Whitaker Center for Science & the Arts - Harrisburg, PA

Here’s What’s Going On This Month at Whitaker!

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Explore Whitaker Center for Science & the Arts

Located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts is Central Pennsylvania’s premier center for education and cultural enrichment. Whitaker Center is a thought leader in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) engagement for all ages and backgrounds. We believe that by investing our resources in educating, entertaining, and engaging visitors, we can spark a movement that makes our community a better place to live, work, and play. Composed of four main venues – UPMC Science Center (formerly Harsco Science Center), PNC Innovation Zone, Sunoco Performance Theater, and Select Medical Digital Cinema Theater, Whitaker Center has something for everyone as a destination of choice.

Plan Your Visit

UPMC Science Center

Fascinating exhibits about Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math all combine to make a visit to the UPMC Science Center an extraordinary educational experience cleverly disguised as a whole lot of fun.

Science Exhibitions

Permanent Exhibit

STEM Design Studios

Get hands-on with different STEM topics. These engaging activities will allow parents and kids to explore STEM topics together, learning as a team. Enjoy activities and design challenges with Ozobots™ , Spheros™, 3Doodler™ 3D printing pens, tangrams, K’NEX® and much more!

Permanent Exhibit

Carnival of Health

Step right up and experience the one and only Carnival of Health at Whitaker Center. More than 2,200 square feet of fun-filled themed entertainment opens your eyes to the wonders of healthy living and the human body.

Permanent Exhibit

Kids Place

A destination for the youngest explorers! Designed with a cityscape theme this gallery includes a life-sized Operation Game, X-Ray Table, Pin Ball Falls, and much more.

Jul 3, 2026 – Aug 31, 2026

Sloth Encounters

Meet one of the most charming animals at Whitaker Center in a guided 30-minute Sloth Encounter designed for small groups. This member-exclusive experience gives guests (up to 6 per group) the chance to get closer, learn more, and enjoy an unforgettable moment with support from the Animal Care Team at Whitaker!

Permanent Exhibit

Backstage Studio

Funded by The Alexander Grass Foundation, Backstage Studio features fascinating exhibits that reveal the science and technology behind movies, TV, music, and theatre. Create your own stop-action film, put yourself into the movies in the Foley Studio, and explore the creation of different sound effects in this interactive gallery.

All Science Exhibititions

Select Medical Digital Cinema

Select Medical Digital Cinema (formerly IMAX Theater) is a large-format cinema arts theater that primarily focuses on bringing educational documentaries to life on the largest screen in Central PA!

Showing Until: Dec 31, 2026

Flight of the Butterflies

It is a natural history epic. It is a detective story. Join hundreds of millions of real butterflies on an amazing journey to a remote and secret hideaway, and one scientist’s 40-year search to unravel the mystery – where do they go each fall? Experience the Flight of the Butterflies 3D.

Showing Until: Dec 31, 2026

T. REX

For over a hundred years dinosaurs have inspired and thrilled audiences, commanding blockbuster status in museums and at the box office. But among them towers a king — a tyrant lizard king. Working with top tyrannosaur scientists, a coalition of natural history institutions, and pioneering paleo and visual effects artists, GSF’s original giant screen production on this iconic dinosaur — and its carnivorous Cretaceous cousins — aims to be the most dazzling and accurate T. rex documentary ever made.

Showing Until: Dec 31, 2026

Tiny Giants 3D

Enter a magical world beneath our feet. Tiny Giants 3D reveals the astonishing lives of the smallest of animals.

Showing Until: Dec 31, 2026

Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West

The film chronicles a group of explorers – the Corps of Discovery – led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark into uncharted territory to find a water passageway to the Pacific Ocean and describe for science the wonders of the West.

Showing Until: Dec 31, 2026

Dream Big: Engineering Our World

From the world’s tallest building to underwater robots and a solar car race across Australia, Dream Big celebrates the human ingenuity and stories behind engineering marvels big and small, and reveals the heart that drives engineers to create better lives for people around the world.

All Movies

Sunoco Performance Theater

This Broadway-designed theater seats almost 700, offering an intimate experience for all guests, no matter where they sit! Often featuring local and regional talent as well as welcoming performing artists from national and international backgrounds.

Oct 9, 2026

The Brit Pack – British Invasion and More

Performing music by Led Zeppelin, Queen, and The Rolling Stones, to David Bowie, Oasis, Tears for Fears, and more, The Brit Pack covers everything from the most iconic anthems of the sixties, to the modern classics of today!

Sep 19, 2026

The Magic of Motown

Journey through Motown’s best including: The Temptations, The Jackson Five, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and more!

Sep 18, 2026

The Wooten Brothers

See the sonically inventive, soulful, musically driven, blood kin, that fill the dance floor. The Wooten Brothers come to Whitaker Center on September 18, 2026!

Aug 13, 2026

BoDeans

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of BoDeans with a two-and-a-half-hour show featuring retrospective hits from five decades.

Sep 22, 2026

Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: In Concert

Relive the magic of Labyrinth with a special 40th anniversary event featuring the film with a live musical score on September 22, 2026!

All Theater Shows

PNC Innovation Zone

Get connected to the latest technology in the PNC Innovation Zone! In addition to educational programming and purposeful gaming, this zone provides businesses and organizations transformative spaces to create, meet, and connect.

About Innovation Zone

Kids & Schools

Create memories that will last a lifetime! Bring your students to Whitaker Center on a field trip or visit us on the weekend for an educator-led program. Fun and learning for all ages!

Little Learners