Night at the Museum

Welcome to the grand opening of the Nature Research Center of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences! The creatures didn't come alive like the movie but the new center was full of technology charged exibits and spaces.

Downtown Raleigh has so many great things to offer and yesterday I took advantage of the special 24-hour grand opening celebration of the new wing with several of my friends. There were street vendors, live music and numerous opportunities to learn.

The large Earth center piece is the SECU Daily Planet that houses a 40-foot, high-definition screen. There is seating on the first floor and overlooks on the 2nd and 3rd floors. It was incredible!

 

A few of the other highlights of the visit:

• interactive surface, similar to a table-top, that was activated by smart tags on items in one of the Investigative Lab
• a look through a few telescopes on the roof where I was able to view at Mars and Polaris (North Star)
• a bridge over N Salisbury St connects the new center to the main museum

This place will definitely require a return visit and one of the great benefits is that general admission is free.

Address: 11 West Jones St. Raleigh, NC 27601
Hours: Mon–Sat: 9 am–5 pm | Sun: 12 pm–5 pm