FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — The Everglades now has an AI-powered guide inside MODS.
The Museum of Discovery and Science has opened Phase 1 of Build a Better World: The Future Begins with You, a new permanent gallery designed to help children and families explore how small actions can lead to meaningful environmental change.
MODS celebrated the gallery opening with a ribbon cutting on June 19, according to information provided by the museum. The centerpiece of the first phase is the Everglades Theater, an immersive experience sponsored by the Broward County Cultural Division.
The theater opened June 18 as part of the new gallery. MODS describes it as a first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence-guided, challenge-based theater experience built around South Florida’s Everglades ecology.
Inside the Everglades Theater, guests are guided by Lilly, an AI-powered North American river otter. The experience uses cinematic visuals, interactive gaming technology and hands-on challenges to turn visitors into participants in Everglades-themed conservation scenarios.
The challenges include identifying invasive species, planting mangroves, reducing light pollution, managing water flow and building connected wetland habitats, according to MODS.
Joseph P. Cox, president and CEO of MODS, said the new gallery reflects the museum’s effort to connect children and families with the natural world while building character strengths tied to caring, confidence, cooperation and critical thinking.
“The Everglades Theater brings that mission to life through immersive technology, artificial intelligence and hands-on gameplay that explore the ecosystems shaping South Florida,” Cox said in the museum’s announcement.
The Everglades Theater includes five interactive experiences.
In Endangered Everglades, guests identify invasive species such as Burmese pythons, blue tilapia and Old World climbing ferns while also counting endangered species. MODS says the activity is designed to show how observation and data help guide conservation decisions.
In Mighty Mangroves, guests plant mangrove seedlings, explore root systems and learn how coastal forests protect shorelines, shelter young animals and strengthen resilience.
Nighttime Magic focuses on nocturnal animals, dark skies and light pollution. The experience shows how lighting choices can affect fireflies, bats, owls and other species that depend on darkness.
Seasons in the Everglades explores wet and dry seasons, migratory birds and South Florida water systems. Guests adjust canals, gates and pump stations while learning how water management affects wetlands, wildlife and people.
Wilderness Wetlands Home lets guests build Everglades habitats, including uplands, sawgrass marshes, cypress swamps, mangroves and coral reefs.
Phillip Dunlap, director of the Broward County Cultural Division, said the theater gives families a new way to experience Broward’s culture, environment and sense of place.
The Everglades Theater is one of three signature experiences in Phase 1 of Build a Better World. The gallery also includes the Mangrove Mangal Climber, sponsored by JM Family Enterprises, and the Atlantic and Pacific Coral Reef Aquariums, sponsored with support from Weston Nissan/Weston Volvo and the Hudson Family Foundation.
MODS says the initiative was made possible through support from Lilly Endowment Inc., which selected the museum as one of 23 children’s museums nationwide to participate in an effort focused on character development and meaningful learning experiences for children and families.
Phase 1 is now open at MODS. The museum says Build a Better World will continue to grow when Phase 2 opens in fall 2026.
More information is available at the official website.
Additional coverage from this area is available in Fort Lauderdale News.
