As you look around and admire the incredible renewal of green life that occurs in the spring season, remember that spring also is a great time to renew your Membership to Discovery Place and Charlotte Nature Museum! And, there has never been a better time to be a Member as we wrap-up the renovation of Discovery Place in June and premiere some highly-anticipated new exhibitions including Fantastic Frogs and World Alive and two additional Explore More labs.

As Members, we hope you have had a chance to attend the special Member previews of the new exhibitions – Cool Stuff, KidScience, Discovery 3D Theatre, Project Build, Science Buzz and Think It Up. We’ve been hard at work to create entertaining and educational experiences that engage you and your family in the wonder of... Keep reading.

Hours into my crazed, holiday shopping, I did the unthinkable: I quit. I was pooped. I was tired of struggling to find the perfect gift for the perfect people in my life and frankly my feet were screaming in pain after their third trip around the mall. I plopped down in one of the chairs and began to re-think my idea of what a gift should be. I wanted something that was easy, affordable, memorable…Something that was exciting…Something extraordinary. The word extraordinary brought to mind one thing: Discovery Place. I think of all the faces, young and old, that I see in the Museum and how what we do here at Discovery Place changes their idea of what science is. Why not share these experiences with the ones I care about? Why not give the gift of Membership? I thought of the many... Keep reading.

At this time of year, people often wonder why or how they can support
Discovery Place. We asked one of our Supporting Member families to help
explain.

Karen and Henry Chow have been Supporting Members since 2001. They come to Discovery Place about ten times a year with their son Christopher (age 10), who loves experiments with science and technology, constructing machines to solve problems, and being creative. Karen and Henry are grateful that Christopher can fulfill all of these things at Discovery Place. His favorite exhibit, by far, is Kapla Blocks where he can build tall towers and small cities. He even has his own set at home.

Karen and Henry both enjoy the IMAX® movies and special traveling exhibitions like A Day in Pompeii and SHIPWRECK! Pirates and Treasure. ... Keep reading.

Henrietta, the Museum’s 12-foot long, 85-pound Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus), has found a new home. Many visitors remember her as the quiet yet impressive presence in the Rainforest, currently being upgraded during the renovation. Henrietta has permanently relocated to the Bronx Zoo in New York.

Native to Southeast Asia, Burmese Pythons can grow up to 30 feet in length and weigh up to 300 pounds! As a new member of the Bronx Zoo, Henrietta will help the staff educate their visitors about the dangers that invasive species can present to native populations of animals.

At Discovery Place for more than 10 years, Museum staff is happy that Henrietta has found a new home. The upgraded Rainforest is scheduled to open in June 2010.

Rat Basketball has just drafted some new players and they need names. We are training new rats to play in the popular Rat Basketball games but they are still without names. There are two rats to be named and both are females. Send us your ideas for these new superstar athletes and we'll pick the best ones. Suggestions will be accepted through November 12.