackbaud and Square; membership is enrolled via Blackbaud. AMOS participates in the ASTC Passport Program, providing reciprocal access to 250+ science centers, and maintains reciprocal discount agreements with Gray Fossil Site, WNC Nature Center, Catawba Science Center, and Chimney Rock State Park.

The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer and event-driven, anchored at the single physical Patton Avenue location. Marketing is conducted primarily through Instagram (@asheville_science), email newsletters, the museum website, and community partner referrals (Buncombe County Schools, Asheville Art Museum, NC Science Festival, Kids Garden). Strategic direction is led by Executive Director Amanda Bryant, and AMOS has signaled intent to expand in-school education programming across the broader Western North Carolina region.

Name

Asheville Museum of Science

Legal name

Asheville Museum of Science

Website

https://ashevillescience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Asheville Museum of Science (AMOS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit science museum in downtown Asheville, NC, offering hands-on exhibits, traveling exhibitions, STEAM Lab programming, and science camps for children ages 3–12, families, school and homeschool groups, and 21+ adults, with revenue from admissions, memberships, events, retail, donations, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science Museum and STEAM Educational Services

NAICS

Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC), STEM & Science Camps (Biology, Chemistry, Space, Lab Science) (EDAMALAC)

Keywords

• Science museum exhibits
• STEAM education programs
• Interactive science learning
• Children's museum services
• Museum memberships

Headquarters

HQ city

Asheville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. General Admission: Daytime museum admission fees charged to individual visitors, families, and school groups. Children two and under are always free.
2. Annual Memberships: Four annual membership tiers (Curiosity $35, Trailblazers $70, Expedition $130, Expedition Plus $180) providing free daily admission for one year, 50% off guest admission, discounts at partner museums (Gray Fossil Site, WNC Nature Center, Catawba Science Center, Chimney Rock State Park), 10% off museum shop purchases, and reduced camp/workshop pricing. Monthly subscription options available by inquiry.
3. Birthday Party & Facility Rentals: Science-themed birthday party packages with exclusive STEAM Lab rental, 2-hour museum exploration, and optional educator-led activities. Small party (up to 20 guests) $325; Large party (up to 40 guests) $400; Educator program add-on $75–$100. Also includes private event rentals for organizations.
4. Summer, Spring Break & Winter Science Camps: Week-long and single-day STEAM camps for rising K–5th graders. Registration opens January for week-long summer packages and April for single-day sessions. Aftercare available at additional cost.
5. Museum Store Retail: On-site gift shop selling STEAM-themed toys, gifts, apparel, and specialty items. Also available via online storefront (ashevillescience.square.site).
6. Donations & Membership Sponsorship: 501(c)(3) nonprofit relying on tax-deductible donations at multiple giving levels (Friends $100, Explorers $250, Rovers Club $500, Adventurers Society $1,000, Discovery Circle $2,500, Pioneer Partners $5,000, Patrons of the Sciences $10,000, Colburn Benefactors $20,000) with escalating benefits including free passes and museum store vouchers.
7. Corporate Sponsorships (Science Circle): Corporate sponsorship program offering name and logo recognition in print and digital promotions reaching 100,000+ active audience members across exhibits, events, or programs.
8. Ticketed Special Events (After Hours, Dinner Under Dinos): 21+ After Hours evening events ($25–$30 online, $35 at door; $15 income-based sliding scale) featuring food, drinks, and science-themed activities. Dinner Under Dinos (children 5+) at $35/first child, $30/sibling. Mornings at the Museum for families with young children at $11.50/person.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Asheville Museum of Science (AMOS) operates a hands-on interactive science museum in downtown Asheville, NC, offering permanent and rotating traveling exhibits in paleontology, geology/minerals, and climate science, a STEAM Lab with educator-led programming, structured STEAM camps, school field trips, science-themed birthday parties, a museum store, adult 21+ After Hours events, and annual memberships with reciprocal benefits through the ASTC Passport Program.

