Museums
Where do you go in your free time? Do you like going to museums? There are many museums in Charlotte. Visitors, as well as residents, go to museums and spend their time appreciating the exhibits. A museum is the best place to spend your time effectively because it has a lot of interesting and educational information.
Discovery Place
Almost everyone who lives in Charlotte knows about Discovery Place. It is perhaps the most popular museum in the city. Since 1981, more than a half-million people each year come from all over the United States to visit Discovery Place. As a hands-on science museum, Discovery Place provides ever-changing and entertaining exhibits. It also offers educational facilities and activities for enhancing the public's interest and understanding of science, mathematics and technology.
Discovery Place has various permanent exhibitions and other activities. People can reach out and touch a simulated tornado through a video presentation and hands-on exhibitions in "Our Living Planet." The "Aquarium" provides an opportunity to see unusual and beautiful aquatic animals from environments in North Carolina and around the world. Also, people can see animal collections from North America. This exhibition includes mounted animals such as a moose, grizzly bear and raccoon. The section is called "Once in the wild."
The "KidsPlace" that is in the Discovery Hall has hands-on activities for children six years old and under. These activities help children learn about the senses, health, dinosaurs and nature.
The most popular exhibition currently featured at Discovery Place is Gunther von Hagens' BODY WORLDS: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies. Dr. von Hagens, who is an anatomist and licensed physician, created this exhibit in Germany. Discovery Place brought this extraordinary exhibition to Charlotte for its Southeastern debut. This is the world's first public anatomical exhibition of real human bodies. This exhibition displays more than 200 genuine specimens including organs and organ configurations.
Since Discovery Place presented BODY WORLDS, many people have visited the museum. Recently, a high school student named Tyler visited Discovery Place to see the BODY WORLDS exhibit with her younger sister. She said "the exhibit is very interesting and educational because it teaches what an actual body looks like and how it functions."
Discovery Place offers a lot of interesting and educational exhibitions for people. If you have a chance to come to Charlotte, you should visit Discovery Place. For more information, visit their website: www.discoveryplace.org
The Charlotte Museum of History
Every country and city has its own history. Charlotte was first settled in 1755. The Charlotte Museum of History lets people see Charlotte's history at a glance. The museum was established in 1768 and contains four exhibition halls, the Hands-on-History room, research library, gift shop and the oldest home still standing in Charlotte.
The main exhibit galleries on the first floor show Charlotte's history from America's Colonial period to the 20th century. The exhibits help people understand the history of Charlotte. Visitors can use computers installed inside the museum to get more information. Stanley Woody, who visited the museum with his kids, said, "This museum shows the slavery history of America well. I want my kids to know about history by seeing actual exhibitions because it's easy to understand."
Most of all, the Charlotte Museum of History has important meaning because the museum has the Hezekiah Alexander House behind the museum building. The Hezekiah Alexander House is the oldest surviving structure in Mecklenburg Country. This house was built with stone in 1774 and still stands on its original location.
The museum provides tour programs and education programs to all people. People can imagine the future of Charlotte as well as learn about Charlotte's past through visiting the Charlotte Museum of History. For more information, visit their website: www.charlottemuseum.org
The Mint Museum of Art and the Mint Museum of Craft & Design
The Mint Museums are comprised of the Mint of Art and the Mint Museum of Craft + Design. The museums are in two different locations, but unified by a shared mission to provide gathering places for people to experience art. The museums try to improve people's understanding of art, craft and design by exhibiting fabulous works.
The Mint Museum of Art opened in 1936 as the first art museum in the state of North Carolina. The museum offers a permanent collection that ranges from the Pre-Columbian era through the Colonial American period to the present day. The museum's ceramics collection is regarded as one of the best in the country. The collection includes ancient Chinese ceramics, 18th century European and English wares, and North Carolina pottery.
The Mint Museum of Craft + Design opened in 1999 in Uptown Charlotte. There are diverse exhibitions that are made of ceramics, glass, fiber, wood, metal and mixed media. Cherry Reitz, who visited the museum from California, said, "It's amazing. I've never seen a dedicated craft museum before. I'm not an art person, but I'm really fascinated by art!"
Also, the museums provide various kinds of educational programs for all age groups as well as students. Students can learn about the various forms of art by touring the museums and appreciating the collections and exhibitions. The Mint Museums help to enhance people's quality of life by offering excellent exhibitions and education programs in Charlotte. For more information, visit their website: www.themintmuseums.org