HAMPTON, Va. - New exhibits and an upgraded name.
A lot has changed at the Virginia Air & Space Center in the last few months, starting with the sign out front that now reads "Virginia Air & Space Science Center."
The name change is "to more accurately reflect its mission and the core community constituents it serves," according to a November release, which goes on to say Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) learning will continue to be a large focus.
It comes on the heels of a $1.5 million renovation that shut the building down for three months in late 2020.
The center, which also operates as NASA Langley Visitor Center, reopened on December 18 with a new Space Explorer Gallery featuring interactive games and exhibits to teach families about space.
"This was a place that was really designed for the family to have fun together," Executive Director Bob Griesmer told News 3 of the gallery. "We're a place where mom and dad can play in the same sandbox as their 14-year-old, their seven-year-old, their 11-year-old."
Griesmer says in the two months since the renovation, which includes an upgraded IMAX theater, finished, the center has seen a number of repeat visitors.
Further renovations are scheduled for the spring, he says, with traveling exhibits set to arrive in the summer.
Click HERE for tickets and more information about the Virginia Air & Space Science Center.
