The Discover Museum delivers an amazing experience for a few hours of a day in downtown Charlottesville.

The Virginia Discovery Center is located on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville VA.  As a big fan of Charlottesville, having lived there in my youth, it is one of my favorite vacation spots.  For many years we used Charlottesville as the base for our vacation adventures with the grandkids.  On one of those days when the great outdoors is not an option, or you need a few hours to chill indoors, the Virginia Discovery Center is a great alternative.  Built around the theory that children learn through exploratory and imaginative play there are 15 hands-on exhibits in the two galleries all housed on a single floor.  The front gallery contains a few STEM activities, one of the more fascinating is the amazing airways wind tunnel.  A flight lab, race car track, and magnet wall round out the STEM activities. There is a cozy reading nook filled with children's books and an authentic log cabin. The back gallery has a creative station as well as a variety of imaginative play areas, a cafe and bakery, bank, post office, and an outdoor discovery center complete with a cave for spelunking, ropes to climb and a sensory nature center. After your visit, there are a number of delicious choices for ice cream.  Splendora's Gelato is my favorite for exotic flavors but Kilwans Charlottesville, BluefrassCreamery (organic and vegan options) or Chaps are good choices as well.  McGuffey playground is within walking distance of the Mall, a great place to burn off some energy.