Science Museum of Western Virginia

Fun location for a birthday partyOur little one still asks to go back

Reviewed on Google Maps

they're good for kids

Reviewed on Google Maps

A gem of a small museum in the heart of Roanoke.More geared towards children, though as adults we enjoyed our visit. We spent a couple of hours here looking at everything. Some of the exhibits were not working, but this did not spoil our enjoyment too much.We were disappointed with the Butterfly garden though. It looked liked of dead in there foliage wise, and there were not may Butterfly's to be seen. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

We go to museums all over the country using reciprocity from our home museum, so we have seen a lot of the same stuff over and over. While this museum does have some of that, a lot of the museum is really unique! Our kids (5, 7, and 9) spent hours here without being bored and didn't want to leave. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We celebrated my son's third birthday at the Science Museum and the kids as well as the adults, all had a great time. The party was well organized and the party attendants took care of collecting the presents and greeting our guests. They also provided everything we needed to serve food (plates, silverware, napkins) in addition to lemonade and cups. They shared a craft for all of the kids to do and took care of those supplies as well. The party planner called me a couple days before to help me with details and to answer my questions, which was much appreciated and super thoughtful. This is a great place to throw a party because there is something for everyone to enjoy at the museum. The service they provide is also above standard and really helped me save money on the little things that add up quickly (like the invitations and party supplies). Highly recommend, easy party and a lot of fun! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Cool place to take the kids

Reviewed on Google Maps

Awesome place. Lots to see.

Reviewed on Google Maps

Staff is helpful and friendly. There are salt water aquariums throughout the lobby. The museum offers lots of hands on activities to explore. We ended up buying a membership at the end of our visit. It will save you money if you plan to visit more than once a year. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I've always enjoyed the science museum ever since coming here for school field trips. It seemed so much bigger then, but that's most of life I guess. A good place to take the kids, especially on a rainy day, but it's interesting enough that adults shouldn't get bored. The butterfly garden looked very promising when we were there some months back, but it was either under construction or maintenance, and butterfly-less. Still was a neat garden, and it's an interesting feeling being in an indoor garden atop a building in the city. I'd recommend checking it out. The crystal rock gallery was worth more than tune admission price itself I'm uploading all the pics I took of it, but photos don't compare. Go check out these specimens! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

We've gone several times with our kids over the years, and its a great experience. The exhibits are high quality and well cared for. A real asset to the community.

Reviewed on Google Maps

This is a cool place and much better than you'd expect for a museum occupying a couple of floors in a larger building. One of the most important things a science museum has to do is to explain the scientific principles it exhibits. This science museum does that wonderfully, and it does it in a way that is both accessible to kids and substantive to adults. I can't overstate how great this is. Otherwise it's a glorified playground, but this museum got it exactly right in nearly every exhibit.I took my two boys there, not knowing if it would be worth the trip or not. They had a blast and learned some things, too. The museum fills two floors in the Center in the Square building. You can reach both floors by stairs or elevator, but I'm partial to the illuminated stairs inside the museum, each bearing the name and dates of a famous scientist. That's a cool detail that's totally unnecessary but really adds to the experience.There's a sizable exhibit on the first floor of the museum devoted to aquatic life complete with a touch tank. Another exhibit examines how topography affects water flow and allows you to manipulate a map projected on a small sandbox to see it in real time. I think this was my kids' favorite exhibit and it was quite well done. Other exhibits examine core drilling and extraction, how there human heart works, and there's a trippy space that allows you to see your shadow in 3D.The second floor has a group of smaller exhibits which cover topics from light refraction to potential and kinetic energy, resonance, and aerodynamics, along with many others. There's also a garden area with some interesting plants, though my kids weren't interested in it, so I didn't get a chance to see what it was all about.We are members at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond and our membership there was honored here and allowed us to enter for free. Reciprocity is great! Several different exhibits had broken or missing elements. It didn't ruin the experience by any means, and only two small exhibits were broken outright to the point of being unusable. It's understandable and unavoidable when you have so many people, including a lot of kids, interacting with the displays. Still, only one of them was marked as broken while the other left us to wonder if we were missing something about how to interact with it.A note about parking. If you drive to the museum, there is a parking garage attached to the Center in the Square building. It's not cheap, though. It's a dollar for every half-hour, capped at $8 for a day. There are other parking garages within walking distance that may be cheaper. You can expect to easily spend half a day there. Plan for more if you or your kids like making things as the maker space has many different materials to experiment with.If you have a child with sensory issues, there is a small sensory space in the younger kids area. There isn't a lot there, but it is a nice haven if the rest of them museum gets too loud or busy or if your kid just needs a break from too many stimuli. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Take your time when walking through. Some of the best concepts will take a minute to absorb. Typically science. Good stuff in here.

