Theatre Info

Directions & Parking

The Wachovia IMAX Theatre at Marbles Kids Museum is located at 201 East Hargett Street in downtown Raleigh, at the corner of Hargett and Blount streets across from Moore Square. For customized driving directions, enter your starting address in the Google Maps box below.

From I-40 East (Wilmington)
From I-40 take exit #299—Person Street. Travel north toward downtown Raleigh for approximately 2 miles. Turn left onto Hargett Street. The Wachovia IMAX Theatre is on the right.

From I-40 West (Greensboro)
From I-40 take exit #289—Wade Avenue. Travel approximately 6 miles toward downtown Raleigh. Take the ramp to Capital Blvd. Capital Blvd will become Dawson Street. From Dawson Street, turn left on Morgan Street. Travel three blocks and turn right on Blount Street. Marbles Kids Museum is on the left.

From US 1 South
From US 1 South take 440 (Outer Beltline) to exit #299—Person Street. Travel north toward downtown Raleigh for approximately 2 miles. Turn left onto Hargett Street. Marbles Kids Museum is on the right.

From Capital Boulevard (US 1 North)
Capital Blvd will become Dawson Street. From Dawson Street, turn left on Morgan Street. Travel three blocks and turn right on Blount Street. Marbles Kids Museum is on the left.

From Glenwood Avenue & Hillsborough Street
Follow Glenwood Ave to Hillsborough Street. Turn left on Hillsborough Street. Turn right onto Salisbury Street (at the State Capitol Building). Take the first left onto Morgan Street. Travel three blocks and turn right on Blount Street. Marbles Kids Museum is on the left.

From Wilson/Rocky Mount
Follow business US 64, which turns into New Bern Avenue. New Bern Avenue becomes Edenton Street. Turn left onto Blount Street. Marbles Kids Museum is on the left.

Car Parking

Longview Parking Lot - this pay parking lot is conveniently located near the North entrance to the museum campus with direct access to museum sidewalks with no street crossings. There are entrances when heading East on Morgan Street between Blount Street and Person Street, and when heading North on Person Street between Hargett Street and Morgan Street/New Bern Street. This surface lot has 50 spaces dedicated to visitors during museum hours. Please visit GoDowntownRaleigh.com for more information about hours and fees for this parking lot.

Wilmington Street Station Parking Deck - this pay parking deck is conveniently located right across Blount Street from the museum. There are entrances when heading North on Wilmington Street between Morgan Street and Hargett Street, and when heading South on Blount Street between Morgan Street and Hargett Street. Please visit GoDowntownRaleigh.com for more information about hours and fees for this parking deck.

Street Parking - there is metered parking on Blount, Person and Hargett Streets surrounding the museum.

Public Transportation

By Bus

Ride Raleigh's CAT bus to Moore Square Station or Triangle Transit to the CAT/Triangle Transit Transfer Center at Moore Square. Exit to Hargett Street, and IMAX Theatre is to the right. For more information, schedules and maps visit Go Triangle.

Already downtown? Drive downtown, park once, ride the R-Line and visit Marbles and other downtown attractions. Hop on the Raleigh's new, FREE circulator service at one of its 20 downtown Raleigh stops. More information and hours.

By Train

The Raleigh Amtrak Train Station is located at 320 West Cabarrus Street, eight blocks (15 minute walk) from the IMAX Theatre. More information.

Bus Parking

There is limited first come, first serve parking for buses and vans in the immediate downtown area Wednesday through Friday. Our Guest Services would be happy to assist you with this on the day of your visit.

Concessions

Enjoy a treat from the newly-renovated concession stand. We offer fresh popcorn and a variety of candy and bottled drinks. Coffee and an assortment of snacks are available at The Corner Store at Marbles Kids Museum.

Also at Marbles is Roly Poly Sandwich Shop located just off the IMAX Theatre lobby. Roly Poly serves tasty, healthy rolled sandwiches, soups and salads.

*Only items from the concession stand located in the theatre lobby are allowed in the theatre.

Why IMAX?

Boasting NC’s only 3D-capable giant screen, the Wachovia IMAX Theatre at Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh IS THE ultimate movie experience. You'll be blown away by the crystal clear IMAX movies shown on the giant 50-foot high screen.

With more than 200 films available, audiences have been taken to the far reaches of the earth, transported into the future and put into the driver’s seat through films such as Into the Deep 3D, Space Station 3D, and NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience. Hollywood films that have been digitally re-mastered into The IMAX Experience have entertained audiences like never before.

The IMAX 3D Experience

The IMAX Experience in 3D - the world's most immersive movie experience - has entertained and enlightened millions of people worldwide. With crystal clear, larger-than-life, 3D images complemented by exhilarating state-of-the-art surround sound, audiences feel as though they are in the movie.

IMAX 3D glasses are provided for use during all 3D films at the Wachovia IMAX Theatre.

The IMAX Film

IMAX 3D uses dual filmstrip technology, using two separate strips of film for both image capture and projection. IMAX is the world's largest film format using 15-perforation, 70mm film to create images of incredible sharpness. The 15/70-film format is ten times larger than conventional 35mm film. This makes it the largest commercial film ever invented. IMAX large format film is so strong it could be used to tow your car.

The IMAX 3D Camera

The IMAX 3D camera is one of the highest resolution image-capturing devices in the world. By simultaneously recording separate left- and right-eye images onto two 65mm wide filmstrips—one for each eye—the IMAX 3D camera helps to create spectacular high-resolution images characteristic of the wide field of view of IMAX presentations. Weighing between 42 and 100 pounds, these cameras are extremely versatile and can be used in virtually any environment—from outer space to the ocean floor, the top of Mt. Everest and all around the globe.

The IMAX 3D Projector

IMAX projectors are the most advanced, precise and powerful projectors ever built. The IMAX 3D projector simultaneously projects two strips of 15/70 film, one for each eye, onto a special IMAX 3D screen. Each member of the audience must wear IMAX 3D glasses, which channel the right-eye image to the right eye and the left-eye image to the left eye. The polarized lenses separate the left- and right-eye images. Light from the 7,000-watt lamp of an IMAX projector is so bright that, if one were operated on the moon, people on Earth could see it with the naked eye.

The IMAX Screen

Forty-five hundred times larger than an average TV screen, IMAX and IMAX 3D giant flat screens soar up to eight stories high and have a slight curvature that extends beyond the field of geometric recognition. Because these screens fill your peripheral vision, you feel like you’re right in the action. IMAX 3D screens are painted silver to maximize the amount of light reflected back to the audience.

IMAX Sound

The six-channel, multi-way digital IMAX speaker system with sub-bass utilizes 44 speakers grouped into six clusters behind the screen and at the rear of the theatre to deliver uncompressed sound that is simply unsurpassed in depth and clarity. Sixteen amplifiers generate more than 12,000 watts of power, not volume, to provide the audience with life-like sound. IMAX’s proprietary loudspeaker system delivers exacting volume and quality at every seat throughout the theatre. From a small drop of rain to an enormous clap of thunder, you'll hear every shade and subtlety, regardless of where you are sitting.