Good Work

My favorite place to go

Narrated and shared as a young lady’s perspective, there’s a video at centerinthesquare.org you ought to check out. “Abby” walks us through why she likes downtown Roanoke’s Center in the Square. She’s pretty convincing. If you’ve walked through a lot of small town and mid-size town downtowns throughout the U.S., no doubt you’ve experienced a few visitor centers and city-sponsored museums and touristy draws. Roanoke’s is at a surprising and unexpected level. It’s worth the time! Kids “of all ages” as they say, will find something worthwhile here.

Today’s Center in the Square includes five buildings and 12 organizations. We can’t cover it all in this short space, so here’s an abbreviated bullet list:

The original five orgs >

• The Arts Council • The Art Museum • Mill Mountain Theatre • The History Museum • The Science Museum

More >

• Aquariums • Butterfly Garden • Rooftop Venue • Koi Pond • African American Culture • Kids Square • Pinball Museum • Starcade

And this list doesn’t even include the events. For example, this month (October) features Blue Ridge Nightmares haunted attraction—Roanoke’s newest, ultimate terrifying experience with over 40,000 square feet of fear! Abby says Center in the Square is her “favorite place to go.” Go ahead… you can check out her endorsement. It’s right smack downtown: the center—in the square.

GOOD WORK

By Tom Field

Executive Summary:

Roanoke’s Center in the Square is an attractive composite of science, art, education, and entertainment—a gem for visitors and locals alike.