Science Museum Oklahoma is a science museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The museum is home to the Kirkpatrick Planetarium, the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame and a number of specialized galleries. The facility covers over 390,000 square feet, which makes it one of the largest science museums in the nation. It began as the Kirkpatrick Planetarium in 1958 with major additions in 1980, 1985, 2000, and 2007.

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Science Museum Oklahoma

Former name	The Omniplex Science Museum
Location	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Accreditation	AAM Accredited Museum
Website	http://www.sciencemuseumok.org/ Science Museum Oklahoma

History

The Science Museum Oklahoma started as the Kirkpatrick Planetarium in 1958, which moved to a permanent home at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in 1962.[1] Later that year, the Oklahoma Science and Arts Foundation was completed on the fairgrounds.[1] In 1978 the foundation changed its name to Omniplex Science Museum, then moved with the Kirkpatrick Planetarium to the newly built Kirkpatrick Center museum campus.[1] Later additions include the Oklahoma Air and Space Museum in 1980, the Kirkpatrick Gardens and Greenhouse in 1985, and the OmniDome Theater, Oklahoma's first large-format, dome-screen theater, which opened in 2000.[1] In 2007 Omniplex changed its name to Science Museum Oklahoma. Since the rebranding the museum has undergone extensive remodeling, adding numerous new exhibits and galleries, including a kid-friendly space exhibit, and art galleries.

Notable Exhibits

• Kirkpatrick Planetarium - Planetarium shows
• CurioCity - This is a Children's Museum inside the museum - a playful area which includes options like playing instruments or balancing on a tightrope
• Light Minded - A section of the museum dedicated to light and electricity
• smART Space - An exhibit which explores the interactions between science and art
• Elemental Worlds - A digital 220-degree simulated forest
• Science Floor - Main section of the museum with multiple hands-on science exhibits
• Tinkering Garage - Focuses on how engineering, art, and technology interact
• Destination Space - An exhibit which explores NASA's space program and it's connections to Oklahoma
• KidSpace - An exhibit specifically targeted to a younger audience
• Gardens - A garden made up of plants native to Oklahoma
• Aviation - An exhibit which focuses on the history of aviation
• Gadget Trees - Learning experience which focuses on simple machines

International Gymnastics Hall of Fame

The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame is located inside Science Museum Oklahoma, and features collections of medals, apparatus, awards, various pieces of sculptures, and a library. The organization is dedicated to honoring those who have furthered the sport of gymnastics. Inductees include Nadia Comăneci, Olga Korbut, Bart Conner, Valeri Liukin, Mary Lou Retton, Larisa Latynina, Nikolai Andrianov, and Věra Čáslavská.

See also

• North American aviation halls of fame

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Science Museum Oklahoma.

• Science Museum Oklahoma official website
• Science Museum Oklahoma info, photos and videos on TravelOK.com Official travel and tourism website for the State of Oklahoma