Discovery Place Nature

1658 Sterling Rd, Charlotte, NC 28209, USA

Address:	1658 Sterling Rd, Charlotte, NC 28209, USA
Phone:	+1 704-372-6261
Site:	nature.discoveryplace.org
Rating:	4.3
Working:	Closed 9AM–8PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 12–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 19

Niena St Clair

I love the fact that even my five month old son had such a great time here, he fell asleep within a couple of hours!! The animals are visible and clearly identified. Do your research if your trying to catch the Butterfly Pavilion full of butterflies though! Different Butterflies come out of their cocoons at different times of the year so you may see no butterflies or just one or two types. The parking lot is shaded during most of the day and the nature trail is beautiful. Being on the edge of Freedom Park makes it easy to plan a day at the park and the Nature Museum. They dont allow food or drink in the building and offer nothing for snacks or refreshments, but I suppose they dont want the turtles eating oreos. ^_^

Next Chapter

I have to agree with some of the more recent reviews. The value is not that good - you can see everything in less than 20- 30 minutes but pay the same price as for a movie. The planetarium wasnt open and the outdoor area had zero animals. The indoor area was in OK shape, but some of the interactive learning exhibits were in rough shape. It looks like it might have been nicer at some point earlier in its life. All of that being said, my 4 year old had a good time. I took her through all of the exhibits four times, but like a typical kid she didnt mind at all. Had I taken an 8 year old, they would have been very disappointed (like I was).

Sam M

Nice place. It is a bit on the dated side. * Butterfly pavilion is pretty cool (free flying butterflies !) *Toddler area is really nice. Books, blocks, insect toys, puzzles and a few other nature toys to play with. *other indoor play space is nice. Nature inspired water table, tunnels, slide and a few interactive play pieces. *outdoor play space is wood and all natural materials. Pretty boring, very lacking. *indoor interactive exhibits are nice. LOTS of interaction and hands on playing / learning. *animal displays are small but nice. *they do live animal encounters *overall its a good place. $8 is a bit high, but my toddler enjoys it.

Ashley Kean

A laid-back easy vibe nestled under sprawling canopied trees near Freedom Park (which is also outstanding). We enjoyed the diversity of live animals in unique habitat enclosures, and especially the freedom of the back yard play area! Logs were hauled, roads constructed, and fairies wooed with music derived from utensils while others rested in the teepee or defended everyone from behind the fortress screen. Butterflies danced as the non-caged dove cooed a gentle song. It was perfect.

Laura Neidich

This was the perfect spot for our visiting toddlers! The museum is not too big, and there are many activities for the four rambunctious children, aged 2 to 5! The combination of indoor and outdoor activities made it fun for the kids and the grown-ups. The butterfly pavillion was so small and nice, and the butterflies were friendly! I thought the $8.00 admission price for everybody over 2 was a bit high, but the kids really enjoyed the entire experience!

Rob White

Glad I have a membership because it would not have been worth the price of admission. A few "stations " were out of order or something as simple as paint with water didnt have water in the tray. Outside area was a big fat "meh". One of the chimes station was missing 1/2 of them. I assume the money is going to the main discovery places in uptown or Huntersville. If you have toddlers they will enjoy because they wont know what they are missing.

Maddie Walton

Do NOT listen to the negative comments. This place is not outdated, dirty, or staffed with unfriendly people. The animals were awake and going . We even saw a snake eating. The only anaimals asleep were the night critters. My family really enjoyed themselves. Go check it out. Oh and there is a play "tunnel" area my children deeply enjoyed.

David Kropman

Lots of bad reviews here, so we still went thinking it was going to be bad. Maybe not $8 per person, but we stayed there for 2-3 hours and enjoyed ourselves. I think every display had animals in. Good for younger kids. It was a hot day and we went outside down to the play area, and lay in the dragonfly wings. Great comfortable and relaxing.

Joel Marchesoni

Some dont like taxidermy, but I find the many stuffed creatures to be informative. Most if them are animals that arent readily approachable in the wild so it was cool to be able to see them up close. One does feel as though there is something missing, although I cant put a finger on what that would be. Overall the kids and I enjoyed it.

Jennifer Hilliard

The place was dirty and outdated, but this is a great place to come with your 1-5 year old on rainy days. The staff were not friendly and I doubt they ever clean the place. There was visible dirt everywhere and the turtle tank was super gross. The nature walk was beautiful. We enjoyed our 2 hours here with our 1 year old.

John Mejia

The place is tiny and catered for small children, but its a great place to visit if you havent or, like me, had not been in a long time. The Butterfly Pavilion alone is worth the $6 admission price. Definitely a great place to visit. Afterwards you can go and enjoy the rest of your day at Freedom Park.

Cameron Sastre

Inside is outdated, but has a few cool things (snakes, turtles and butterflies, etc) for the little kids to explore. Educational to a point..... My boys (3 and 5) love the outside area which has a trail and a few things to play with. Good for a an hour or two of play and exploring for the kids.

Sporadic Walker

Lots of creatures- living and taxidermy. Planetarium shows throughout the day for 15-30 minutes. Butterfly pavilion, cant wait to return in the summer when they grow out of their cocoons. Not sure if thats the right spelling. Fun and educational activities for small kids like puppet shows, etc.

Todd Sussman

$8 a person even for 2 year old. Poorly maintained and old. About 25% of the displays had no animals in them and the butterfly exhibit was sad and disorganized. Outdoor area was trashed and unkept, again poorly maintained. It is hard to believe that this is part of Discovery Place.

Megan Hitchens

We went as a family. Four adults and a 2 year old. We were able to see the entire place in about an hour. I wouldnt pay $8 a ticket to go back. Plus, there is only one family restroom, and the solitary changing table was broken. No changing table in a childrens museum?! Crazy.

jonathan hamela

This is a small place, but fun nevertheless. Lots of reptiles and bugs. Many animal specimens in taxidermy. Some hands on learning for younger children. The planetarium is also small, but it was a nice presentation and the children enjoyed it.

A B

Not worth $8 a person. Havent been back in 30+ years. Enjoyed taking my kids there but it is not worth $8.00 a person. They didnt have a child rate. So it was $48 to take my family. It was not worth that much. Around $4 a ticket is more acceptable.

Lorenzo de Pasqua

Piccolo ma acvogliente museo naturale pdr bambini con annnesso planetario, due ore spese in tranquillità.

A Private User

I liked that there were a lot of hands on things for kids to do. But the butterfly pavillion on had one type of butterfly flying around. There are no vending machines or refreshments offered. Esp if you want to do the out side nature walk.