Information
Landmark: Discovery Center of IdahoCity: Boise
Country: USA Idaho
Continent: North America
Discovery Center of Idaho, Boise, USA Idaho, North America
Overview
Just steps from Julia Davis Park in downtown Boise, the Discovery Center of Idaho buzzes with energy as the state’s top hands-on science museum, where curiosity comes alive through exhibits you can touch, experiments that fizz, and demonstrations that spark wonder.Founded in 1988, the center has grown into one of Idaho’s favorite places to learn, where curiosity meets play and kids’ laughter spills into the halls as adults join in the wonder.The Discovery Center sits on Myrtle Street, right in Boise’s cultural corridor, where you’ll also find the Idaho State Museum, the Boise Art Museum, and Zoo Boise just a short stroll away.From the street, the building looks sleek and understated, all sharp lines and glinting glass, but step inside and you’re swept into a bright, humming space alive with movement, chatter, and flashes of new ideas.The air buzzes with excitement-kids crank gears, fire off paper rockets, and guide magnets through invisible currents-while teachers weave among them, breaking down how it all works.In every corner, you’re invited to jump in, not just watch-true to the center’s motto, “Be Curious.” It began when local educators, scientists, and civic leaders joined forces to spark STEM learning through hands-on moments, like feeling the hum of a small motor, instead of reading about it in a textbook.The Discovery Center opened its doors in 1988 and soon drew Idaho’s schools through its hands-on exhibits, becoming both a trusted teaching resource and a regional model for interactive learning.The mission is clear yet deeply meaningful: spark curiosity that lasts a lifetime by inviting people of every age to roll up their sleeves and explore science through experiments they can touch and see.They’re always swapping things out, so every visit feels a little different-like spotting a new splash of color in a familiar painting.The Physics and Motion Zone bursts with activity, its displays humming and wheels spinning in a blur of motion.Visitors get hands-on with gyroscopes, pendulums, levers, and pulleys, feeling the tug of gravity as they test balance and momentum.One of the most popular spots is the “Giant Bubble Wall,” where you step into a circular frame, lift a curtain of soap around you, and watch it swell into a shimmering, rainbow bubble large enough to stand inside.Just a few steps away, the Bernoulli Blower lets you float a ball in midair on a steady stream of air, giving a hands-on, eye-catching peek into fluid dynamics.In the Engineering and Design Lab, you’re free to build, sketch, and tinker until your ideas take shape.With magnetic tiles, sturdy blocks, and modular pieces, guests can snap together bridges, stack towers, or create marble runs, then watch and listen as each one’s stability is put to the test.Staff guide kids to figure things out by trying, failing, and trying again, so they pick up engineering ideas as naturally as stacking blocks.At the Tinkering Studio, you can plunge into design and invention using real tools, bits of craft paper, and humming electronics for hands‑on, open‑ended experiments.In this hands-on workspace, you’ll often find mini-workshops on robotics, circuits, and mechanics, sometimes with the faint smell of solder in the air.In the Electricity and Magnetism Zone, flashes crackle, sparks jump, and static hum fills the air.By turning cranks or sliding coils back and forth, visitors set off electric currents that power light bulbs and spark tiny electromagnets into life.A plasma globe flickers warm light under your fingertips, while magnetic sculptures show how unseen forces can twist and guide motion.In the Biology and Human Body exhibit, you can dive into life sciences by turning a skeleton’s joint, checking your pulse on a monitor, or peering through a microscope at the delicate weave of cells and fibers.Anatomy charts, sensory exhibits, and energy-use displays turn complex biological processes into something you can see and grasp-like watching a heart model pump in real time.At the Discovery Center, rotating featured exhibits arrive from top museums across the country, sometimes bringing in crowds so big you can hear the buzz of conversation echoing through the halls.In the past, themes have featured exhibits like *Body Worlds: Animal Inside Out*, showcasing preserved animal specimens with muscles and veins visible in striking detail.Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion - wooden models bring his ingenious designs to life, gears clicking softly as they turn.Space: A Journey to Our Future brings you face-to-face with NASA artifacts, lets you hold a meteorite’s cold, rough surface, and immerses you in virtual reality adventures.Rotating displays keep things lively, drawing people back again-like spotting a new splash of color in a familiar corner.Beyond the main building, the Discovery Center’s plaza invites you outside, where science and STEM spill into the open air and sunlight glints off metal exhibits.You’ll find big, hands-on displays-solar panels that gleam in the sun, water wheels turning steadily, and weather instruments tracking the breeze.On warm days, visitors can try sound tubes, play with shifting shadows, and splash at water tables that show how hydrodynamics works.From the plaza, you can see Julia Davis Park and the Boise River Greenbelt, where cottonwood leaves flicker in the breeze, tying scientific discovery to the natural world around it.At the Discovery Center, education drives everything-from hands-on programs to lively events where you might smell fresh paint on a workshop project.They run programs for every age, from preschool STEM workshops where kids build simple circuits to advanced robotics and coding camps designed for teens.Each year, thousands of Idaho students pile off buses for guided tours that tie directly into their science lessons-sometimes pausing to touch a cool rock sample or peer through a microscope.Every Monday’s for making, every Saturday’s for science-hands-on projects dive into everyday physics, spark curiosity about chemistry, and explore renewable energy, from the hum of a wind turbine to the fizz of a simple reaction.Adult Nights (21+ Events): Once the doors close to the daytime crowd, adults get the run of the exhibits, with a jazz duo playing in the corner, themed cocktails in hand, and hands-on science demos that prove curiosity never grows old.STEAM Camps are summer programs that blend art with science, where kids build colorful projects and test out ideas through hands-on experiments.Staff scientists and educators often put on live shows that reveal bursts of color from chemical reactions, the force of air pressure, or the tricks behind optical illusions, making the whole experience lively and full of drama.Step inside the Discovery Center and you’ll feel it instantly-the buzz in the air, like the warm hum of a crowd leaning in to listen.The air hums with talk and bursts of laughter, and nearly every object begs to be touched, twisted, spun, or explored.The staff spark a spirit of playful experimentation, nudging visitors to try, stumble, and try again.Parents love how the center blends fun with learning, and even adults without kids drop by to soak up its creative energy and the warm nostalgia of a childhood game.safeIn the community, the Discovery Center doubles as a museum and a lively learning hub, offering hands-on exhibits that help strengthen Idaho’s wider educational network.It works with Boise State University, nearby schools, and STEM groups to spark interest in science and engineering careers-like showing students how a circuit lights up under their fingertips.It’s also deeply engaged in environmental programs that connect technology with sustainability and conservation, like using smart sensors to track forest health.By keeping science easy to approach, the center has sparked curiosity in thousands of Idaho kids-evident in the engineers, researchers, and teachers who still remember peering through its old brass telescope as the moment their interest first lit.The Discovery Center of Idaho pulses with the energy of Boise’s ideas and artistry, a living landmark where curiosity hums like the low buzz of a busy exhibit hall.Its spirals twist tight, like a seashell glinting in the afternoon light.
