science museum of western virginia & hopkins planetarium

To make this museum worth the trip I highly recommend buying all the attractions-butterflies and planetarium. Lots of hands on activities for kids; including petting live horseshoe crabs and letting beautiful butterflies land on you.. The planetarium is nice to do mid-museum or else you could be done sooner than you'd like for the amount you spend to get into the museum. There are beautiful aquariums in the lobby of the Center in the Square Building where the museum is located that my children spent a good amount of time looking at all the different tropical fish as well as jelly fish and seahorses. Depending on the age of children the dinosaur exhibit seemed blah. The butterfly room was very beautiful and a must do if going, my daughter was so excited when one landed on her head! There are places to hang coats and cubbies for other items once inside the actual museum and elevators for strollers. Bathrooms were very clean.

Recently-renovated museum with interactive exhibits and some live animals (jellyfish, catfish, frogs, etc.) including a touch tank. Other exhibits focus on rock samples, human organs, recycling, weather, and other approachable science topics. Weather exhibit features a "green screen" for creating your own weather broadcast. Play area includes a block-building area, simulated fossil "dig" in rubber mulch, book corner, etc. Planetarium and butterfly garden available for an extra charge. Highly recommend "passport" level membership to local families--membership includes reciprocal free admission to various other science centers--whereas single-day admission can seem pricey. Small gift shop.

The Butterfly Expo! Well maintained butterfly habitat. Professional knowledgable staff. A good experience for young and old alike.

We were visiting in the Roanoke area with our teenaged granddaughters and 2 of their friends. We thought the museum and planetarium would be a fun afternoon on a rainy day in January or any day for that matter. We were not disappointed. The planetarium was a big hit with all of them, the butterfly garden too. The museum is small but there is plenty to see and do including "hands on" exhibits for kids of all ages. We had a very enjoyable afternoon and I would recommend for residents of Roanoke to see as well as visitors to the city.

Small cities tend to be great places to live, but they focus on family, friends, and the out-of-doors. Roanoke has several museums in the heart of the city convenient to one another and to the Market Square. The Science Museum has a diverse collection, both permanent and traveling. The butterfly collection is small, but very unusual, and you are in among the butterflies. There is no glass between you and the butterflies and please watch your feet, because many of the butterflies are ON THE FLOOR.We saw a traveling show of King Tut replicas which were a lot less dusty than the originals in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, but, then again, not many American have gone to Cairo and seen the "dump" that is the Cairo museum. Although the exhibit is replicas, there are very good explanatory plaques with every piece in the exhibit.The kids exhibits are classic, hands on stuff involving the human body, musical instruments, electricity, and bunches of animals (fish, turtles, and jellyfish). Have you ever petted a horseshoe crab? Well then, this is your chance!!!!

Thank you so much for the kind words. We're delighted you enjoyed your visit and hope to see you again soon!

Many thanks for taking the time to post a review of the Science Museum of Western. We're delighted that you enjoyed your visit and hope you'll come again soon!

Wonderful museum with so many different areas to explore! Lots of hands on activities for kids. A "must" see for any one interested in science and history.

we went with our two young children. They had a great time with all the interactive things to do. It was fun and educational for everyone of us. They could have spent most of the day there. The best value is to become a member. If you are close enough and can go at least 2 time in a year it is well worth it. We also went to the butterfly garden as well but it is more suited for older children than ours.

I love how nice the museum looks since they remodeled. I love the butterfly exhibit and the "Lab" for doing small experiments. The re-model made this a top notch museum in the Roanoke Valley.

Many, many interactive science displays. Fun for all ages. Obviously designed primarily for children, but we (ages 66 and 69) also had a great time. The butterfly garden is very impressive, small but well maintained with lots of colorful plants and butterflys.

This museum is trying to keep up with the times. Nice to see that. This can entertain young and old alike. Plenty of good walking, plenty of things to see...makes for a nice afternoon out with or without the kids. (Have to deal with the notorious parking of Roanoke, but once you get past that...makes for a good time.)

This was a perfect outing for the 12-year old who was with me. The Butterfly Garden is charming, and the Lab was a great source of fun performing the experiments available with the lab tech. The City Market is just a few feet away from the Center in the Square, so we had so much fun combining the two things.

Last week my great grandchildren, ages 12,10, 8 and 6 were visiting and we went to the Science Museum and Butterfly Garden. They loved it and we ended up in the lab near closing time and the teen age volunteers very patiently helped them with the experiments.

Roanoke has done a great job bringing in all that is available at the Science Museum, good wholesome family fun and very Educational!