An Event Series for Adults 21+

Explore hands-on science. Visit with local presenters and community experts. Enjoy delicious food and drink from an array of Bloomington’s best restaurants, bars, and distilleries.

Tickets are available for purchase on-line. Individual event prices:

Member $20
Non-Member $30
Access Pass $10

WonderLab 2023 AfterHours Event Series Combo – Sale Runs Through 2/18/2023:
Buy Two Events and Get the Third Half Off

For a limited time purchase tickets to the first two AfterHours events, Chocolate – A Night of Delight (2/18/23) and Granfalloon – Player Piano (5/20/23), and then get half-off your ticket to Game On! – Table Top & SciFi (10/21/23).

With the Combo you get savings on every purchase type! A perfect gift for the scientist in your life.

$50 Members for all 3 events (save $10)
$75 Non-members for all 3 events (save $15)
$25 Access Pass for all 3 events (save $5)

The WonderLab AfterHours Series is presented by Griffin Realty, Inc.

AfterHours: Chocolate

Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023 | 7 – 9:30 p.m.

Join us for a Night of Delight during WonderLab’s 2023 AfterHours Chocolate event. Discover delicious chocolate combined with the science of carnival rides. Play beloved games for sweet treats. Learn about the physics behind common carnival rides. Attend talks from local  nutritionists and chocolatiers with their spin on chocolate carnival treats.

AfterHours: Granfalloon

Saturday, May 20, 2023 | 7 – 9:30 p.m.

Celebrate this year’s Granfalloon with a deep dive into the murky waters of humans and machines. Explore the science of Kurt Vonnegut’s foreboding book Player Piano. Enjoy an obsolete technology petting zoo. Consider the morals of technological innovations. Dissect technological conundrums with IU Arts and Humanities professors. Get jiggy with a live band.

AfterHours: Game On!

Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 | 7 – 9:30 p.m.

Enjoy a night playing tabletop games and exploring the science behind SciFi. Ever been interested in gaming but never had the chance to learn? Now is the time: Game on! Enter WonderLab’s MetaZoo tournament, explore the museum with an adventure-based game, play science-based D&D mini-sessions, and much more.

A Night of Delight

Build your own rollercoaster, learn how to beat those tricky carnival games, dive into the chemistry of chocolate, eat delicious truffles, and more!

  • Open to adults 21+
  • Saturday, February 18
  • 7 – 9:30 p.m.

Tickets per person $20 Members/ $30 Non-Members/ $10 Access Pass

Get your tickets and join the festivities.

Linda Armes
Chocolatier, Bloomington Chocolate Company

Have you ever wondered what goes into making new chocolates? Do you want to know more about what makes good candy? Join Linda Armes as she takes us on an adventure to design and discover new truffles.

Erin Hosien
MA student in Food Studies, Associate Instructor of Human Biology

Ariana Gunderson
PhD student in Anthropology

Does chocolate fit in well rounded diet? What historical importance does chocolate serve? Join Erin Hosien and Ariana Gunderson as they get into the anthropology of chocolate and learn how to make Schoko-Fruchtspieß.

Tasty Treats and more at the event:

Spin the wheel of questions and answer correctly for a Crumble Coffee & Bakery sample.

We’ve all lost to this tricky game at one point or another, but not at AfterHours: Chocolate. Play Balloon Darts and win yourself a tasty confection.

Get into the physics of a thrill ride when you build your own marble roller coaster.

What makes up Chocolate? Find out about the chemical properties of Chocolate with Dr. Laura Brown, Dr. Jill Robinson, & Dr. Martha Oakley

Create your own, functioning, moving, carnival ride.

Try your hand at answering these STEM Riddles. Answer your riddle correctly and win a sample from Bloomington Chocolate Company.

Try your hand at ring toss. Whoever makes the most out of 10 has a chance to win a prize.

Delicious sandwiches provided by Roly Poly Sandwiches.

Step right up and take your chances at Cornhole, with footballs. Make a toss and win a sample from PopKorn.

Libations provided by Upland Brewing Company.

Player Piano

Debate moral conundrums and artificial intelligence, play with obsolete technology, live music, and more!

  • Open to adults 21+
  • Saturday, May 20
  • 7 – 9:30 p.m.

Tickets per person $20 Members/ $30 Non-Members/ $10 Access Pass

More will be revealed soon!

Activities, Presentations, & Trials

What tune can you tap out on the Big Piano?

What technology do you remember aging into obsolescence? What even is a landline? Play snake on a Nokia. Type on a typewriter. Write with a quill and ink. Find the hidden message in the phone book. Explore the evolution of computer technology.

Have you ever wanted poetry but, like most of us, don’t have the skill or talent to make it happen? Look no further than The Bloomington Writers Guild; they will be providing poetry on demand at AfterHours: Granfalloon. Get your own, bespoke, typewriter poem from The Bloomington Writers Guild.

Is an AI creative? Does it have a mind of its own? Should it be responsible for the consequences of its creation? Explore moral quandaries with Technology on Trial.

Celebrate Granfalloon with local musicians performing throughout the night.

Tabletop & SciFi

Games of all types; card, board, and table top. Mini figure painting, the Science of Superheroes, and more! Join us for a night of Game On!

  • Adults 21+ Valid ID required
  • Saturday, October 21
  • 7 – 9:30 p.m.

Tickets per person $20 Members/ $30 Non-Members/ $10 Access Pass

Nerd out with science!

Gaming, Making, & Adventure

Have you ever noticed how much STEM there is in board games? Join us and find out.

Do you have a design for a costume? Need a little extra space to do so? Join our Maker Room and build with other creatives.

Win yourself a WonderLab themed mat designed by WonderLab’s David Frew.

Ah, the highs and lows of mini figure painting. Get helpful insight, and guidance from The Common Room.

Search high and low throughout WonderLab to discover the mysteries hidden within.

Ran by WonderLab’s resident GM, Ian Carrico.

What is and isn’t possible in Superhero SciFi? Join WonderLab in discussing what can, could, and couldn’t happen in the world of Superheros.

David Frew
Museum Experience Assistant, WonderLab

Meet the creator of the WonderLab themed MetaZoo mat. David has cooked, been a session speaker, and attendee of manyt AfterHour programs.

The WonderLab AfterHours Series is presented by Griffin Realty, Inc.