TULSA, Okla. — The new Discovery Lab is opening to the public today. The $52 million dollar project has been under construction since early 2020.
A 10-year-long dream comes true to those who have worked on bringing this project to life from the beginning.
Inside, the new museum space is three times the size of the original and spans up to three floors.
WATCH a tour before the facility opened:
As part of Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum's Vision Tulsa Project, more than $500 million went into bringing the latest and greatest to the city, including the Discovery Lab.
Much of the project was funded through donations. Some of the financial breakdowns goes:
- An additional $8 million was also approved by Tulsa voters to revamp the space.
- Private funding has also been given to finalize the build.
- A $33,000 donation from Google was also made to help support the development of an after-school pilot program called Discovery Lab River Walkers in Mayes County, with a plan to bring it to Tulsa County in the future.
When visitors come to the new space, the main exhibit hall is now an action-packed zone filled with interactive exhibits. There are also labs made for both toddlers and the bigger kids.
Museum members received early access and many couldn't pick a favorite attraction.
One spot that will give you a sense of a completely different experience is the Imaginarium. Museum-goers will find a wild Oklahoma with an immersive digital experience.
"The room sees you enter. It knows how you're moving and responds to you, so the experience is unique and different every time you visit."
Leah Saidy Storm is a founder of the museum and a parent herself. She said this was a grassroots effort from so many in Tulsa who wanted to see something never been done before here.
"What we’re really hoping for is for children to be inspired and to experience true exploration and discovery and play in a way that sparks something inside of them. An interest they didn’t know that they had or a passion that they want to develop further. Something that just really beautifully partners with the formal education that kids receive in schools,” said Storm.
She said the opening of the Discovery Lab is huge not only for Tulsa's economic growth but more importantly, kids from across the state will benefit from the museum.
Some other exciting spaces include the new STEAM education center for school field trips and museum classes, as well as the Thirty-one Twenty-three Rooftop event space overlooking the Arkansas River and Tulsa's downtown skyline.
Whether it's excitement and explosions you're looking for, or robotics and virtual tech, the new and improved Discovery Lab has it all and more.
The new 5,700 square foot museum will be officially open after a ribbon-cutting happening at 9 a.m. on Monday.
To plan your visit to the Discovery Lab, click here.
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