Kids love to discover. Kids love to be independent. Kids love to think.

Kids love Sky Bridge.

The High Foundation Sky Bridge, designed and fabricated by Luckey Climbers, is the Lancaster Science Factory's latest hands-on exhibit for young learners. It represents the best kind of ingenuity, the kind that inspires others to be creative.

"More than learning, it's about inspiring children," said Amanda Bakay, the Lancaster Science Factory's director of programs and communications. "When they see it and get inside of it, they start to realize they could create something like this one day. It sparks an idea like, 'What did someone have to do to think this thing up?'"

Part jungle gym, part science project, part gateway to higher learning, Sky Bridge opened to rave reviews at Lancaster Science Factory, 454 New Holland Ave., Lancaster, in April of 2023. The $600,000 project was fabricated by construction artist and designer Spencer Luckey in his New England shop and then assembled at the Lancaster Science Factory over a three-week span.

"Sometimes kids like to see how quickly they can get to the top," said Bakay. "It kind of looks like a giant ant farm when it's filled with children. Sometimes kids will climb to the highest point and hang out. It's almost like a cool clubhouse."

When visitors to Lancaster Science Factory round the corner from the main entrance, they are confronted with Sky Bridge, which is attached to beams on the high ceiling of the former manufacturing plant. But the massive structure does not make contact with the ground.

"We've always wanted to use our horizontal space, to have a bridge span over our main exhibit hall," said Bakay. "It's like nothing you've ever seen before, just because you can climb in it. It's so accessible, and having a bird's-eye view of the exhibit hall is so cool."

Framed by metal and held together by thick wire netting, Sky Bridge is a series of 35 wooden panels strategically spaced throughout the structure. Sky Bridge both stands out and fits right in with the Lancaster Science Factory's 75 other exhibits.

"Everything we do is very hands-on and interactive," said Bakay. "Everything we have requires you to do something and try something in a different way. Sky Bridge is like our other exhibits because it's immersive, but there's no beginning, middle or end. We also really don't have anything else you can get inside and climb on."

During 2023, nearly 71,000 individuals visited the Lancaster Science Factory, about 11,000 more than officials had projected. When those officials searched for reasons for the increase, they looked to Sky Bridge.

"It's made a huge impact on our visitation," said Bakay. "(The increase) was all, or in part, because of Sky Bridge. It gave us something to talk about."

Partly through the funding of a $1 million capital campaign, the Lancaster Science Factory, which boasts 17,000 square feet of exhibit space, opened in 2008.

"Our mission is to inspire creativity in children through science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs and keep them accessible to everyone in the community," said Bakay. "We want the facility to stay open to everyone in our community. We've really grown from this small science factory to a regional destination."

For additional information about the Lancaster Science Factory, go to http://www.lancastersciencefactory.org.