In this paper, we present three case studies on visualizing spatiotemporal data on interactive tabletops and surfaces for casual use. While there is a growing interest among citizens to make sense of their social community and urban environment, most existing geovisualization tools have been designed for experts such as planners and analysts. We introduce situation-specific visualization systems that were particularly designed for public exhibitions to balance powerful data exploration methods with inviting accessibility for laypeople. Finally, we discuss some of the lessons learned regarding people’s interest, interaction conventions, and information aesthetics.