Membership FAQs

Membership is valid for one full year from the date of purchase or renewal.

Membership gives you free, unlimited access to our permanent exhibits and Butterfly Station (open April–Mid-September) every day we are open. Free, unlimited admission benefits do not include The Dome.

Purchase/renew in person

Your digital membership card and passes will be available right away! After purchasing or renewing, you’ll receive a confirmation email with your membership card. Depending on your device, you can add the card to your phone’s wallet app. You can also download it from our membership portal.

Guest and Dome passes are now digital! You will be able to view your remaining passes through the membership portal. You can use your passes online or in person. Your passes will apply automatically when making online reservations.

Purchase/renew by mail

You will receive your digital membership card and passes as soon as your purchase/renewal has been processed. Please allow 7-10 business days for processing via mail. You will receive an email confirmation from us notifying you that your membership has been activated, along with your digital membership card and digital passes.

Yes! You may apply the cost of Science Center exhibit admission to a new membership within the same day of your visit date. Please bring your original sales receipt to Guest Services and they will be happy to assist you. The cost of Dome tickets and tickets for select touring exhibitions cannot be applied.

When upgrading, you pay only the difference between your current and new membership level, and your expiration date remains the same. If your renewal date is approaching, you may choose to renew and upgrade early, which will extend your expiration date for one full year. Once your upgrade is complete, your upgraded membership benefits will be effective immediately.

Members can purchase discounted Dome tickets via phone by calling us at 434.791.5160 or visiting us at Guest Services.

The Danville Science Center is an accredited member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC). Science Center members receive free or discounted general admission to our network of over 300 member museums all over the world. Visit astc.org/passport for an updated list of all participating museums and science centers. Be sure to pack your membership card for your next vacation!

Please contact the museum/science center prior to your visit to confirm admittance requirements which may vary with each location. Please note that any museum/science center within 90 miles of us may not offer member benefits. Danville Science Center is listed under the Science Museum of Virginia.

Yes! You can call us at 434.791.5160 ext. 0 to order your gift membership over the phone or visit us at Guest Services. Learn more about gift memberships.

The Danville Science Center welcomes your corporate support. To learn more about corporate benefits contact Molly Humphries at 434.791.5160 ext. 204.

For your convenience, changes, additions, or updates to your information can be made by:

• Filling out a contact form.
• E-mailing us at [email protected]
• Calling us at 434.791.5160 
• Please note: only address changes can be made directly through the membership portal.

Digital membership cards will only be emailed to the primary adult on the membership. Children will not receive membership cards. As long as children are listed on the membership and accompanied by one of the primary adults on the membership, our team members will be able to look them up for easy check in when they visit the Science Center.

Reach out to us by email at [email protected] or by call 434.791.5160 and we will resend you an email with your digital membership card attached.

Please note: we can look up your membership status using your photo ID so you are able to visit even if you do not have your membership card handy.

Yes! Simply bring a form of ID to Guest Services, and a team member will assist you.

No. Science Center memberships are not transferable, and benefits are exclusively for the individuals listed on your membership. You can purchase an additional membership to give as a gift.

No. Membership admission cannot be used for school groups because the school group is not covered by your membership. Only those adults and children named on your membership are permitted. Groups enjoy a discounted admission fee. Individual membership passes and other discounts are not valid toward group admission fees.

The primary named member will receive all print mail from the Science Center. This includes membership renewal letters, quarterly newsletters, emails, and invitations.

We are always looking to improve guest experience! With this change, guests will be able to reserve tickets online, making check in faster than ever! Members will also be able to log into our new member portal to view membership benefit details and keep track of their guest and Dome passes digitally.

You can reserve your admission tickets through our Museum Admission page. There, our hours of operation will be displayed.

You can use the calendar to select the date of your visit. Members will be prompted to log in with their email– this will be the email associated with your membership.

After entering your email address, you’ll be asked to verify with an OTP (one-time-password). This is a short string of numbers that will randomize each time you log-in, so no need to remember them.

Once you’re logged in, you can select the number of tickets you would like to reserve.

If you’d like to add a Dome feature, available features and showtimes are listed under ‘additional options.’ You can also view our Daily Schedule for the day’s activities!

Once you’re all set, you can click ‘add to cart’ to finalize your order. You’ll be brought to your ‘shopping cart’ to check out.

Afterward you’ll receive an email confirmation from us with a QR code. You should receive that within fifteen minutes. You’ll receive one QR for your entire order. Just present that email at Guest Services to check in.

Having trouble? You can call us at 434.791.5160, or email us at [email protected] for assistance. We’re here to help!

In the top right corner of our homepage, you can click ‘become a member’ to view benefits and options for membership using the drop down menus.

You’ll start by verifying your email address– this allows us to make sure there aren’t any pesky typos, or duplicate emails that may prevent you from accessing your membership. If you’re renewing, this allows us to link your account. You will enter the email address you want associated with your membership. You’ll receive an email with an OTP (one-time-password).

After your membership has been verified, you’ll be able to select the membership level of your choice.

After entering all required details and completing your purchase, you will receive an email confirmation with your digital membership card. Depending on your device, you’ll be able to download your digital card onto the wallet app on your phone. We will use this card to check you in at the front desk.

Your year of discovery awaits! Join now and experience all the Danville Science Center has to offer.

Gift memberships can be purchased from the ‘become a member’ page. Look for the blue ‘purchase a gift membership’ link above membership level drop down menus.

You’ll start by selecting the level of membership you would like to gift, then you’ll enter the recipient's name and email address.

Once you enter your billing information and complete your purchase, you will receive an email confirmation, and your recipient will receive an email with a gift code to use so they can activate their membership when they’re ready to visit! They can do this in person, online, or over the phone.

At present, recipients will receive notification of your gift immediately.

Gift memberships will still be available for purchase in person.

Because we need to verify discount eligibility, those receiving discounts on memberships will need to verify in person at Guest Services. To learn more about discount offerings, you can call us at 434.791.5160, or email us at [email protected].

While we strongly recommend that you make reservations in advance, particularly for our special events, you will still be able to make reservations in person with Guest Services if tickets are available.

Tickets and memberships will remain free of taxes and all credit card service fees for both online and in person purchases.

At the moment, we’re switching to all digital passes. Misplacing your physical passes will be a thing of the past! Your guest and Dome passes will apply automatically whenever you’d like to use them. Also, when you purchase or renew your membership, your passes will be available immediately. You can keep track of how many you have left by checking your member portal.

Of course not! You are more than welcome to use the physical guest and Dome passes you have received so long as they’re not yet expired. You can exchange them at the front desk just as you have before.

You can still purchase additional admission and Dome passes at Guest Services– they make a great gift! It’s only the physical guest and Dome passes that come with your membership that are going digital.

Logging in is easy! You’ll navigate to the (include information on portal location here). From there, you’ll be prompted to enter the email address associated with your membership. We know you have a lot to keep track of, so we’re taking remembering your password off your plate! You will receive an email from us with an OTP (one-time-password). This password is a string of numbers that will randomize each time you log in.

No, at present only the primary account holder’s email address will work to log into the membership portal.

You can view your order history and membership benefits, including the individuals covered under your membership and your remaining guest and Dome passes. You will also be able to view and download your digital membership card directly through the portal. Our digital membership cards are compatible with Apple and Google wallet.

We still do! If you’d prefer a physical card please contact [email protected] or through our member contact form.

Moving forward, all Dome and guest passes will be stored digitally– this way, you won’t need to worry about keeping track of your passes. Digital Dome and guest passes are both convenient and environmentally conscious alternatives to the physical passes.