Like many travelers, my first introduction to Charlotte, North Carolina came during a business trip. At that time I didn’t have the ability (or desire) to visit all of the area’s most popular family-friendly attractions (I didn’t have children back then). I didn’t know what I was missing. And neither will you until you step foot into some of these kid-friendly attractions that cater to the curious child in all of us.
Discovery Place
The Discovery Place is a hands-on science and learning center located a few blocks north of “The Square” (the city’s oldest intersection in the heart of the Business District). It is a favorite for kids of all ages and is filled with interactive exhibits. You can explore a three-story rainforest, walk inside the world’s largest eyeball, and pretend to feed animatronic dinosaurs. There’s also an aquarium and several chemistry and physics presentations. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission $10 for adults; $8.00 for children 2-13 and seniors; children under 2 are free.
Carolina Raptor Center
Located just 15 miles north of uptown, in the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, the Carolina Raptor Center lets you get up close and personal with hawks, owls, vultures and falcons. If you visit on a weekend you can take in a birds of prey demonstration at the Carolinas’ only eagle aviary. In addition, on alternating Saturdays the center offers Trail Trivia nature walks. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and college students $3 for kids aged 4-12, and free for kids under 4.
Carolinas Aviation Museum
I love a place where kids obtain important historical information, but have so much fun doing so that they don’t even realize they are learning something. It happens all the time at the Carolinas Aviation Museum. Kids (and their parents) learn all about the Wright Brothers’ first flight, which took place in 1903, more than 350 miles east of Charlotte on the Kill Devil Hills sand dunes. The museum itself is the biggest of its kind in the state. It is located at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and offers a historic look at airplanes and equipment ranging from cutaway engines to a WWII Norden bombsight. Among some of the permanent attractions are the WWII-era bombers, Grumman OV-1 Mohawks, and a recently restored F-4 Phantom. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, $2 for students and kids under 6 get in free.
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