Reviewed on Facebook

What a great place to bring the family!! The staff was super friendly and all the cool stuff they have for kids to do is quite entertaining! ! I loved walking around and exploring everything. There's so many activities from a virtual reality thing where you move the sand to make mountain ranges and you can make it rain... There's also a touch tank where you can see horseshoe crabs . All kinds of things to learn at this place !!! They have change the concept of the garden from butterflies to food. I find this to be a better use of space to educate people on how to grow food .. I highly recommend you bring your kids and start the learning :) More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Pretty fun place for a 4 & 6 year old. They enjoyed the open building area

Reviewed on Google Maps

Small but fun and very interactive! Me and my kids love the giant toys exhibit!

Reviewed on Google Maps

I might be biased because I worked there years ago, but I love this place. They have really brought it forward to the 21st century.

Reviewed on Facebook

What a great museum. Interactive for all ages. The scavenger hunt really gets you engaged. And they even have one for adults. :)

Reviewed on Google Maps

Great for a small science museum. The rooftop is great!

Reviewed on Google Maps

Great for Children ages 5-8. We only checked out a couple of areas this time, but we would like to go back one day and spend a whole day and see what else we can learn. Maybe then my age range change, too. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

kid friendly, beautiful garden and touch tank,

Reviewed on Facebook

hadn't been here since I had been on a school trip almost a decade ago. However, the exhibits are excellent, I can't wait to go back. The family and I will be going back sometime soon. Really looking forward to it. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Hidden garden is starting to grow!

Reviewed on Google Maps

What a fantastic surprise.

Reviewed on Google Maps

I was super excited about the butterfly Garden! But they didnt have it open at the moment sadly...

Reviewed on Google Maps

We have been here twice. Once to the kids play area on the 4th floor and then today for the glow in the dark easter egg hunt. The play area was super fun for the kids who were 18 months and 2.5 with tons of fun things for them to play in on and with. the area with the pretend vet office was my daughters favorite. they had x Ray's with the lightboard of different animals. stuffed animals in kennels, a wash station, computer and phone and lots of different vet toys to play with. the easter egg hunt today was super fun for the kids and we got access to the 5th floor science museum where we got to make slime, decorate bags, play and explore. I would definitely recommend bringing your kids here or even going by yourself to check everything out. it's fun with lots of interactive exhibits! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Pretty nice - but several exhibits were down. Too many imo.

Reviewed on Google Maps

Awesome experience

Reviewed on Google Maps

The glow in the dark egg hunt was fantastic! I had fun and I was simply a bystander...

Reviewed on Google Maps

This place is much better than I expected! Definitely a place to bring your kids, but fun for adults too! Lots of interactive exhibits!

Reviewed on Google Maps

The children have alot interactions with almost everything in the museum. The workers give alot helpful information to the children.

Reviewed on Facebook

enjoyed the comfortable and cleaness of the facility staff was very polite and friendly with the kids showed interest and willing to answer any questions that the kids asked.

Reviewed on Facebook

The Science Museum is a great place to spend the day, especially with kids! There is so much to do that I don’t think others realize. The fifth floor galleries are all about hands on fun! Giant Legos to build with, giant light brite, arcade games, a maker lab for non stop creativity and the bubble- a safe place for smaller children and a sensory friendly, cool down/calm space.and several other fun activities! I can’t wait for the planetarium to be back open- sounds like something really exciting is in store! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Always fun and interesting things. Looking forward to butterflies return.

Reviewed on Facebook

Kept my 8 year old and 16 year old happily interested! Highly recommend!

Reviewed on Facebook

Fun place

Reviewed on Google Maps

Little bit expensive but we had a great time.

Reviewed on Google Maps

It is a great learning experience for kids.

Reviewed on Google Maps

Amazing! Me and my boyfriend went to it as a date night and had a blast, keep in mind we are 20 year olds and it was still educational and fun for both of us.

Reviewed on Google Maps

I hadn't been since I was a kid and really enjoyed taking my 7month old daughter and my best friend who had never been. I can't wait until she is a little older and can partake in more of the activities. I was pretty bummed there weren't any butterflies More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

A really fantastic place to visit, explore, and learn. I can't wait to go back soon with my daughter and spend more time.

Reviewed on Google Maps

Very fun, each floor is nice, ranging from pinball to arcade, science of technology to fish, and much more. Recommended to visit with a partner, or family. Closed on Mondays, but have a good time schedule. Price is worth going there. Go there and have a grand ol time. Also features a Pokemon Go pokestop. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Kids had a great time, however some of the exhibits were either broken or showing their age.

Reviewed on Google Maps

Love it!

Reviewed on Google Maps

Great place. I loved it. Visited with my brother & his grandkids. I love Roanoke.

Reviewed on Google Maps

Neat place to spend a day but A bit pricey! I couldnt see spending that kind of money bringing a big family there.

Reviewed on Google Maps