Discovery Park of America facts for kids
 |
|
| Date opened | November 1, 2013 |
|---|---|
| Location | 830 Everett Blvd., Union City, Tennessee 38261 |
| Land area | 50.0 acres (20.2 ha) |
Discovery Park of America is a cool museum and heritage park in Union City, Tennessee. It's built on 50 acres of land. The park has lots of fun exhibits and activities. You can learn about local history, nature, military history, art, and science. It's a great place to explore and discover new things!
Contents
History of Discovery Park
Discovery Park of America started because of the Obion County Museum. This museum opened in 1970. It held old items from local families. Volunteers ran the Obion County Museum for 40 years.
In 2005, Robert E. Kirkland had an idea. He was a local businessman. He helped start the Kirkland's home decor stores. Robert Kirkland wanted to build a much bigger museum in Union City. He and his wife, Jenny D. Kirkland, wanted to help their community.
Mr. Kirkland met with other local people. They secretly planned the new park. They wanted to make sure the idea would work. If it didn't, people wouldn't be disappointed.
Designing the Park
After their first plans, they chose an architect. His name was Douglas Cardinal. He was from Canada. He was picked to design the new building and its exhibits. The team wanted the community to help. So, they made 18 committees. Many local volunteers joined these groups.
Thirteen committees worked on the museum's galleries. Five committees handled things like money and advertising. Mr. Kirkland named the new place Discovery Park of America. He asked his friend, Jim Rippy, to lead the park's board.
Construction started on July 1, 2008. It was in a soybean field. The park was supposed to open in 2010. But in 2009, they stopped working with Douglas Cardinal. They needed a new architect.
Later, new design teams joined the project. They were from Boston and New York City. Construction started again in December 2010. Lou Sirianni designed the main building. Tom Henness planned the exhibits. Mr. Kirkland told them to design a building that would "stop traffic." It also needed a tall observation tower.
The park's outside area was also designed. Richie Smith Landscape Architects planned the 50-acre park. It has two small lakes. They are connected by a moat.
Opening Day
The park is close to the future Interstate 69. This highway will connect Canada to Mexico. Union City is about halfway along this route. This location was chosen to bring many visitors. People could easily visit from cities like St. Louis and Memphis.
In January 2013, Jim Rippy became the park's CEO. He hired more staff. Donors and supporters saw the park first on October 15, 2013. Discovery Park of America officially opened to the public on November 1, 2013.
The design and building took almost ten years. It cost about $80 million. A special foundation was set up. It gives $3 million to the park every year for 20 years.
Jim Rippy retired in December 2018. Scott Williams became the new CEO. He used to work at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. He also worked at Graceland in Memphis.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the park closed for a while. It reopened to members on May 30, 2020. It opened to everyone on June 1, 2020. The park staff shared fun learning content online. They also held their Historical Theater Academy classes online.
In December 2020, a new exhibit opened. It's called AgriCulture: Innovating for our Survival. It teaches about new farming methods. CEO Scott Williams said it would help guests understand how food gets from farms to families.
Discovery Park also has a podcast. It's called Reelfoot Forward: A West Tennessee Podcast. It talks about the culture and history of West Tennessee.
Museum and Heritage Park Areas
Discovery Center
The main building is called Discovery Center. It has three floors and is 100,000 square feet. Inside, you'll find 9 main exhibit galleries. There's also a special hall for traveling exhibits. You can watch films in the theater. There's an observation tower, a cafe, and a gift shop. The building is very strong. It can resist small earthquakes.
The 9 main exhibit galleries are:
- The Energy Gallery teaches about electricity. You can see how it's made and used. There's a huge interactive turbine. You can also race solar-powered airplanes.
- The Enlightenment Gallery is like a "Cabinet of Curiosities." It has unique items that don't fit other themes. You can see a small copy of the Ark of the Covenant. There's also a suit of armor and a copy of the Rosetta Stone. Many items came from Robert Kirkland's own collection.
- The Military Gallery is on two floors. It has weapons from the American Civil War. You can see part of an old warship. There are items from World War I. You can even touch a Jeep and a Humvee. You can climb into a Sikorsky UH-34D helicopter.
- The Native American Gallery has many old artifacts. There are 4,812 items here. They show the history of Native Americans in the United States. You can see a 12,000-year-old woolly mammoth skeleton!
- The Natural History Gallery is also called Dinosaur Hall. It focuses on old animals and rocks. You can see six full-size dinosaur skeletons. These include Apatosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex. There are also huge shark jaws and many fossils.
- The Regional History Gallery has live animals. You can see snakes, turtles, and frogs. There's a 20,000-gallon aquarium with local fish. Park staff do daily shows here. This gallery also explains how Reelfoot Lake formed. You can even try an Earthquake Simulator room!
- The Space, Science, & Technology Gallery is mostly on the third floor. It has a copy of the Gutenberg Printing Press. You can learn about communication technology. There's a model of our Solar System. You can also see a huge piece of a meteorite.
- Simmons Bank Children's Exploration Gallery is for younger visitors. It has a play area called Fantasy Forest. There are old toys and a water table. Kids can build with KEVA planks. There's even a 48-foot-tall metal human that's a slide!
- The Transportation Gallery shows off classic cars. There are over a dozen old cars. You can see a 1923 Model-T and a 1959 Cadillac. There's also a NASCAR race car driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr..
The ATA Traveling Exhibit Hall hosts special temporary exhibits. Past exhibits included Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition and LEGO: Towers of Tomorrow. The exhibit Astronaut explored life on the International Space Station.
Cooper Tower is a 120-foot observation deck. You can go up it from Dinosaur Hall. From the top, you can see the Heritage Park and Union City. On a clear day, you can see about 12 miles away.
Sabin's Cafe is near the entrance. It's named after Verne and Nonie Sabin. They took famous photos of Reelfoot Lake in the 1920s.
Outside Exhibits
Outside the Discovery Center, there are 50 acres of heritage park. It has 8 exhibit areas. There's also a hedge maze, 4 gardens, and 2 lakes.
The 7 outside exhibit areas are:
- The Settlement has 11 old log cabins. They were built in the 1800s. They show what life was like back then. You can see how people wove, cooked, and made soap.
- Mill Ridge shows life in the early 1900s. It has a one-room schoolhouse from the 1890s. There's also a feed store and a grist mill. You can see a blacksmith shop too.
- The Ag Center focuses on farming. It has a tractor museum. There's a grape vineyard and a wildflower garden. You can also see a sorghum mill.
- Freedom Square looks like a classic "Main Street, U.S.A." It has an old barber shop and a drug store. There's a firehouse and a courthouse-style building. This building has a copy of the Liberty Bell.
- The Depot teaches about railroads. Railroads helped Union City grow. Outside, you can see three train cars from the 1960s. There's also a 1913 steam engine and a caboose.
- The Chapel is an old church. It was built in 1897 in a nearby town. It was moved to the park on a big truck.
- STEM Landing is about science and technology. It has a cool geodesic dome. Inside, you can see NASA items. There's also a Grumman F-11 Tiger jet. You can also see a huge Titan I missile.
- The Children's Discovery Garden has a big playground. There's a stream with bridges. You can explore a labyrinth. It also has many different plants and flowers.
Images for kids
-
The covered bridge at Discovery Park.
-
Discovery Center Northern Perspective
-
The Firehouse at Freedom Square
-
Mill Ridge, with the North Lake in the foreground.
-
C. Grooms Smithy at Mill Ridge.
