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Directions and maps | Hours and rates

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First Free Friday
Join us at the Pavilion from 5 to 8 p.m. on the first Friday of each month for FREE admission to the Kirby Science Discovery Center.

Pavilion Wellness Festival
Saturday, April 25, 2009. This family-friendly event includes a 5K Run, 1 and 2 mile Walk and a Wellness Fair featuring free health testing and screenings, demonstrations and information. Learn more here.

About the Discovery Center

The Kirby Science Discovery Center is the premier regional hands-on science experience! Fly the space shuttle, dig up a dinosaur or touch a tornado in our three floors of adventure. 

2nd Floor Galleries
Air and Space
Launch a working hot air balloon, fly the space shuttle, wear a space suit and more! And now try these exciting new exhibits: navigate a Mars Rover, fly the virtual hang glider, master the Hover Race tilty table, see how sci-fi sometimes affects science fact and more! Learn more here.

Big Sioux River Banks
Children 6 and younger can play in the flowing stream with dams, boats and waterwheels or pretend to be pioneer storekeepers or Native American farmers. Kids can also take a trip through our indoor slide as they learn about the weather water cycle.

3rd Floor Galleries
Light, Sound Action!
Freeze your shadow. Play with lasers. Bend light and generate electricity!

Nature Works
How do owls hear, bats navigate or insects hear? Find out in Nature Works interactive and live animal exhibits including a live, working beehive and animals native to this area.

Dynamic Earth
Touch a tornado, meet "Stan" our 40-foot Tyrannosaurus Rex replica, excavate dinosaur bones and see how earthquakes shake buildings.

The Stairway of Sound is a fun, interactive exhibit featuring a different sound for 21 steps on the south stairway connecting 3rd and 4th floor. Which sounds can you identify? Pavilion staff worked with SDSU engineering students to develop this unique exhibit.

4th Floor Galleries
Imagination Studio
Create your own animated video, stand in front of the playmotion screen and play pool by moving your body, fold a paper origami frog, or dance on our giant floor piano.

Starting Line: Fit For Life
Try out the wheel chair racers or go virtual biking through the rolling hills, challenge yourself to scale our horizontal rock wall or test how high you can jump and how fast your reflexes are.

Roll It, Rev It: The Physics of Motion
Build and race LEGO cars, create and watch high speed films, or learn about simple machines and gears by interacting with our ball machine and gear wall.

Pavilion Discovery Store
Take your memories home with you! Visit the Discovery Store for great gifts, science related toys and Washington Pavilion souvenirs. Admission is not required to visit the Pavilion Discovery Store.

Wells Fargo CineDome Theater
The Wells Fargo CineDome Theater at the Kirby Science Discovery Center features large-format science adventure on our giant 60-foot domed screen. 


Group Discounts, programs and services are available.
Visit our Group Visits and Classes and Camps pages for more information.


The Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science is a member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers. Washington Pavilion members can visit other ASTC facilities free of charge (some exceptions or fees may apply).  Find a list of current participants.