Every year, spiders kill about 20 people worldwide. That’s fewer than scorpions, lightning strikes, or hippos—and a tiny fraction of the 17.9 million deaths caused by cardiovascular disease. Yet spiders might still be the creatures we fear most.

Pacific Science Center’s new exhibition, Spiders: From Fear to Fascination, aims to change that. Created by the Australian Museum, the show opened last week and invites visitors to step past their reflexive shudder and see spiders for what they are: essential, complex, and surprisingly beautiful.

The exhibit is fully immersive, with live and preserved spiders, large-scale models, interactive experiences, and video installations. You can trigger an augmented-reality floor where virtual spiders scuttle at your feet, or try out the male peacock spider’s elaborate courtship dance  yourself. Or, if you’re brave enough, you can get so close to living spiders that you feel the little hairs on your neck rise, and still find yourself wanting to know more.

This larger-than-life tarantula display is mesmerizing.

Photo by Sarah Stackhouse

“I am so excited for our guests to have an opportunity to observe the incredible collection of live spiders on exhibit,” says Hannah Held, Pacific Science Center’s Living Exhibits manager. “The specimens highlight the wide range of spiders and allow us to look closer into what makes them so special. It is a truly unique opportunity to observe the behaviors, habits, and instincts of these remarkable creatures.”

Displays with living spiders highlight species like the Carolina wolf spider, yellow garden spider, and desert blond tarantula—each accompanied by bilingual panels describing how they hunt and burrow. Another display shows real molted tarantula skins. You can see the fragile shells, complete with leg holes where the spider pulled itself free, growing slightly larger with each shed. And a fossilized Talbragaraneus jurassicus, one of the oldest spiders ever found, connects the exhibit to the ancient world.

Fuzzy and fierce, wolf spiders roam their habitat in search of prey, using their silk for safety lines, egg sacs, and shelter.

Photo by Rafael Minguet Delgado / Pexels

Orb weavers spin massive, silky traps for big bugs, but they’re harmless to humans. Look at this beauty!

Photo by Raynnier Gómez / Pexels

“For being such small critters, spiders have a huge reputation,” she says. “Most of us have been taught to fear spiders since childhood, and there are a lot of spider myths passed down through generations. Also, they’re fast, hairy, have eight legs, and at least six eyes. This exhibit provides a safe space to look closer. There is a whole spider world out there that we don’t get to see up close. When you aren’t being taken by surprise by an unexpected spider, you are able to be curious. When you take the fear out of the situation, spiders truly are fascinating.”

Visitors step onto an interactive floor projection where clusters of augmented-reality spiders scurry away with each movement, then slowly creep back once the coast is clear.

Photo by James Horan / Australian Museum

One of the most moving elements is a video showing a mother black lace-weaver spider feeding herself to her young. It’s an extraordinary act known as matriphagy. Another video comes from the Australian Bush Doctor program, where a Ngangkari healer describes using spider medicines in traditional healing, illustrating how spiders have long been part of both science and culture.

“It’s a strong exhibition and it hadn’t been shown in this part of the country before,” says Peggy Monahan, Pacific Science Center’s vice president of exhibits. “Seattle certainly has a lot of spiders, especially this time of year! This exhibit is a great opportunity for people to learn more about these creatures.”

The show also points to spiders’ growing scientific relevance. Researchers are studying spider venom and silk for their potential in medicine, sustainable textiles, and bioengineering. Some studies show orb-weaver silk has tensile strength comparable to (or in some tests greater than) steel of the same diameter.

“Spiders eat other kinds of bugs and are an important part of the ecosystem,” Monahan adds. “It helps us to know about them and recognize the role they play. That’s the way it is with science, isn’t it? There’s so much to learn about almost anything if you look closely enough.”

Visitors learn that spiders have been on Earth for hundreds of millions of years—long before the first dinosaurs appeared. And if you’ve ever heard one of those local legends about hobo spiders in Seattle, you might want to stop by before repeating it because the exhibit has a few surprises waiting on that front.

After walking through, you might find it harder to panic about the next eight-legged roommate that appears in your bathroom. Take a deep breath and try a catch-and-release. Spiders do plenty of good like, keeping other bugs in check, and like us, they’re just fascinating creatures trying to survive.

The exhibit runs through April 2026 at Pacific Science Center. General admission includes the spider show: adults $10, children $7 (special pricing through November 20).