Discovery Science Place to Close Temporarily for Updates and Renovations

TYLER — Tyler’s Discovery Science Place will close for three weeks, beginning today, to complete capital renovations and bring in new exhibits. The children’s museum will re-open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Special science presentations are planned throughout the day in the theater. According to a news release, the renovations are part of the museum’s 2016 “Raise the Roof” capital project. Earlier this year, reconstruction of the roof on the museum’s 110-year-old building was completed. During the closing, further renovations will include new flooring in all main galleries, updated lighting, and interior paint in all main areas.

In the Hometown Gallery, Imagination Playground will be installed as a new permanent exhibit. With a collection of custom-designed, oversized blue foam parts, Imagination Playground provides a changing array of elements that allow children to turn their playground into a space constantly built and re-built by their imagination. This new exhibit is the result of a grant awarded to Discovery Science Place from Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) and national nonprofit KaBOOM!

Also new to Hometown Gallery will be an interactive model train exhibit. Four different model trains pull passenger and boxcars through a display of mountains, streams, buildings and more. The exhibit includes constant movement, scale scenery, and push-button features for families to enjoy. This display is provided by the ARC of Smith County, Billy Hibbs Jr. and the “Lucky Den 13” cub scouts. Several other exhibit updates and renovations are planned during the closing. For more information, contact Whitney Patterson, development director, at 903.533.8011 or whitney@discoveryscienceplace.org. You can also go to http://www.discoveryscienceplace.org for information.