When Explorit Science Center opens the doors of its new building on Sept. 23, just what will visitors find? Here’s a virtual tour of the 9,700-square-foot facility, which is at 2801 Second St. in Davis.

The journey of scientific exploration will begin in “The Discovery Room,” which visitors may remember as the pro shop when the building held the Davis Indoor Sports Center. Just off the lobby, the Discovery Room will be a flexible space. During public hours, visitors can wander in and engage in any number of activities from pull-out bins. A reading nook will provide a relaxing area for some quiet scientific learning. Generally, the room will be a bigger, sunnier version of Explorit’s Discovery Den at Mace Ranch.

Also, many special events, from weekend Family Exploration programs to summer classes, will be held in the Discovery Room. And during the school week, it will be the place where Explorit educators introduce thought-provoking material to visiting groups of children.

Moving on, the lobby opens into the Hands-On Exhibition Gallery. The heart of Explorit’s programs, the Changing Exhibitions, will be housed in this gallery, which will encompass only the first floor this year. The Changing Exhibitions draw school groups and families from a 12-county region throughout the year to investigate the carefully chosen topics.

The first Changing Exhibition in the new building will be “Holes: An Opening Into the Sciences.” One of three major exhibitions in 2006-07, “Holes” delves into many scientific disciplines in a fun-filled study of a topic with quirky appeal.

“This gallery will provide hands-on exploration with self-guided instruction,” says Anna Grace, one of Explorit’s two exhibit developers.

In a far corner of the main space, Explorit is setting up a Microscope Nook. Make note of this: It will contain the science center’s video microscope, long a favorite draw at Explorit. Next to it will be a bank of other microscopes available to give you an up-close look at a strand of your hair, a feather or anything else that fits on the lens.

The second floor of the new building will be developed over the next year and will include a Community Science Room, which will offer a quieter place for self-directed science discovery. It will feature some of the most popular displays and activities from the Mace Ranch site, possibly including the Viewspace astronomy program, a robotics table and ScanTech construction modules.

(Explorit’s Mace Ranch building, by the way, will remain home to the museum’s administrative offices, and the center will host nature-based field trips and special events there.)

Though the new site opens Sept. 23, its grand opening celebration will be held from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 14. Stay tuned for more details about this event, which will be free of charge and will include many special activities, games, raffle prizes, music and light refreshments.
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Explorit Science Center is at 3141 Fifth St. in East Davis. Public hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. The current exhibition “Way to Grow: Health and the Human Body” runs through Sept. 10. On Sept. 23, Explorit will open a new exhibition, “Holes: An Opening Into the Sciences,” at its new site, 2801 Second St., Davis. For more information: www.explorit.org or (530) 756-0191.