Fort Discovery facts for kids
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| Established | April 1997 |
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| Dissolved | December 2010 |
| Location | 1 7th Street Augusta, Georgia,  United States |
| Visitors | 200,000 (2007) |
Fort Discovery was a really exciting science center for kids and families. It was located in downtown Augusta, Georgia, right by the Riverwalk Augusta. This huge building, about 128,000-square-foot (11,900 m2) (which is like two football fields!), was once a shopping mall.
Fort Discovery opened its doors in April 1997. It quickly became a popular place for learning about science in a fun, hands-on way.
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Discovering Fort Discovery
Fort Discovery was famous for its many interactive exhibits. It had over 250 different displays! These exhibits helped visitors understand various science ideas. You could touch, play, and experiment to see how things worked.
Fun Exhibits and Rides
The center featured several awesome rides that showed off physics principles. Imagine riding a high-wire bicycle! This showed how balance and gravity work. There was also a human gyroscope, which spun you around to demonstrate forces. Another cool ride was the space moon walk, which let you feel a bit like an astronaut. Each ride was designed to be both thrilling and educational.
A Look at Its History
Fort Discovery opened in April 1997. It was a big hit with visitors. However, in late 2003, the state stopped providing money to the center. This put Fort Discovery at risk of closing down.
Luckily, the city and local community stepped in to help. They provided funds to keep the center open until January 2005. After that, the state started funding Fort Discovery again. This support helped the science center continue its mission.
What Happened Next?
Sadly, Fort Discovery closed permanently on December 31, 2010. The National Science Center, which ran Fort Discovery, moved to Washington, D.C..
The building where Fort Discovery once stood is still there. It was emptied out after the center closed. However, the property is now being rebuilt and used for new purposes. For example, a company called Unisys has opened a new center in one part of the building.
