South Florida Science Center and Aquarium has broken ground on a new outdoor expansion – the first step to eventually linking the facility to the nearby Palm Beach Zoo as part of the centre’s masterplan.

The 32,300sq m (350,000sq ft) US$2m (€1.8m, £1.4m) park will include a host of interactive facilities, including 25 hands-on science exhibits and a mini-golf course.

Designed by professional golfer Gary Nicklaus and golf course architect Jim Fazio, the 18-hole “conservation course” will not only be used for putting sessions and tournaments, but it will also teach children the scientific principles of force, motion and angles. Additionally, each hole will include an educational aspect in its name and theming, which will be associated with a plant or animal species indigenous to Florida’s Everglades.

Supported by a US$250,000 (€230,000, £179,000) grant from the Batchelor Foundation, the Florida Forever Trail will tie together the 25 outdoor exhibits, which will be set out around an outdoor pavilion and a run-through fountain. The park will also feature a human sundial, dinosaur walk and a science-themed playground.

Once the park is complete, the science centre wants to connect the outdoor space to the grounds of Palm Beach Zoo, creating one large campus shared by the two organisations. This masterplan would include an expansion of the science centre’s main building, which would grow from 40,000sq ft (3,716sq m) to 60,000sq ft (5,600sq m).