OPT - Connecting South Carolina to the Universe!

A multi-dimensional facility for science education and public cultural enrichment planned to open at the South Carolina State Museum in approximately 2010.

The OPT Project will position the South Carolina State Museum on the cutting edge of science education. Its innovative combination of facilities and services will create a complex unique in South Carolina. Centrally located for maximum accessibility to the state’s population, this facility will attract between 210,000 and 260,000 participants of all ages, from kindergarten pupils to parents and grandparents. It will be an outstanding educational and cultural resource for all South Carolinians, a significant attraction for tourism, and a major economic benefit to the state.

A non-recurring investment of 18.5 million dollars will erect and equip these facilities, which will then be supported by earned revenues and private donations.

Its three elements will be:

• Observatory

• Planetarium

• Large-format 4-D Theater