Science Museum Of Western Virginia

What Science Museum Of Western Virginia does

The Science Museum of Western Virginia (SMWV) is a private 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in January 1970 as the first science museum chartered in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It operates a 50,000 sq ft facility on the fourth and fifth floors of the Center in the Square building in Downtown Roanoke, drawing more than 90,000 students, patrons, and visitors annually. Its core exhibits include The Eye Planetarium (a dual-projection, full-dome system reopened in February 2024 after a ten-year renovation), the Parakeet Garden (an interactive exhibit with over 250 parakeets), the Living Collections (animal ambassadors used in educational demonstrations), and rotating exhibits such as The Bubble, Dino Dig, and the Virginia Tech-sponsored Sketchtopia.

The museum's product surface spans admissions, memberships, education programs, birthday parties, venue rentals, a gift shop, and donations/fundraising. Underlying technology is concentrated in The Eye's state-of-the-art dual projection full-dome system that supports in-house-produced shows such as 'Worlds in Motion' and 'Cosmic Clouds: The Nebulae'; supporting platforms include OvationTix for ticketing and Square for payments, gift cards, and memberships. Pricing is tiered across small-ticket admissions ($13.50-$17.50), annual Founders Memberships ($135-$225), birthday party packages ($185-$350), LAB Jr. early-childhood classes (~$15-$20/class), and naming/sponsorship programs (Parakeet Sponsorship $65, Take a Seat $1,000).

SMWV's go-to-market is hybrid: direct-to-consumer via walk-in and online ticketing, community-led through SOL-aligned K-12 outreach that reaches more Southwest Virginia students than any other organization, and event-driven bookings for corporate, wedding, and community rentals. Distribution is regional (Southwest Virginia, New River Valley, Roanoke Valley), with international reach only via ASTC reciprocal membership. Customers are diversified across families, K-12 schools, pre-K families, adults and event organizers, corporate/community groups, and Virginia Tech researchers.

Name

Science Museum Of Western Virginia

Legal name

Science Museum of Western Virginia

Website

https://smwv.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Non-profit science museum in Roanoke, Virginia, operating interactive exhibits, The Eye Planetarium, and the Parakeet Garden; serves K-12 schools, families, and event clients across Southwest Virginia with STEAM education, memberships, and venue rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum and Informal Science Education

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (71211)

akta.pro primary industry

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE), Children’s Museums (THAJADAE), Educational & Edutainment Parks (Science/Discovery/Children’s Parks) (THAJAEAG)

Keywords

• Science museum exhibits
• Interactive STEM education
• Planetarium shows
• Nonprofit museum services
• Hands-on science learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Roanoke

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission Tickets: Revenue from sale of ultimate tickets that include Parakeet Garden, Planetarium, and Museum Floor access. Children (3-17) $13.50, Adults (18-59) $17.50, Seniors/Students/Military $14.00.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership packages providing unlimited admission. Founders Membership: Individual $135, Family $225, Grandparents/Veteran $185. Includes planetarium access, early camp registration, discounts on events and gift shop, and other perks.
3. Birthday Parties: Birthday party packages including standard ($185-$250) and deluxe ($285-$350) options with various themes like Groovy Chemistry, Jurassic Adventure, and Wizard Academy.
4. Venue Rentals and Special Events: Corporate events, weddings, and community event venue rentals. Private rentals of The Eye Planetarium for special events and film screenings.
5. Education Programs: School outreach programs, in-museum field trip programs, virtual tours, and LAB Jr. early childhood education classes.
6. Gift Shop Sales: Retail merchandise including branded clothing (hoodies, t-shirts, caps), accessories, and novelty items ranging from $16 to $90.
7. Gift Cards: Gift cards redeemable for gift shop items, admission, or memberships, available for purchase online or in person.
8. Donations and Fundraising: Non-profit donations, corporate sponsorships, Take a Seat campaign for planetarium seat naming ($1,000 per seat), Kroger Community Rewards program, and car donations.
9. Parakeet Sponsorship: Parakeet sponsorship program at $65 per bird, including naming rights, certificate with photo, and free feeding token.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SMWV operates a 50,000-square-foot science museum featuring interactive exhibits, The Eye Planetarium with state-of-the-art dual projection full-dome technology, an immersive Parakeet Garden with 250+ parakeets, and Living Collections of animal ambassadors. It delivers STEAM/STEM education through school outreach, field trips, the LAB Jr. early-childhood program, and summer camps, while also hosting birthday parties, corporate events, weddings, and private planetarium rentals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Eye: Roanoke's premier planetarium featuring state-of-the-art full dome technology, immersive shows, and special events. Previously known as The Hopkins Planetarium.
• The Parakeet Garden
• The LAB Jr.

