Discovery Place Nature — Attraction in Charlotte

I haven’t been here in years, but visited with my 3 year old son recently and we had a great time! This is a perfect day activity for little kids, up to ages 6-8 I think would love it.

It is an older museum (established in 1951) so the building looks old, and exhibits aren’t as new as they could be, but we haven’t been to many museums, so this was exciting for us!

You enter through the main room that leads down multiple hallways. We bought tickets at the door, $8 each— they also have senior, military, and AAA discounts, as well as a program to offer $3 tickets if you receive WIC or EBT benefits. I ended up buying a yearly membership at the end of our visit, for both the Nature Museum and Discovery Place Science. It covers 2 parents + any kids in the family, and I chose to add one guest so you can bring someone else for any visits.

We took a brief stop into the wildlife lab, which had an event going on with a class of kids (I think from a visiting summer camp or preschool), and got to touch a snake!

Next is the insect alley and creature cavern. Insect alley has some cool displays with bugs, and had a cute “bug” for the kids to stand behind. My son kept giggling when he saw himself in the mirror!

The creature cavern has live animals like snakes, frogs, and turtles. My kiddo really loved stepping onto the rocks and going “hi turtles!”

Our Big Backyard might have been his favorite room; it has underground tunnels kids can go through, and water features like a little stream, and a water paint wall.

Next, we went to a show in the planetarium. He wanted to walk around at first, but when the show started it kept him pretty mesmerized! The projector showed us the stars you can see in the summer, and explained the different constellations and notable stars.

Peetie’s Place is a play area with some books, toys, and nature-inspired decor— there’s also a little area built into the wall that kids can go into.

There were summer camps going on in the Sunspot and Naturalist Lab rooms, and the Dragonfly Theatre didn’t have any events going on so we didn’t go in. We stopped by the Butterfly Pavilion; it’s covered by glass so there’s lots of natural light, and is basically a courtyard with plants.

There’s a vending machine with snacks and drinks, and $1-2 each (they did actually have vegan fig bars that my son likes, so I got one for him!)

We didn’t venture outside to the Paw Paw Nature Trail or Fort Wild, but definitely will on the next visit. I saw a sign outside saying that they’re working on site improvements in the Fort Wild area, and are accepting public input— the site says it’s in draft mode right now, but I’m looking forward to seeing what they do!

Over all, it was a great trip, and we spent the day from 1:30-4:30 here, and had lots of fun. We actually parked on the street by the entrance to Freedom Park, and ended up walking along the trail to the...

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Discovery Place Nature with my granddaughter, and we had a fantastic time. This gem of an attraction is perfect for small children, offering a variety of exhibits and activities to keep their curiosity piqued and their minds engaged.

Our visit included the mesmerizing "Oberovety Star Show," which was an absolute delight. The show transported us to the far reaches of the universe and provided a fascinating glimpse into the world of astronomy. Both my granddaughter and I were captivated by the experience, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Discovery Place Nature.

Although our visit was relatively short, we managed to see all the exhibits, which were well-crafted and engaging. The only downside was that the nature trail was closed due to rain on the day we visited. While this was disappointing, we understood that safety must come first and appreciated the precaution taken by the staff.

Despite the weather, our overall experience at Discovery Place Nature was enjoyable and memorable. The facility offers a fun and educational escape for families, and I look forward to returning on a sunny day to explore the nature trail with my granddaughter. If you have small children and are looking for a unique and entertaining way to spend a day, Discovery Place Nature should be at the top...

I took my son here since I needed to pick up something in Charlotte anyways. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with this place. It was much smaller than I expected and not as much to do.

It was pretty wet outside, which limited those activities. There are a good variety of bugs and small animals to see. The butterfly garden was a little small and didn't see many butterflies. There was a woman water everything, which probably hampered things (couldn't this be done before open hours.)

The toddler play (underground something) was cool but small. There was a little water feature in this spot and I can't figure out why it featured little rubber animal models of animals that we don't have in North Carolina or North America for that matter...just odd.

There seems to be a lot of "classroom" space which goes unused when there are just daytime visitors coming and going. We went for free since we have a membership to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. One visit is probably all this place will get. My son enjoyed it, but even he (3 years old) was complaining about the stuff "we...