This place is more than just a building. With 130,000 square feet of possibilities, it’s the ultimate playground for the curious. Back in the day, there was excitement in the air as workers hammered away, building Discovery Lab classrooms and the sparkly Stage Two, and hanging art in the elegant Kunkel Gallery. Imagine the National Science Foundation deciding, “Yes, Harrisburg deserves a permanent science exhibit!” and adding their own bit of magic.
Take a peek at the two-story UPMC Science Center-over 240 hands-on exhibits will have you laughing, learning, and maybe launching a ping-pong ball across the room. And don’t miss the giant digital cinema screen. Used to be IMAX, but now it’s gone digital-no more arguing with enormous film reels, but you’ll still get that sense of whoa as the lights dim.
And the Sunoco Performance Theater! Plush seats, twinkling chandeliers, seven theater boxes, and once, seven resident companies all eager to steal the show. These days, it’s home to local stars like the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Market Square Concerts. The energy in this building is contagious-science, stories, and a dash of showbiz all under one roof. In short, the Whitaker Center is what happens when a city dares to ask, “Why not?” and then actually builds the answer.
