Schools aren’t the only education resource in Danville these days, and there is a place where kids – and their parents – can go where science is especially fun.

The Danville Science Center welcomes more than 25,000 visitors each year, offering a variety of programming for children and adults alike. Many of the exhibits are hands on, meaning that kids of all ages can become even more engrossed in the colorful displays of learning.

The center originated from an idea in 1993 when Danville resident Virginia Vincent said to her son-in-law, Walter R.T. Witschey, director of the Science Museum of Virginia, “You ought to build a science center in Danville.” Witschey and Jerry Fisher, Danville’s community development director, ran with the idea.

The facility officially opened in 1995 with the center’s first permanent exhibition, which was titled “Fundamentals of Science.” Today, more than 25 displays are rotated throughout each year to keep the center fresh. One of the most popular permanent exhibits is the “It’s Butterflies Galore” showcase.

The display is a major draw each April when the butterflies break out of their cocoons and flitter about a large area within the center. Upcoming plans for the Danville Science Center include the addition of an IMAX theater, which will allow the staff to show many movies to school groups that can reserve specific times for the airings.

The center already draws attendance from a 100-mile radius, but the IMAX opening will potentially enhance its ability to draw from well outside the region. The Danville Science Center is located on Craghead Street in the historic tobacco warehouse district, in a complex called "The Crossing at the Dan."