Products and services

• The Eye Planetarium A state-of-the-art planetarium featuring dual projection and full-dome screen technology that delivers public shows, full-dome films, and private rentals to families, schools, corporate event organizers, and the general public.
• Parakeet Garden Exhibit An immersive parakeet exhibit where guests can enter the garden, feed, and closely interact with over 250 parakeets, designed for families and general visitors.
• Living Collections Program Live animal ambassador program featuring insects, arachnids, reptiles, amphibians, aquatics, and birds used for educational demonstrations and hands-on learning experiences for visitors and groups.
• Interactive Museum Floor Exhibits Hands-on interactive science exhibits on the museum floor including The Bubble (sensory play for early childhood development) and Dino Dig (paleontology fossil dig experience) for families and school groups.
• K-12 School Outreach and Field Trip Programs SOL-aligned hands-on STEM education programs delivered in classrooms and on-site at the museum, serving more K-12 students than any other organization in Southwest Virginia.
• LAB Jr. Early Childhood STEAM Program Play-based, hands-on STEAM classes for preschool children ages 3-5, structured around inquiry, discovery, and age-appropriate developmental milestones, available as single classes, 10-class punch cards, or 8-week programs.
• Summer STEM Camps Seasonal summer camp programs providing multi-day STEM/STEAM experiences for school-age children, with priority registration offered to members.
• Birthday Party Packages Standard and deluxe birthday party packages with themes such as Groovy Chemistry, Jurassic Adventure, and Wizard Academy, including party room, general admission, gift shop discount, optional themed activities, and animal sponsorship add-ons.
• Corporate and Wedding Venue Rentals Venue rentals for corporate events, weddings, community events, and private planetarium screenings booked through event specialists and an online scheduling system.
• Founders Annual Membership Annual membership subscriptions providing unlimited museum admission, planetarium access, early camp registration, discounts on events and gift shop, Parents' Night Out coupons, monthly coffee reward, and Bring-a-Friend days; optional ASTC Passport add-on extends reciprocal admission to 300+ science centers worldwide.
• Museum Gift Shop Retail merchandise including branded clothing (hoodies, t-shirts, caps), accessories, and novelty items available at the on-site gift shop and online store.
• Gift Cards Gift cards redeemable for gift shop items, admission, or memberships, available for purchase online or in person via the Square payment platform.
• Parakeet Sponsorship Program Animal sponsorship program at $65 per parakeet providing naming rights, a certificate with photo, free feeding token, and recognition on permanent display in the Parakeet Garden.
• Take a Seat Campaign Sponsorship Seat-naming sponsorship program at $1,000 per seat in The Eye Planetarium with permanent engraving and special acknowledgment in marketing materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches more K-12 students than any other organization in Southwest Virginia
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Virginia Tech - Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology (ICAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe museum has forged a unique relationship with Virginia Tech to support the pathway of university research onto a public platform. For Virginia Tech, the partnership supports the pathway of university research to public engagement. For the museum, the partnership provides programming, exhibits, expertise, and interns. Dr. Phyllis Newbill, a jointly supported researcher in informal education, facilitates faculty, students, and staff from both organizations to catalyze and sustain this collaboration.
• Virginia Tech - College of SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Virginia Tech's College of Science for research display and public engagement initiatives, working alongside ICAT to facilitate collaboration.
• Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASTC Travel Passport Program partnership providing reciprocal admission to over 300 science centers worldwide. Members receive free or discounted admission to participating science centers when traveling.
• KrogerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKroger Community Rewards program allows shoppers to link their Kroger account to SMWV, with a percentage of qualifying purchases donated to the museum. Enrollment number: LT463.
• Donate for CharityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCar donation partnership allowing donors to contribute vehicles to the museum. Minimum $500 tax deduction guaranteed, car picked up in 1-2 days. Net proceeds support museum operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carnegie Science Center: Pittsburgh-based interactive science center with a planetarium (Buhl Planetarium), hands-on exhibits, school outreach, and birthday party/event rentals—closely comparable in operating model and offerings to SMWV.
• Pacific Science Center: Seattle-based non-profit science center with planetarium/dome theaters, laser shows, hands-on exhibits, school outreach, and event hosting—a comparable multi-experience science museum.
• Adventure Science Center: Nashville-based non-profit science center featuring a planetarium (Sudekum Planetarium), interactive exhibits, school programs, and event rentals—analogous regional science museum peer.
• COSI (Center of Science and Industry): Columbus, OH science center combining interactive exhibits, planetarium/dome experiences, school programs, camps, and event venue rentals—directly comparable in scale and product mix to SMWV.
• Maryland Science Center: Baltimore science center with a planetarium (Davis Planetarium), interactive exhibits, school field trips, birthday parties, and IMAX—comparable Mid-Atlantic regional science museum peer.
• Rochester Museum & Science Center: Rochester, NY non-profit combining science exhibits, a Strasenburgh Planetarium, school programs, camps, and birthday party packages—directly analogous in operating mix to SMWV.
• Imagination Station: Toledo, OH science center with interactive exhibits, school outreach, camps, birthday parties, and event venue rentals—a structurally similar regional non-profit science museum.

Broad incumbents

• Museum of Science, Boston: Large established science museum with planetarium, exhibits, school programs, and event rentals—overlaps with SMWV's offerings but at significantly greater scale and as part of a much wider portfolio.

Regional players

• Virginia Living Museum: Newport News, VA museum combining live animal collections, planetarium, exhibits, and school programs—shares SMWV's hybrid science museum + living collections model within the same state.
• Virginia Museum of Natural History: Virginia-based natural history museum with exhibits, education programs, and event hosting in the same state—comparable mission and audience, though natural-history rather than physical-science focused.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/science-museum-of-western-virginia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Science Museum Of Western Virginia