Science Museum of Western Virginia facts for kids
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| Established | 1970 |
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| Location | One Market Square SE, 4th Floor Roanoke, Virginia |
| Type | Science museum |
The Science Museum of Western Virginia is a fun place to explore science in Roanoke, Virginia. It's a science museum where you can learn about many cool things. You can discover how the environment works, how to keep your body healthy, and even try out computer coding. The museum also teaches about the scientific method and engineering. Plus, you can see how science is part of toys and games!
The museum has a special area called a maker space. Here, you can build and create things with your own hands. There's also a garden with different plants, focusing on how we grow food.
The Science Museum of Western Virginia works with Virginia Tech. Together, they put on the yearly Virginia Science Festival. This festival is a big event where people can enjoy even more science activities.
History of the Museum
How the Museum Started
The Science Museum of Western Virginia began a long time ago, in January 1970. It was the very first science museum in the state of Virginia. When it first opened, it was quite small. It was located in the basement of a building called Cherry Hill in South Roanoke. This space was only about 400 square feet.
Moving to New Homes
As the museum grew, it needed more space. In 1976, it moved to a bigger building. This new home was an old school called Tinker Creek School. It was much larger, with about 3,000 square feet for exhibits. The school building was built during World War I.
Later, in 1983, the museum moved again to an even bigger place. This time, it moved into a building called the Center in the Square. This building is in the downtown market area of Roanoke. It used to be a large warehouse with five floors. The Center in the Square was made into a place for many different museums and groups that help the community. The Science Museum of Western Virginia has been there ever since, sharing its love for science with visitors.