Product overview

The Asheville Museum of Science (AMOS) is Western North Carolina's home for experiential science learning, offering a unified portfolio of interactive museum exhibits, STEAM educational programs, and special events. Core offerings include permanent and rotating traveling exhibits (such as Sonic Sensation, Gifts from the Galaxy, Measurement Rules, and Gear Up: The Science of Bikes), the hands-on STEAM Lab activity space, and structured educational programs including summer, spring, and winter break camps. AMOS also provides science-themed birthday party packages, membership tiers, a museum store, and adult-focused After Hours events. The museum operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and partners with organizations like Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, Sciencenter, and Children's Museum of Pittsburgh for traveling exhibits, while participating in the ASTC Passport Program for reciprocal admissions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Interactive Museum Exhibits Hands-on science exhibits featuring dinosaur fossils, rock and mineral specimens, and interactive climate displays for visitors of all ages, with a primary focus on young learners ages 3-12.
• Traveling Exhibits Rotating traveling exhibits including Sonic Sensation (sound and hearing science from Sciencenter, on view May through early September 2026), Gifts from the Galaxy (meteorites on loan from Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute), Measurement Rules (measurement concepts from Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, on view September 23, 2026 through January 11, 2027), Gear Up: The Science of Bikes, and Spin: The Science of Rotation (through Spring 2026).
• STEAM Lab Educator-led hands-on science activity space offering monthly rotating themes including Plants and Pollinators, Science Matters, Bump It! Set It! Spike It!, Science of Cycles, and Galaxy Games, designed for families and school groups visiting the museum.
• Summer Science Camps Week-long STEAM camps for rising K-5th graders with weekly themes including Paleontology and Archaeology, Tinkering Workshop, Space Explorers, The Natural World, The Art of Science, Chemistry, and Forces and Energy; single-day registration options and aftercare available at additional cost.
• Spring and Winter Break Camps School break STEAM camps covering themes such as Kids' Chemistry Lab, Space Explorers, Archeology in Action, Plants and Pollination, Our Watery World, forensics, celestial navigation, and tinkering, serving families seeking structured enrichment during academic breaks.
• Science-Themed Birthday Parties Science-themed birthday party packages including 2-hour museum exploration plus 90-minute exclusive STEAM Lab rental, with optional educator-facilitated activity add-on ($75-$100), targeting families seeking unique children's birthday experiences.
• Membership Program Annual membership tiers offering free daily admission for one year, 50% off guest admission, 50% off at Gray Fossil Site, WNC Nature Center, and Catawba Science Center, $2 off at Chimney Rock State Park, 10% off museum shop purchases, $25 off birthday parties, and free/discounted admission to 250+ museums through the ASTC Passport Program.
• Museum Store STEAM-themed retail store offering gifts, apparel, toys, and specialty items for all ages, available both at the physical museum and through the online storefront.
• After Hours Events 21+ evening events featuring themed programming, partner activities (e.g., PARI Meteorite Lab), free drinks, and adult-only museum experiences including Secrets of Space, Gears and Beers, and Creature Feature.
• Mornings at the Museum Early morning events for children 5 and under featuring uninterrupted museum floor time, STEAM Storytimes, and nature-based play workshops with complimentary coffee and breakfast for adults.
• Dinner Under Dinos Parents' night out program offering after-hours care for children 5+ with dinner, exhibit play, scavenger hunts, and optional movie viewing from 5:30pm to 9:00pm.
• Field Trips and Educational Programs School field trips, afterschool programs, and in-school visits featuring hands-on science activities for preschool through 8th grade students, coordinated through the Education Department ([email protected]).
• Homeschool Programs Specialized programming for homeschool families including Homeschool Takeover events with 20% discount eligibility for NCDPEI ID holders (or state equivalent), targeting homeschool networks and co-ops.
• Donation and Sponsorship Programs Tax-deductible donation programs including individual giving tiers (Friends $100 through Colburn Benefactors $20,000) with escalating benefits such as free passes and museum store vouchers, plus the Science Circle corporate sponsorship program.
• Under the Stars Annual Fundraiser Annual evening fundraiser featuring silent and live auction, local food and beverages, and VIP reception to engage donors and corporate sponsors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65% of per-child visit cost subsidized by donor revenue ($7 charged vs. $20 cost)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMOS hosts a partnership exhibit 'Gifts from the Galaxy' featuring meteorite specimens on loan from PARI. The exhibit includes iron meteorites from famous world impacts, rare pallasite meteorite slabs, and meteorites from Mars and the Moon. PARI also collaborates with AMOS on the After Hours: Secrets of Space event (Meteorite Lab activity).
• Sciencenter (Ithaca, NY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMOS hosts the traveling exhibit 'Sonic Sensation,' developed by Sciencenter in Ithaca, NY. The exhibit explores sound perception, physics of hearing, decibels, amplitude, frequency, and sound waves through hands-on interactives. On view May–early September 2026.
