15 Ways to Explore the Kirby Science Center in Sioux Falls, SD

| |

The  Kirby Science Discovery Center, located in the Washington Pavilion in the heart of Sioux Falls, is hands on museum that children of all ages will enjoy.

The Pavilion, a former high school, has over 250,000 square feet of performing arts, visual arts, and museum space under one roof: Husby Performing Arts Center, home to two theaters (a 1881 seat hall and 290 seat theater), the Visual Arts Center, with eight galleries of exhibition space and the Visitor Center to the Sculpture Walk and outdoor Sculpture Garden, and the CineDome, which shows a variety of short films on the 60 foot domed screen (and has super comfy, reclining seats!).  Leonardo’s Café, both a full service café and catering company, is also on site. We spent a majority of our time at the Kirby Science Discovery Center, a three floor museum with over 100 hands-on exhibits and activities. 

outdoor entrance to Kirby Science Center

Travel Tips:

  • Information on admission fees and hours here; Typically, the center is open from 10am until 5pm Tuesday through Saturday, 12pm-5pm on Sundays. The center is open on Mondays and has longer hours during summer months.
  • Check here for a daily calendar of events across all venues at the Washington Pavilion.
  • Parking is available several lots and on the street- more information here
  • Restrooms located on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors
  • The entire complex is handicap accessible via elevators and strollers are allowed
  • Small concession stand (snacks and drinks mainly for the ClineDome shows) available on the 2nd floor; also check out Leonardo’s Cafe
  • Plan on at least 2 hours to fully explore all three floors of exhibits and more time to watch a show ($2 surcharge) in the CineDome- schedule here
Kirby Science Center in Sioux Falls, SD

Top 5 Things Toddlers Will Want to Do:

  1. Splash in all of the water tables in the Room to Grow exhibit. (2nd floor)
  2. Dig for fossils in the Dinosaur Discovery exhibit. (3rd floor)
  3. Explore the toddler area in the Health Quest exhibit. (4th floor)
  4. Hop inside a tractor cab and pretend to drive into the field in the Grow It! exhibit. (3rd floor)
  5. Climb on, over, and through the massive, two story tall indoor structure in the Prehistoric Adventure Climber.(4th floor)

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.

Top 5 Elementary Age Children Will Want to Do:

  1. Crawl through tunnels and learn all about the life of bugs and their contributions to maintaining the health of the land in the Grow it! exhibit. (3rd floor) 
  2. Test your biology knowledge with many hands-on challenges, including a 21 foot replica human body,  in the Health Quest exhibit. (4th floor)
  3. Test your South Dakota historical knowledge with an interactive trivia game in the Learn South Dakota exhibit. (3rd floor)
  4. Check out all the bright lights in the Glowing Gallery. (3rd floor) 
  5. Balance across the rock climbing wall and bikes in the fit Zone exhibit. (4th floor)

5 Things Kids at Heart Will Want to Do:

  1. Complete the scavenger hunt in Jack’s Imagination Lab. (2nd floor)
  2. Solve prehistoric puzzles of dinosaur skeletons on interactive touch screens in Dinosaur Discovery exhibit. (3rd floor)
  3. Step inside the Tornado Alley and feel winds up to 90 miles an hour. (3rd floor)
  4. Race against the clock in brain challenges an reaction time contests in the Health Quest  exhibit. (4th floor)
  5. Watch a show in the four story CineDome Theater. Check out the movie schedule here. Note: there is a $2 per person surcharge for movies.

For more fun, check out our Sioux Falls City Guide and 10 Family Friendly Places to Eat in Sioux Falls

Welcome to South Dakota exhibit at Kirby Science Center

Follow along along on our adventures on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest

New England based, part high school English teacher, part non profit founder, part road tripper who LOVES hopping in the family SUV to explore America. Our bucket list includes National Parks, MLB stadiums, presidential libraries, and eating wherever the locals eat!

Similar Posts

  • | | |

    10 Ways to Explore Alligator Park in St. Augustine, Florida

    We’re not a huge zoo family, but every guide we read about St Augustine, Florida, as well as a couple of fellow travel writers, all suggested visiting Alligator Farm Zoological Park. So, on our recent visit to St. Augustine, we started one of our mornings at the park and agreed it’s a special place the whole family will enjoy.

    Established in 1893, Alligator Farm is one of the oldest zoos in the country. Originally opened as an exhibition space of native Florida reptiles at South Beach on Anastasia Island, Alligator Zoo quickly became a popular spot for tourists. After both a storm and fire destroyed much of the area in 1920, the owners moved the animals to the current, nine acre space. The zoo is home to 24 species of crocodilian, 40 species of birds, dozens of reptiles, and many other animals. The park has shaded paths that weave through the exhibits, with plenty of viewing areas and places to sit and enjoy the beauty of nature. There’s also a zip lining course, daily animal feedings, and various programs and special events that offer plenty of new things to see with each visit.

