Gateway Science Museum Grand Opening

The city of Chico resembled a ghost town the weekend of February 27th as more than 2,000 Chico residents attended the grand opening of the new Gateway Science Museum. The museum, a project of the College of Natural Sciences at Chico State, has been in the works for a number of years now. The idea for the museum began with a donation of artifacts to the College of Natural Sciences in 1993. The museum originally resided in Holt Hall and was simply named the Natural History Museum. After a series of fundraisers and planning over the years, the museum finally broke ground in the spring of 2008 at its permanent home next to Bidwell Mansion.

The years of planning paid off as the Gateway Science Museum opened its doors Saturday morning with brand new exhibits as well as activities for kids. The exhibits included "Backyard Monsters: The World of Insects", "Witness: Endangered Species of North America", and ‘River Voices: The confluence of culture on the Sacramento River." Activities included nature walks science experiments such as "investigating plants under stress" and face painting and live animals for the kids.

The museum is open Wednesday through Friday noon to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. For more information visit the Gateway Science Museum Website.

TV Coverage of the Gateway Science Museum Opening