Sci-Port Discovery Center, Shreveport, LA

Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. The city was founded in 1836. The Shreve Town Company was behind the development of the town as well as the newly opened Red River. There was also the Texas Trail to make Shreveport an important stop for travelers in the past. Shreveport is in the northwest corner of Louisiana away from the popular New Orleans culture. There are numerous attractions in Shreveport, including the Sci-Port Discovery Center.

The goal of the center is to present an educational facility for residents and visitors. The building houses mathematics, science, and technological discoveries. It also provides a picture of what the world is like around us. There are sections where visitors can take a "hands on'' approach to learning about life. The building itself is 92,000 square feet, with more than 290 exhibits in science, space, technology, and math. There are daily programs, the IMAX Theater, and Space Dome Planetarium. There is also a cafe and gift shop located on site. The Sci-Port Discovery Center is located in the downtown district of Shreveport.

The center is open daily except for most major holidays. It opens at 10am closing at 6pm daily, except for Sunday in which it opens at 1pm and closes at 6pm. Admission into the center varies with age. General admission is $17 for both the Discovery Center and IMAX. For the Sci-Port section it is $12, and IMAX is $8.50. Children and adults over 60 have discounted rates. There are memberships available.

The exhibits available are Bodyworks, Children's Gallery, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Red River Gallery, Space Sciences, and the Outreach Science Carnival. The Bodyworks exhibit is a study of human anatomy. Sports, health, and the systems that are within the body are shown and discussed. There is a place to watch the dissection of a shark or even kitchen chemistry.

The Children's Gallery explores small spaces for toddlers to wander around in. There is a build a house or plumb the bathroom exhibit to play with as well as learning about animals. You can befriend a gecko or a cockroach in this area.

The Physical Sciences are all about demonstration. There is a 500 pound motor with a giant lever visitors can play. Visitors can also look at the inner workings of pulleys and how such a simple system is still useful in many areas today. Wood science corner as well as radical reactions is shown in the displays in this section.

IMAX presents a number of interesting movies for visitors to learn from. They have videos on Dinosaurs, StormChasers, animals, and even the Grand Canyon. The movies will vary as new ones are created and the old ones are retired.

The Space Dome planetarium has a 16 million pixel laser projection creation and planetarium software. You are able to look around at the International Space Station, find stars, or even do the Constellation Challenge. It is also possible to just relax or have a private party in the dome for birthdays.