BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — Time for science, water-play, fun and so much more.

Today was the day many in our state have been waiting for: the re-opening of the North Dakota Gateway to Science Center.

“The water table has been a big hit amongst some of our early visitors. The cows that moo at you, we have a weather station where kids can come and pretend to do the weather. We’ve got things on energy, we’ve got health and the human body, there’s a special place called Science First for their littlest learners, and lots of things on transportation. You can make your own cars, you can shoot off rockets. It’s just a ton of fun,” said Executive Director, Beth Demke.

These are just a few of the new amenities you can expect to see in the new North Dakota Gateway to Science Center.

This grand opening was for members only, and it was a sight to see.

Executive Director Beth Demke says they expected a few hundred people to come, and they did.

Families came from all over, and the center was ready to check them in for a day of fun.

“Well, we came out because we know that our kids are curious about how things work and it’s something so new and good for the community and something that will help kids expand their mind in a different way other than just playing with things,” shared The Lohmann Family.

One father says it’s great to have other options during tough weather seasons.

“With as much snow as we have, it’s great to have a new building to come to and that will exercise their brain too to work through,” he said. 

Demke shares that the new location broadens the horizons for the center overall.

“Summer camps are already open for registration, so we will be blowing those out of the water for the summer. We’ve got a new laboratory classroom that we’ve never had before, so kids will have a chance to see and do activities in a lab setting that we’ve never been able to do. Our outdoor classroom will begin development as soon as the snow is gone, and we can start doing some outdoor things, and that’ll be really fun with greenhouse plants and a lot of really cool outdoor activities. Of course, we’re offering a wider range of things from preschool all the way through middle school in terms of our programming, but we’re even adding some adult programs in the summer. The first thing will be the science of beer,” said Demke. 

And the little ones are excited to hop on board as well.

But apparently this isn’t everything.

“Even though it looks like we’re done, we’re not done yet. We’re done enough to invite the public in and get back to doing what we’re doing, which is serving the children and families of our community and state. But, there’s a whole lot more to be done,” said Demke.

We will have to keep an eye out on what comes next.

As for tomorrow, Sunday March 5th, the North Dakota Gateway to Science will finally be open to all from 1 to 5 pm.