Discovery Place Announces Opening of Discovery Place KIDS-Huntersville

Children’s museum opens Saturday, October 23, offering opening weekend half-price admission

September 08, 2010

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Discovery Place, Inc. will launch a new adventure in creative play when it opens Discovery Place KIDS-Huntersville to the public on October 23, 2010. The 23,000 square foot Museum — the only children’s museum in the greater Charlotte region — will offer interactive, learning-based play opportunities for children younger than 8 that focus on the development of the whole child. Discovery Place KIDS-Huntersville, presented by the Merancas Foundation, Inc., will join the Discovery Place, Inc. family, which includes Discovery Place, the science center in uptown Charlotte and Charlotte Nature Museum, located next to Freedom Park.

“The region has seen an explosion in residential growth, especially in the municipalities and counties surrounding Charlotte, and we are responding to the need expressed by families in those communities for more creative learning experiences closer to home,” said John Mackay, president and CEO of Discovery Place, Inc. “Discovery Place KIDS provides unique educational opportunities for young children in a safe, playful setting that is part of the neighborhood.”

Exploring the theme of “I CAN”, Discovery Place KIDS-Huntersville, will focus on developmentally appropriate experiences that promote imagination and learning as well as the opportunity to test skills and ideas while building confidence. The exhibits will mix areas of work and play and are themed around a small town. In addition to the exhibits, live programming will include story time, a visual art studio and puppet shows. Workshops for tots, summer camps and birthday parties will also be available. Educational offerings including early childhood classes will be available starting in January, 2011. Discovery Place, Inc. partnered with the Town of Huntersville to develop the facility in which Discovery Place KIDS-Huntersville and a number of local government offices are located.

“We are extremely grateful to the Town of Huntersville, our community partners, as well as the many generous donors who worked closely with us to make this Museum come to life. As Discovery Place’s first children’s museum, it also serves as a great complement to Discovery Place, which showcases science and technology,” said Mackay. “We anticipate that the Town’s investment will reap great rewards for their community and the entire North Mecklenburg and South Iredell region.”

Discovery Place KIDS includes nine main exhibit areas:
I CAN Move — Experiment with movement in the air, on the land and in the water. Navigate a lake, drive a race car and tinker with cars in an auto shop.
I CAN Create — Create a masterpiece in the visual arts studio or display creative flair on the Town Hall Theatre stage and in the Puppet Theatre.
I CAN Be Healthy — Discover how to be healthy by role-playing in a grocery store, a doctor’s office, a fitness center, a cafe and by visiting a farm.
I CAN Work — Imagine what it would be like to be a firefighter, banker, veterinarian or other community helper.
I CAN Explore Underwater — Explore an underwater world, captain a ship and drive a submarine.
I CAN Build — Become part of a construction crew, move bricks in the Brick Factory using cranes and conveyor belts, and design and construct a building.
I CAN Grow — A special play space just for children from birth to 36 months.
The Town Center – The main Museum hub, the Club House and Town Hall complete with Stage and Puppet Theatre
The Learning Garden – Experience the wonders of outside while playing in the outdoor Learning Garden with areas devoted to nature art, sound, container gardens, digging and building.

The lobby and exhibit areas of the Museum are presented by: D.F. Halton Foundation in honor of Marilyn Gallagher, Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville, Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, Bragg Financial Advisors and the Bragg Family, Newell Rubbermaid and Speedway Children’s Charities.

Discovery Place KIDS will officially open to the public on Saturday, October 23 at 9:00 a.m., preceded by a ribbon cutting ceremony at 8:45 a.m. On Saturday, October 23 the Museum will be open from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday, October 24 from noon – 5:00 p.m. (last entry to the Museum at 4:00 p.m. on those days). Special opening weekend admission will be half price both days; $4 for adults and children age one and older (children younger than one are free).

Discovery Place KIDS operating hours will be Tuesday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Sunday noon – 5:00 p.m.; Monday closed. Admission to Discovery Place KIDS is $8 for adults and children age one and older, younger than age one are free. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more.

About Discovery Place KIDS
Discovery Place KIDS is an innovative model in regional children’s museums developed by Discovery Place, Inc., the parent company of Discovery Place and Charlotte Nature Museum. Discovery Place KIDS is built on the theme of “I CAN” and offers unique opportunities for learning through play for children age birth through 7 and their parents or caregivers.

Discovery Place KIDS-Huntersville is located at 105 Gilead Road in Huntersville, N.C. For more information, visit discoveryplace.org or call 704-372-6261.

About Discovery Place
One of the top hands-on science museums in the nation, Discovery Place provides ever-changing, entertaining facilities that engage the public in the active exploration of science and nature. More than a half-million people from all over the United States visit Discovery Place, its IMAX Dome Theatre and Charlotte Nature Museum each year. In June 2010, the Museum finished an 18-month, $31.6 million renovation, resulting in a completely transformed and re-imagined Museum with all-new interactive exhibits.

Discovery Place is located in uptown Charlotte at 301 N. Tryon Street. Convenient parking is available in the Museum’s parking deck - the Carol Grotnes Belk Complex - at the corner of Sixth and Church Streets. For more information about Discovery Place, call 704-372-6261 or visit discoveryplace.org.


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