Science Museum of Western Virginia

"Fun with the Family"

Tops on the list of attractions at Center in the Square is the Science Museum.  Hands-on explorations range from broadcasting weather on closed-circuit television to fingering critters in the Hardbottom Reel Tank, a 750-gallon marine aquarium. In the Geology Gallery, kids can unearth clues about the Earth’s age, and in Body Tech they can explore the body’s circulatory system. The Light and Sound Arcade is an interactive exploration of color, sound, and light. The Illusion’s Gallery offers interactive computer puzzles and distorted illusions. Treasures display minerals and crystals from all over the world. The Watershed Gallery features a 42-foot-long river model with five habitats (and live residents) representing those habitats natural to the local area as the river flows from the mountains to the sea.
Check out the changing exhibits on the fifth floor and the live animal demonstrations with on-stage reptiles and amphibians on Saturday afternoon. Three- and five day science camps are held every summer for preschoolers through ninth-graders.
The William B. Hopkins Planetarium, part of the Science Museum, has star shows, lectures, concerts, and movies. In addition, movies are played on the MegaDome, a 40-foot dome-shaped screen with surround sound.