Science Central
715 Riverside Ave, Fort Wayne, IN
Fort Wayne, IN
A science playground built inside an old power plant, where kids ride a high-rail bike above the floor and race gravity down a giant slide.
Science Central is a hands-on science museum in Fort Wayne, built inside a former City Light and Power plant on the bank of the St. Marys River. When the museum opened in the mid-1990s, it turned the cavernous industrial building, once full of generators and turbines, into a warren of interactive exhibits where visitors of all ages, and especially children, can push, pull, spin, and experiment their way through the principles of science.
The center's mission is to make science approachable and fun, and its most beloved features do exactly that: a high-rail bicycle riders can pedal along a cable suspended above the floor, a tall gravity slide, and dozens of stations on motion, energy, weather, and the human body. The industrial bones of the old power plant give the whole place an atmosphere no purpose-built museum could match.
What Guests Love
- Hands-on exhibits that let kids experiment with physics, motion, weather, and the body
- The high-rail bike and the tall gravity slide, longtime favorites
- A cavernous former power plant that makes an unforgettable setting for a science museum
- A rainy-day, all-ages destination that keeps families busy for hours
Worth Knowing
- It is designed for children and families, so expect an energetic, hands-on atmosphere
- The building is indoor, making it a reliable stop in any weather
- It pairs well with the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo and the downtown riverfront
- Check current visiting days and any special-exhibit details before you go
Details
Fort Wayne, IN
Learn about Science Central
From power plant to science playground
Fort Wayne grew up at the confluence of the St. Marys, St. Joseph, and Maumee rivers, a strategic meeting of waters that is the homeland of the Miami (Myaamia), whose important town of Kekionga stood here, along with the Shawnee, the Lenape (Delaware), and the Potawatomi. The rivers that shaped the city were long the center of Miami life and trade.
The building that houses Science Central began as a municipal electric power plant, generating electricity for the growing city. When the plant was decommissioned, community leaders saw its vast open floors and industrial character as the perfect shell for an interactive science center, and Science Central opened in 1995 after the building was adapted for its new life.
Learning by doing
Science Central is built around the idea that the best way to understand science is to play with it. Its galleries are filled with interactive stations where visitors experiment with light, sound, magnetism, motion, and simple machines, and where the abstract becomes physical and immediate.
Exhibits change and rotate over time, and the center often hosts traveling shows and special programming, but the emphasis stays constant: curiosity over lectures, and hands turning cranks and pushing buttons rather than eyes reading placards.
The high-rail bike and the big slide
Two features have become signatures. The high-rail bike lets visitors pedal a bicycle along a cable suspended high above the museum floor, a lesson in balance and center of gravity that feels far more thrilling than a physics class. The tall gravity slide gives a fast, memorable ride that turns potential energy into a whoop.
These crowd-pleasers sit alongside quieter discoveries, from weather and space exhibits to stations on the human body, so that a visit mixes adrenaline with the slow satisfaction of figuring something out.
Visiting and downtown Fort Wayne
Science Central is an indoor destination that suits any weather and holds families for hours, best for children and the grown-ups exploring with them. Its riverside setting puts it near the heart of Fort Wayne.
A visit pairs well with the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, the downtown riverfront and its trails, and the city's museums and gardens, making an easy day out in northeast Indiana's largest city.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne Children's Zoo
About 3 miles northwest
A large, well-loved zoo with African, Australian, and Indonesian areas and a strong focus on families.
Fort Wayne Riverfront
About 1 mile south
Promenade Park and the downtown riverfront, with trails, gardens, and gathering spaces along the three rivers.
Coney Island Wiener Stand
About 1 mile south
A historic downtown lunch counter serving its famous coneys since the early twentieth century.