The Naive Knowledge Study conducted at the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia was a research and application project to uncover widespread misconceptions about the concept of gravity held by science museum visitors and to test the efficacy of hands‐on exhibits in altering these naive notions. An analysis of visitors’ misconceptions revealed five widespread naive notions about gravity. Prototype exhibits were designed to counter the two most frequent misconceptions—that gravity needs air to work and that gravity is generated by the rotation of the Earth. Visitors interviewed after using the exhibit prototypes showed significant decreases in naive notions. Results point to the importance of front‐end evaluation in the creation of exhibits which build explicit connections between the novice view and more sophisticated ways of looking at a topic.