• Children's Museum of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMOS hosts the traveling exhibit 'Measurement Rules,' developed by Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. The exhibit introduces units of measurement through interactive stations including the Chicken Scale, timing exercises, and volume measurement tools. On view September 23, 2026–January 11, 2027.
• Catawba Science Center (Hickory, NC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMOS partnered with Catawba Science Center to revitalize and update the traveling exhibit 'Spin: The Science of Rotation,' originally from The Health Adventure (1992–2013 at Pack Place). Catawba and AMOS collaborated to bring the updated exhibit to downtown Asheville. On view through Spring 2026.
• Asheville Art Museum (Asheville, NC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMOS collaborated with Asheville Art Museum on the 'Exploring Perspective' one-day collaborative workshop (March 3, 2026) for 3rd–5th graders. Students spent half the day at each museum exploring art and science through microscopes, landscape observation, and impressionistic painting.
• Buncombe County Schools (Asheville, NC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMOS partnered with Buncombe County Schools on 'Galaxy Games,' a program in which 3rd-grade students created space-themed games featured in AMOS's STEAM Lab during the NC Science Festival (April 2026). The program connects STEAM education with literacy and collaborative skills.
• Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMOS is a participating member of ASTC, which enables AMOS members to receive free or discounted admission to over 250 science centers and museums worldwide through the ASTC Passport Program. ASTC cross-promotes participating institutions.
• Gray Fossil Site & Museum, WNC Nature Center, Catawba Science Center, Chimney Rock State ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMOS reciprocal discount partners offering members 50% off daily admission at Gray Fossil Site & Museum, WNC Nature Center, and Catawba Science Center; and $2 off admission at Chimney Rock State Park. These partnerships expand the regional value proposition of AMOS membership.
• North Carolina Science Festival (NCSciFest)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMOS participates in the North Carolina Science Festival (NCSciFest), an initiative of Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at UNC Chapel Hill, presented by RTI International. In 2026 the festival theme is 'Science Matters,' AMOS's 16th consecutive year participating. AMOS hosts Galaxy Games STEAM Lab programming as part of this festival.
• Kids GardenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner hosting nature-based play workshops during 'Mornings at the Museum: Five and Under' family events at AMOS.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Marbles Kids Museum: Children's museum in Raleigh, NC serving a similar young-learner audience through hands-on programming and field trips; overlaps with AMOS's primary segments though broader than science-specific.
• McWane Science Center: Mid-sized regional science museum in Birmingham, AL with hands-on exhibits and family programming of comparable scope, audience, and budget tier to AMOS.
• Catawba Science Center: Active mutual partner in the data; Hickory, NC science museum of comparable size and STEAM-oriented mission that hosts traveling exhibits jointly developed with AMOS (Spin: The Science of Rotation) and offers reciprocal admission for AMOS members.
• Sciencenter: Ithaca, NY-based science museum that developed the Sonic Sensation traveling exhibit hosted by AMOS. Comparable mid-sized hands-on science center with similar family/children audience and rotating exhibit model.
• Museum of Life and Science: Hands-on science museum in Durham, NC with comparable STEAM Lab-style interactive exhibits, outdoor animal habitats, and family/children audience closely aligned to AMOS's value proposition.
• Children's Museum of Pittsburgh: Developed the Measurement Rules traveling exhibit hosted by AMOS. Larger established children's museum with hands-on science and engineering focus very comparable to AMOS's target audience and program mix.

Broad incumbents

• Discovery Place: Larger NC-based science museum in Charlotte operating multiple locations with broad STEM programming, comparable mission at substantially greater scale and budget than AMOS.
• Morehead Planetarium and Science Center: UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated science institution that operates the NC Science Festival AMOS has participated in for 16 consecutive years. Larger scope and budget, comparable STEM-mission footprint in North Carolina.

Others

• Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI): Astronomical research institute that partners with AMOS as a content/supply source for meteorite specimens (Gifts from the Galaxy exhibit) and After Hours space programming. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor.

Regional players

• WNC Nature Center: Reciprocal admission partner in Asheville, NC offering nature/animals exhibits and educational programming. Regional peer serving overlapping family and education audiences within the same Western North Carolina geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/asheville_science
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ashevillemuseumofscience

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Asheville Museum of Science