The Xploration Station, a branch of the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) was located inside the lower level of The Woodlands Mall at the west end, directly south from the Reading Tree. After just over two years, Xploration Station closed it's doors in September, 2009. The Reading Tree is in the children's play area close to Sears. While not as large as HMNS in Houston, the Woodlands Mall location featured permanent exhibits such as the excavation station where kids got to be be a paleontologist for a day.During the Xploration Station's tenure, visitors to the mall couldn't miss Stan, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, guarding the entrance to the children's museum.

Stan the Dinosaur at the Woodlands Mall.

From Houston Museum of Natural Science President Joel A. Bartsch: "With continued support from the more than 3,000 families in The Woodlands area that are Museum members, the Houston Museum of Natural Science remains fully committed to maintaining a presence in The Woodlands, especially in our educational outreach and summer camp programs. First and foremost, we would like to thank everyone in The Woodlands community for making The Woodlands Xploration Station a resounding success. Going forward, we are committed to engaging even more kids of all ages--from 1 to 101--in all of our programs and exhibitions, and attaining ever-growing levels of community involvement and support.