  • | | | |

    Rockefeller Center Tour & Top of the Rock in New York City

    Funded by namesake John D. Rockefeller Jr., son of the founder of Standard Oil and the world’s first billionaire, Rockefeller Center is comprised of 19 different buildings built during the 1930s during the height of the Great Depression. It’s known as a “City within a City” because of its size and encompassing buildings and businesses. The most well known and most recognizable building, 30 Rock, now known as the Comcast Building, was built in 1930 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1987. Seventy stories tall, NBC owns 27 floors and has programming including all four hours of the Today Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live and several other popular NBC shows housed in the building. The building looks out over 8 million people and 29,000 acres of land. Guests can take tours of the complex and also explore the three highest floors of the complex (called Top of the Rock) through a separate, or combined, ticket.

  • | | | | | |

    10 Galleries Kids Will Love at the Cloisters in New York City

    The term “cloister” refers to an open courtyard, usually found in the center of a religious monastery or convent. Located in Fort Tryon Park in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, the Met Cloisters are an extension of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that showcases European medieval art and architecture. There are a dozen distinct areas that include 20 galleries and gardens spread throughout the four acre space. The museum was built by architect Charles Collens and opened in 1938. Many of the artifacts and structures, which date back to the 12th through 15th centuries, were saved from various churches, monasteries, and abbeys throughout Europe and recreated throughout the museum complex. There are several stone and wood sculptures, panel paintings and tapestries on display throughout galleries that are meant to recreate the feeling of being in a medieval European monastery. The four cloisters were originally created in France, bought by art dealer and sculpture George Barnard in the early 1900s, and later bought by John D. Rockefeller and donated to the museum.

  • | | | | |

    Exploring the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    We just returned from a festive trip to the state of Wisconsin for Christmas. We spent a weekend in Milwaukee with family, and one of the highlights that got us in the holiday spirit was a visit to the Mitchell Park Domes. Housed inside the 61 acre Mitchell Park in downtown Milwaukee, the Domes were built in stages from 1964 to 1967. Each dome, covered in 2,200 panes of triangular glass, is 140 feet across and over 80 feet high! Mitchell Park also has several athletic fields and courts, concert pavilions, playground and wading pool, and picnic areas. There’s tons to do all year long- see the full calendar here.

  • | | | | | |

    30 Ways to Explore the Adirondack Experience in the Adirondacks, NY

    We just returned from a wonderful weekend in Lake Placid and we are so excited to share some of our adventures. Up first was a highlight of the trip: our visit to the Adirondack Experience, the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake in Blue Mountain Lake, New York. Located about 60 miles south of Lake Placid, the Adirondack Experience includes indoor and outdoor exhibits, hiking trails, and tons of interactive workshops and activities and is worthy of a day long visit.

  • | | | | |

    Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield, Massachusetts

    I’ve been obsessed with Yankee Candles for a long time. Anyone who knows me would probably say I have the most sensitive nose they have seen. It’s true: I need my environment to smell good. So whether it’s fall (Macintosh or Spiced Pumpkin), the holiday season (Christmas Cookies or Homes for the Holidays), or summer (Blueberry or Lush Berries), I always have a Yankee Candle burning in my home (and yes, I have the car jar fresheners for my car- French Vanilla is my favorite).

    I made a brief stop at the Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield, Massachusetts years ago (I had a shortage of Macintosh and fall was approaching, if I remember correctly) but could not stay to explore the village. So, it went on my travel list, and this past week my family had the opportunity to visit.

    The Massachusetts Yankee Candle Village (there is also a location in Williamsburg, Virginia) is located thirty minutes north of Springfield.  The campus opened in 1982 with a 5,000 square foot building; now there’s over 90,000 square feet of fun to explore. The village welcomed over 500,000 visitors from over 50 countries in 2017, and many of them made a visit during the popular fall foliage and holiday season time.

12 Comments

  2. Wow! This looks like a great place to visit and have some fun!! Sometimes we skip stuff like this because for us it is about the motorcycle ride, but you are inspiring us to make more of these stops! Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply

  4. Looks like such a fun and educational day out! Thanks for a lovely read, will definitely check it out if I am ever in the area 🙂

    Reply

  5. What a great place to explore together! This is definitely got to be a top family attraction for the area and super fun for adults too.

    Reply

  6. Wow that museum looks like so much fun! If I was a kid, I would be having the best time. I think those things for a kid at heart also look so fun. I am always down for a scavenger hunt.

    Reply

  8. I love that they have made use of an old high school for this super cool space. What a great place for a whole family to play together.

    Reply

  10. My inner child is coming out… I want to go! This looks so fun! My niece, and even us adults, would absolutely love this. If I’m ever in South Dakota, I’m making a pit stop here! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply

  12. It’s the emphasis on hands-on exhibits that makes the center feel so inviting for families exploring science together. You capture the joy in discovery perfectly with that detail.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *