The Science Museum of Western Virginia was a brainchild of community volunteers and teachers in 1970, making it the oldest science museum in the State of Virginia. They built it together for the purpose of providing a place for children to learn about science outside the classroom. In 1983, the organization moved the science museum into its permanent home at the ?Center in the Square? in downtown Roanoke. It is a 2-storey building that gave the museum organizers more room to add a bigger collection of interactive science exhibits. There are several of exhibits on display at the Science Museum of Western Virginia. Other features of the museum include the Hopkins Planetarium, a 40 feet star dome and the MegaDome Theater which is a 40 feet diameter dome used for viewing IMAX films and sometimes rented by private companies and institutions for presentations.