StillWonder's Final 2026 Pop-Up Is Saturday, Nov. 28, Kansas Game Day: What to Know

StillWonder's last pop-up of 2026 is Saturday, Nov. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Horticulture Education Center at The Botanic Garden at OSU, 3300 W. 6th Ave. It's free, no registration is needed, and it's the same day OSU hosts Kansas. The theme is robots, and it's designed for kids ages 3 to 10, with all ages welcome. Here's how to fit it into a game-day, Thanksgiving-weekend morning, and where the project to build a permanent children's museum downtown stands.

The final pop-up of the year

StillWonder has held free, hands-on STEAM pop-ups on the fourth Saturday of every month, from Jan. 24 through Nov. 28, according to StillWonder's events page and Visit Stillwater's listing.

On the Garden's visitor map, the Horticulture Education Center is site 16. The map shows two lots, Main Parking and South Parking. The Garden is open to the public from dawn to dusk every day, so you can walk the grounds before or after the robots.

[IMAGE 2, mid-post] Suggested photo: The Botanic Garden at OSU, or the Horticulture Education Center. Alt text: "The Botanic Garden at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater"

Kansas comes to town the same morning

OSU's 2026 football schedule has the Cowboys hosting Kansas in Stillwater on Nov. 28 at 12pm. The week before, on Nov. 21, the team plays at Arizona State in Tempe. That makes the Kansas game the first home Saturday in two weeks, and it lands on a holiday weekend when plenty of households have guests.

Some of the game-day schedule is already fixed. Visit Stillwater's game-day guide says POSSE lots open at 8 a.m., and a free shuttle runs from downtown at 7th and Lewis to the stadium, starting three hours before kickoff. By the time the pop-up opens at 10, game-day parking will have been open for two hours. The shuttle's start time depends on a kickoff that hasn't been set yet.

How to plan the morning

The pop-up has a fixed two-hour window and the game doesn't, so plan around the pop-up:

• Check the kickoff time once OSU posts it. An evening game leaves the whole morning free. An early game means some of your group may be heading to the stadium while the kids build robots.
• Arrive close to 10 a.m. The session lasts two hours and there's no registration, so there's no reserved spot to count on.
• Note both Garden lots before you leave home. If Main Parking is busy, South Parking is the other lot on the map.
• If anyone is taking the shuttle, work back from kickoff. The shuttle starts three hours before game time at 7th and Lewis, so someone can drop the kids at the Garden and still catch it.

From the Garden to 615 S. Main

Nov. 28 is the last date on the pop-up calendar, and it's the end of a run that started in 2024. Here's how StillWonder got to a downtown location:

• July 2020: The WONDERtorium, Stillwater's earlier children's museum, closes because of the pandemic.
• April 2023: StillWonder is established as a nonprofit. It says it isn't affiliated with the WONDERtorium, though it was inspired by that museum's legacy.
• 2024: Founder Sara Brown starts the pop-ups. Her goal is a permanent children's museum.
• Sept. 24, 2026: The Stillwater News Press reports the permanent location at 615 S. Main St. downtown, with an opening targeted for mid-2027. It also reports $902,700 raised toward a $1 million Phase 1 goal.
• Oct. 1, 2026: FOX23 reports that StillWonder has passed $1 million in commitments toward a $3 million campaign goal, with a summer 2027 opening.
• Nov. 28, 2026: The final scheduled pop-up at the Botanic Garden.
• Dec. 31, 2026: StillWonder's target for raising the rest of the money.

Before StillWonder, 615 S. Main was home to EM, formerly Everyman, which opened there in October 2023 as a mix of food and drink, coffee, retail, barbering, and event space. According to News On 6's coverage, Brown said the building can already hold more than 300 people, so StillWonder doesn't have a lot of upfront cost to get going and mainly needs exhibits.

Some of those exhibits will come from the WONDERtorium, and Maggie is the best-known example. She's a fiberglass milking cow that spent part of October standing inside the empty room at 615 S. Main, next to an A1 Architecture rendering of the museum. Maggie was a favorite at the old WONDERtorium, and StillWonder plans to refurbish her for the new museum. In the same story, Brown said StillWonder had been funded entirely through grants up to that point. She described the program as STEAM- and STEM-focused, which helps when applying for grants. KOSU covered the plan in October as well.

What the next seven weeks decide

The first $1 million came in fast. Brown told News On 6 that StillWonder raised it in September alone. The next phase is twice that size, $2 million, to get to the $3 million total, and FOX23 reported that the group plans to raise it by Dec. 31. The October figure counts commitments, which aren't the same as money already collected. Both the deadline and the summer 2027 opening are targets the organizers set for themselves.

On Nov. 28, parents can see a StillWonder session in action at the Garden, then picture the same thing on South Main. To follow the campaign or the next round of events, check StillWonder's site and its linked Facebook events page.

Filling out the Thanksgiving weekend

The pop-up covers two hours on Saturday. Here are a few seasonal options that don't conflict with it:

• Friday night, Nov. 27: Lights on the Lake at Lake McMurtry opens for the season and runs through Jan. 3, 2027, according to Visit Stillwater's event calendar. That gives visiting relatives something to see the night before the robot session.
• All weekend: The Stillwater Ice Rink at Block 34 opened Nov. 7, and its season runs through Jan. 17, 2027, according to Visit Stillwater, which covers the whole holiday weekend. Admission is listed at $14. See Is the Block 34 Ice Rink Coming Back to Stillwater? [Confirm dates and price on the rink's site before publishing.]
• In December, same building: The Horticulture Education Center hosts a family-friendly Wreath Making Workshop Dec. 10 through 12. It costs $30, and registration goes through OSU's agriculture events page. If you find your way to site 16 for the pop-up, you'll know where you're going when you come back for wreaths.

Frequently asked questions

When is the last StillWonder pop-up of 2026? Saturday, Nov. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Where is it? At the Horticulture Education Center at The Botanic Garden at OSU, 3300 W. 6th Ave., site 16 on the Garden's map.

Does it cost anything or require registration? No. It's free and there's no registration.

What ages is it for? It's designed for kids ages 3 to 10, and all ages are welcome.

Is there a game in Stillwater that day? Yes. OSU hosts Kansas on Nov. 28. Check OSU's schedule for kickoff, since it was still TBA in early November.

Where do I park? The Garden's visitor map shows Main Parking and South Parking.

Where will the permanent museum be? StillWonder plans to open a permanent children's museum at 615 S. Main St. downtown, with a summer 2027 target.

Thinking about living near downtown Stillwater?

I keep track of what's opening around Stillwater, from 615 S. Main to the newest builder communities, because it changes how a place feels to live in. If you have questions about the StillWonder project, downtown, or anything else going on in town, reach out and we'll start with a conversation. See also What Is It Like to Live in Stillwater? 7 Things Every Local Has Done and What Should You Know Before Moving to Stillwater?.

Thinking about moving to Stillwater? Join the Moving to Stillwater group on Facebook to ask questions and get local answers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/534271350873991

Ann Morgan is a REALTOR® with Real Estate Professionals in Stillwater, Oklahoma, specializing in new construction and OSU parent-buyer relocation. A five-time winner of Stillwater's Best Realtor award and a consistent top-3 agent in the Stillwater MLS.

Sources: StillWonder events page; Visit Stillwater (pop-up listing, game-day guide, event calendar, ice rink); OSU Botanic Garden visitor map; OSU football schedule; Stillwater News Press; FOX23; News On 6; KOSU; OSU agriculture events.