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- Tre Higgins, 5, and Arlyn Higgins, 3, play in the River at Discover World on Market St. after opening to the public Sunday. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
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- 21-month-old Dawson Wolfe hits the button on the Ball Factory Sunday at Discovery World on Market St as the interactive learning experience opens to the public. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Tre Higgins, 5, and Arlyn Higgins, 3, play in the River at Discover World on Market St. after opening to the public Sunday. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
PARKERSBURG — Discovery World on Market officially opened to the public Sunday after a number of soft openings took place last month.
“I’ve seen grandparents with grand kids, I’ve seen young parents, I’ve seen people with disabilities, who are all able to use our whole museum,” Education Manager Jill McDonald said. “I’ve seen people gathering in a safe place, I’ve seen kids just smiling, soaking wet from the River. It’s just a place of joy and fun.”
McDonald said there were probably 300 plus people who come down to experience the museum geared towards children Sunday.
“We had so many soft openings we helped diminish that number today,” McDonald said. “But I’m sure it’s just going to continue (to grow).”
Parkersburg residents Derick and Sandipa Wolfe brought down their 21 month old son Dawson to play and learn with the hands-on children’s museum.
21-month-old Dawson Wolfe hits the button on the Ball Factory Sunday at Discovery World on Market St as the interactive learning experience opens to the public. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
“It’s crazy to think Parkersburg has a place like this,” Derick said.
Sandipa said this will be an incredible place of learning for her son and they plan to bring him back.
“He gets to learn and play with all these kids of different ages,” She said. “He’s obviously loving it. He doesn’t even know we’re here anymore.”
Over the last nearly two years, the former Masonic Temple at Ninth and Market streets has been transformed into a museum geared toward children ages 0-8 focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and math (S.T.E.A.M.) topics. Many of the exhibits are customized for the local area.
“The River has only animals you would experience here in West Virginia,” McDonald said. “It is to teach them about the river system we live near by.”
McDonald said there are plans to have camps, special events and even a theatre.
“We have so many plans for this place,” McDonald said. “It’s going to be a community hub to help children of all situations to learn and love science and S.T.E.A.M.”
Discovery World will be open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, with Mondays and Tuesdays reserved for school field trips. People are encouraged to check the website at dwonmarket.org as the hours may shift for the first few months until the best schedule is found.
“We’re trying to see what our flow of traffic will be, and when the most busy times are,” McDonald said. “We’re going to try to work our schedule around what the need is. And we’re growing. I think we’ll grow in hours as time proceeds.”
McDonald said Discovery World on Market offers the same quality as places in bigger cities without having to travel to them.
“Plus, we have fabulous displays and scenes for the kids to play in,” McDonald said. “I think they are going to be overwhelmed when they get here with the sheer volume of learning opportunities.”
Admission is $8 for children, $7 for adults and $6 for senior citizens. Annual family memberships are available at $100 for two parents and up to four children, with grandparent plans for two grandparents and up to four grandchildren at $75.
Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com
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