This is a paid piece from Washington Pavilion Management, Inc.

Simplified: A project more than two years in the making is about to blast off at the Washington Pavilion's Kirby Science Discovery Center. Here's a sneak peek of what you'll find on the new Space and Technology floor.

Why it matters

  • The Pavilion first announced renovations to the first floor of the discovery center back in August 2023. The announcement included introducing a partnership between the Pavilion, Marketbeat and Dakota State University. The two private partners made a combined investment of $375,000 to make this redesign possible.
  • The renovated floor retained a couple of pieces frequent visitors will recognize, but by and large, the space is transformed into a high-tech, immersive trip through the solar system.
  • Many of the new exhibits are designed for slightly older children – being able to read is a key component of several interactive games – but there's fun to be had by all ages.
"You really just feel like you're walking into space when you're in there," said Madelyn Grogan, director of education and museums. "We really tried to make space relevant and exciting to kids. There's just some great opportunities for kids to be able to see what they wouldn't normally be able to see."

Tell me more

The new floor is divided into five segments that take visitors on a journey through space from rocket launch, to Earth, to Mars and on to the great unknown beyond.

Visitors start by walking through Zone 1: Into the Unknown – a hall of stars and mirrors, designed to make you feel like you're in an infinite space.

Then, you emerge into the Zone 2: We Have Lift Off, which focuses on building and launching rockets.

Zone 3: Mission to Planet Earth focuses on (as you might guess) exploration of earth, and includes various interactive digital exhibits, as well as a massive look at the scale of the solar system by use of basketballs.

The technology-based exhibits also feature instructions in both English and Spanish.

After moving through an exploration of Earth, visitors then move on to Mars in Zone 4: Living on the Red Planet.

The Mars exhibit features an interactive farming game, a chance to program your own rover and a way to experience what it'd be like to play basketball in Mars' gravity.

Beyond Mars, the space and technology floor takes a look to the future in Zone 5: Where No One Has Gone Before featuring images projected from the famous (and extremely powerful) James Webb telescope.

  • The exhibit also features some relaxing seating for visitors to simply sit and enjoy the projected images.

This final zone of the floor encourages kids to think about all of the things humans have not yet discovered about space.

  • And, because it's fun to imagine, kids can also create a virtual look at what they might look like as an alien. Here's an example.

All of the technology on the floor is designed to have multiple outcomes, which means kids will have different experiences whenever they play.

"Our goal is that people want to not just visit once, but that they want to visit 100 times," Grogan said.

What happens next?

The new floor is expected to be open starting on Saturday, Nov. 15. Admission to the new exhibits is included in an annual membership.

  • Don't have a membership? Holiday membership deals launch soon! Get ready for a year of unlimited discovery—at a great price. Learn more here.