Discovery Place, Inc. Ranks #1 Attraction in Charlotte

Museums ranked in the top 5 most visited museums

and attractions in the state for the fifth consecutive year

"For the fifth consecutive year, Discovery Place, Inc. was ranked the most visited museum and historic attraction in the Charlotte region in an annual survey released by Carolina Publishing Associates. Discovery Place, Inc., with a reported 709,937 visitors for 2014, also ranks fourth overall in the state of North Carolina. Attendance for 2014 included visitation to Discovery Place, Charlotte Nature Museum and Discovery Place KIDS.

“We are honored to welcome so many guests each year, and we are inspired to make each visit an extraordinary experience,” said Catherine Wilson Horne, president and CEO of Discovery Place, Inc. “Whether you are a young child learning to ask questions at Discovery Place KIDS, or you are sipping on science and cocktails during Discovery Place’s adult party Science on the Rocks, all of our Museums offer programs, exhibits or films that are designed to continue connecting our community with the wonder of science at any age.”

In 2014, Discovery Place, Inc. launched its newest offering, Discovery Place Education Studio, a professional development center for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) educators. The new professional development program has served over 1,000 educators since opening in July 2014 at Bank of America STEM Center for Career Development. The Education Studio offers a variety of courses including technology workshops, content-based offerings and field institutes that combine best practices in formal and informal education and offer teachers skills and tools that can be adapted to meet the needs of their own classrooms.

Discovery Place, Inc. also launched Welcome, a program that provides low cost Museum admission for families with EBT cards or WIC vouchers. Since launching in late December 2014, Welcome has already served 6,500 people.

“If we are going to continue to grow economic mobility and educational fulfillment in our community, we need to engage all families with educational opportunities, not just those who can afford it. Welcome is needed more than ever as we face a significant shortage in the science-literate workforce, and Discovery Place seeks to be part of the solution in changing our future,” said Horne.

The Top 30 North Carolina museums and historic attractions survey is conducted each year by Carolina Publishing Associates of Matthews, publishers of the annual Carolina Heritage Guide and Carolina Field Trips Magazine.

About Discovery Place
One of the top hands-on science museums in the nation, Discovery Place provides ever-changing, entertaining facilities that engage people in the active exploration of science and nature. The Museum brings relevant, contemporary science to life through groundbreaking exhibitions, interactive educational programming and hands-on activities.

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, visit discoveryplace.org or connect with Discovery Place on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Discovery Place, Inc. owns and operates Discovery Place, Charlotte Nature Museum, Discovery Place KIDS-Huntersville and Discovery Place KIDS-Rockingham and is supported, in part, with funding from the Arts & Science Council."

- A Press Release