The Exploring Zigzaggers

Beyond the Rim: Discover What’s Inside Meteor Crater’s Visitor Center | Arizona

October 4, 2026

2–3 minutes

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The Apollo “Boiler Plate 29” test capsule stands on display at the Meteor Crater Visitor Center, offering a close-up look at a piece of America’s space exploration history.

The Meteor Crater Visitor Center near Winslow, Arizona, offers an indoor introduction to space science, meteorites, and the history of impact research. Its Discovery Center & Space Museum features interactive exhibits that explain the differences between asteroids, comets, meteors, and meteorites in approachable language. Displays also introduce impact sites around the world, craters on the Moon, and efforts to protect Earth from future collisions. The museum is air-conditioned and listed as wheelchair accessible, making it a comfortable learning stop for families, road-trippers, and science enthusiasts (Meteor Crater, 2020).

One of the most memorable objects inside is the Holsinger Meteorite, a 1,406-pound specimen—the largest meteorite fragment found at Meteor Crater. Visitors can touch its surface, providing an unusually direct connection with material that arrived from space. Other exhibits explore Daniel Barringer’s investigations and the evidence behind the site’s impact origin. The displays broaden the story through subjects such as the Tunguska explosion in Siberia and the effects of collisions on planetary surfaces. Together, these exhibits help visitors understand how physical specimens and geological evidence allow scientists to reconstruct events from the distant past (Meteor Crater, 2020).

A meteorite specimen secured beneath a metal holder brings a piece of space within reach at the Meteor Crater Visitor Center’s interactive exhibit.

The visitor center also combines educational films with space-themed entertainment. In its 80-seat widescreen theater, IMPACT! The Mystery of Meteor Crater introduces the site’s history and scientific significance. A separate attraction, COLLISION! 4D Theater, takes visitors on a fictional space mission to save Earth. Families with younger children can explore the indoor, Moonbase-themed Blast Zone, which encourages learning through play. Before leaving, visitors can browse the Gift & Mineral Shop for space-themed keepsakes and regional souvenirs. The museum and both theater experiences are included with general admission (Meteor Crater, n.d.-a, n.d.-b).

For travelers, the visitor center is reached from Interstate 40 at Exit 233, making it a practical stop on a northern Arizona road trip between Flagstaff and Winslow. The official visitor information page currently lists daily hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with shorter Thanksgiving hours and closure on Christmas Day; check the website before traveling for any changes. Purchasing admission online is an option. Allow enough time to read the exhibits and enjoy the films, especially if science is your main interest. An indoor viewing area also connects the museum’s explanations with the landscape outside while keeping visitors in air-conditioned comfort (Meteor Crater, 2020, n.d.-b, n.d.-c).