The Discovery Center of Springfield was started as a project by the Junior League women, who saw that there was a need in the community for a creative children's entertainment center that would work with the community and schools. Providing programming for children in conjunction with the other developmental infrastructure in town proved to be a very successful model. The Discovery Center underwent an expansion project in 2006.
The new, expanded Discovery Center still offers many of the same things that made children love the smaller version. Extremely hands on play and learning, as well as cutting edge technologies. The museum's use of virtual technologies has won accolades and is being used as a teaching model for other children's museum facilities.
As an added bonus, the building expansion was done as a green building project. That element of the building doubles as an environmental display. Throughout, there are classes hosted for students and visitors year-round. Special 8 week summer sessions for individual children provide strong ongoing learning initiatives and visitors are welcome to drop in to these classes and sessions.
While there is a high staff ratio, children under the age of 16 visiting the museum must be accompanied by an adult. The museum is closed on Mondays, but offers extended hours on Friday nights until 9 pm. The museum is not open on major holidays. General admission prices are low, and the price includes everything but the high wire bike ride, which is an additional $3 fee at the moment.
Exhibits and displays change regularly at the museum, insuring that there will always be something to pull children back. Now in its 11th year of operation, the museum gets consistently high marks in forums and visitor boards, making it a must-stop adventure for families traveling through the area looking for quality children's activities at a reasonable price.
