Media Contact: Sarah Wheat | swheat@discoveryplace.org

ROCKINGHAM, NC (November 30, 2023) – Discovery Place Kids – Rockingham announces a temporary closure beginning Tuesday, January 2, for the Museum, which recently celebrated 10 years in the community, to undergo renovations through early spring 2024. Since opening in 2013, Discovery Place Kids – Rockingham has served more than 300,000 visitors, and the Museum’s new features are designed to enhance the overall guest experience and expand the age range served with exhibits geared toward older elementary and younger middle school students.

“We are so grateful for the support we’ve received over the past ten years, and we can’t wait to get started on renovations that will connect this Museum even more to the local community,” said Catherine Wilson Horne, President & CEO of Discovery Place. “Discovery Place Kids – Rockingham is one of the most successful children’s museums in the state, and these significant improvements will welcome in the next generation of young learners.”

“After meeting with community focus groups and stakeholders, our design team settled on enhancing some of the Museum’s current exhibits and ‘aging up’ with new experiences designed for older elementary and young middle school students,” said Discovery Place Chief Learning Officer Nikki Hill. “We’ll also introduce spaces that can change on a rotating basis for new hands-on learning opportunities and to keep our Members and repeat guests engaged.”

Funding for the renovations has been provided by Community Foundation of Richmond County, The Cole Foundation, Richmond County Tourism Development Authority, the City of Rockingham and Richmond County. Discovery Place Kids – Rockingham values its partnership with these foundations and municipalities, which have been avid supporters of the Museum since its opening in 2013.

Renovations are scheduled to take place in early 2024, with a targeted Museum re-opening date in Spring. Some of the new exhibits and experiences include:

• Quarry exhibit to connect with regional industry
• Physics exhibits demonstrating force-in-motion and simple machines
• Climbing structure that even adults can experience
• Spotlight on local landmarks Hitchcock Creek and Hinson Lake

While undergoing renovations, Discovery Place Kids – Rockingham will bring experiences out into the community through educational outreach. Visit our website here for upcoming events and to follow along during renovations.

About Discovery Place
Discovery Place brings science, nature, and design together to create transformative experiences that enable the community to understand, enjoy and apply science to their lives. Discovery Place is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and leader in STEM education to the Carolinas through four distinct museum experiences—Discovery Place Science, Discovery Place Nature, Discovery Place Kids Huntersville and Discovery Place Kids Rockingham. Discovery Place serves over 750,000 people a year—through Museum visitations, interactive educational programming, professional development training and community outreach initiatives—shaping a future where people embrace science to create opportunities, build hope, solve problems and bring positive change for our world. In 2017, Discovery Place was named as a finalist for the National Medal by the Institute for Museum and Library Science. Discovery Place is supported, in part, by the Infusion Fund and its generous donors.