Does your child love animals? Discovery Place Science has plenty of fun, hands-on activities that will give budding veterinarians, animal rights activists and animal lovers of all kinds opportunities to learn about their favorite critters and maybe even meet a few!

Check out our guide of everything you need to see at the Museum and your animal lover will get the most out of your next trip to Discovery Place Science.

• Explore Earth’s biodiversity in our permanent exhibition, World Alive. Explore the wonders of the natural world as you investigate the diverse habitats filled with unique plant and animal species from around the world. Dive into an underwater ecosystem through our Aquarium, discover Charlotte’s only urban rainforest and stop by the John Mackay Field Station to learn how to make observations in the field.
• Get Nose-to-Nose with a Museum resident. Learn about habitats and animal needs while developing a sense of stewardship for the environment and all living creatures. You might meet a snake who gets its name from the iridescent sheen of its rainbow scales or a 20 pound lizard who uses its tongue to pick up chemical cues from the air. Learn about what makes the residents of Discovery Place Science unique.
• See the world through the eyes of the animal kingdom on the largest IMAX screen in the Carolinas. With multiple films running throughout the year, often with more than one at a time that involve the animal kingdom, there’s surely something to pique the interest of your animal lover. The Charlotte Observer IMAX® Dome Theatre delivers the world’s most immersive movie experience, with a three-story tall dome-shaped screen, 12,000 watts of surround-sound and a projection lamp that can be seen from space. Polar bears never looked so cool.
• Discover something new and explore archived collections in Explore More Collections. This lab gives visitors the opportunity to find, identify and connect objects in the natural world. With over 80,000 non-living items in the Collections, a selection of these archived items are always available in Explore More Collections, often including preserved animal specimens. What will you find?
• Stop by the Explore More Life lab, located right next to the Aquarium. In this lab, roll up your sleeves and explore biodiversity with our aquatic touch tank and meet some interesting species like the Madagascar hissing cockroach and the Thorny Devil Insect. Be sure to play in the aquarium-terrarium system, and learn how an ecosystem works.

Do you want to see more animals? Discovery Place Nature has more local residents and an outdoor space you and your child will love exploring!