10 Best Apple Orchards Near Charlotte, NC

The arrival of the cool fall months signals a lot of things. It means that the leaves are about to start changing color and falling away from the trees, it means that special events like Halloween and Thanksgiving are on the way, it means that the nights are about to get longer and the sun will set a little sooner, and it also signals the arrival of apple picking season all around the United States. Certain attractions may be temporarily closed or require advance reservations. Hours/availability may have changed.

10 Best Apple Orchards Near Charlotte, NC

• Overview, Photo: mxbfilms/stock.adobe.com
• Blueberry Thrill Farm, Photo: encierro/stock.adobe.com
• Apple Hill Orchard, Photo: bubutu/stock.adobe.com
• Justus Orchard, Photo: Jules_Kitano/stock.adobe.com
• Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard, Photo: yanadjan/stock.adobe.com
• Windy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill, Photo: OlgaDm/stock.adobe.com
• Millstone Creek Orchards, Photo: Millstone Creek Orchards
• Sky Top Orchard, Photo: Sky Top Orchard
• The Orchard at Altapass, Photo: The Orchard at Altapass
• Knob Creek Orchards, Farms and Creamery, Photo: Knob Creek Orchards
• Deal Orchards, Inc., Photo: Savo Ilic/stock.adobe.com
• Cover Photo: Courtesy of atillaalp - Fotolia.com

More Ideas: Discovery Place Science

Discovery Place in Charlotte is a place where kids can be curious, imagine, and have adventures through educational experience in science and the natural world. Discovery Place consists of three distinct museum experiences for children of all ages. Discovery Center was founded in 1946 and was the first science center in the Southeastern United States. By the time the museum opened in 1951, It was one of the few places in that part of the country that brought children and nature together for hands on, interactive experiences.

History

The history of Discovery Place began with Laura Owens, an educator who had been collecting specimens of dead and live animals. Her goal was to create a place where her students could observe and learn about their environment in an interactive way. She opened her museum in Charlotte with help from family and community members. The museum was successful and soon, the need was clear for a Children’s Nature Center. This new building was constructed adjacent to Freedom Park and opened in 1951.

A planetarium was added in 1965 and by the next decade, the Charlotte Nature Museum was a popular tourist attraction and expansion was imminent. A new museum was built in the uptown neighborhood of Charlotte and Discovery Place opened in 1981. This building had just over 70,000 square feet of space. Since this time, additional exhibit space, The Charlotte Observer IMAX Dome, and education building and parking garage have been installed. The most recent renovations occurred in 2010 when the building was completing transformed, undergoing over $30 million dollars in renovations. This massive remodel changed the museum to new, interactive and relevant exhibits, labs that are open to the public and two other museums opened in North Carolina by 2013. The next year Discovery Center opened the STEM Center for Career Development and in 2016 Discovery Place Museum officially became an organization known simply as Discovery Place with three distinct entities that offer different educational experiences—Discovery Place Science, Discovery Place Nature, and Discovery Place Kids.

Discovery Place Science

This branch of Discovery Place is in uptown Charlotte and brings interactive science exhibits that are perfect for children age 10 and up but can also be enjoyed by younger children.

Science of Ripley’s Believe it or Not- This exhibit explores the science behind some of the strangest and weirdest phenomenon’s in the world. This exhibit uses artifacts and objects from the Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Vault such as a model of Titanoboa, a giant prehistoric snake or stand next to a model of a man who once stood nearly 9 feet tall. There are animals with two faces, life size cars made from matches and many other oddities.

Thinker Space­­- This digital lab space allows visitors the opportunity to bring their ideas to life. Design, invent, create anything in your imagination through workshop and makerspace. Visitors can also use the hands-on learning space to practice woodworking, sewing, laser cutting, 3D printing, and other engineering tasks. Thinker Space is designed for junior high and high school students.

Explore More Stuff- This lab explores how matter and energy work. Chemistry and physics place a big part in these interactive exhibits that allow kids to engage in dynamic activities and learn about physical sciences.

Fired Up- This live show is designed to teach families about the fire science. Chemicals and elements are used in these experiments that are performed for viewers. The scientists will make flames change colors, set up an ethanol explosion, and set an ice cube on fire among many other exciting experiments. Children can even volunteer to participate at the end of the show.

Science at the Stage- Another of the live shows, Science at the Stage engages visitors in science experiments such as making ice cream using liquid nitrogen and hydrogen explosions. There are new experiments done daily.

World Alive Aquarium- The aquarium is home to fish from the Eastern US coast and the Indo-Pacific Reef. Guided tours with educators are available.

Fantastic Frogs- This super hero themed exhibit that features live frogs demonstrates how these amphibians have been able to evolve and develop new species survival strategies. Some of these traits seem like they are from a sci-fi movie!

Cool Stuff- Visitors can experience physical phenomenon using scientific principles such as motion and gravity. Visitors can also use wind power and develop super human strength,

Project Build- structures from tree houses to castles, bridges and dams can be designed and engineered by visitors to this exhibit that looks at various architectural styles.

Kid Science- This is a place for smaller children to be able to tinker and play in a space that is space and designed specifically for little learners.

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Explore More Life- Biodiversity is explored in this lab that allows experimentation and interactive exploration. This exhibit features a touch tank with crabs and urchins, and other living animals that students can learn from.

IMAX- This dome theater stands three stories high and features a 12,000-watt surround sound and projection lamp that is viewable from outer space.

Discovery Place Nature

The Discovery Place Nature extension of the organization Charlotte near Freedom Park. This Museum features indoor and outdoor exhibits that explore nature and the environment. Animal feedings and encounters, as well as guided nature walks and special monthly events, immerse visitors in the natural world.

Naturalist Lab- This lab is where families are immersed in nature and can explore the outdoors virtually. You will be able to examine plants, animals, rocks and minerals as well as some national treasures and objects that you can find in your own backyard.

Our Big Backyard- This exhibit teaches about the habitats and animals that can be found in your own backyard and under the ground. Visitors will explore the weather and learn how to make it rain.

Fort Wild- This outdoor exhibit is a play area that is made of natural materials like solid wood. Kids are free to build forts, put on a play, or just run around and make music. A fairy stump village occupies this space with easy access to the woods and nature trail.

Paw Paw Nature Trail- Walk the winding Paw Paw Nature Trail and explore the 100 year old forest where visitors can often see owls, turtles, woodpeckers and extraordinary arrays of wildflowers.

Discovery Space Kids

There are two locations of Discovery Space Kids—Huntersville, and Rockingham.

The exhibits are designed for children under 10 and let children learn and explore all things that they can do. Exhibits are designed with hand-on exhibits that mimic real-life situations such as grocery stores, doctors’ offices, a boat, and other places to make the museum look like you are in a small town. Exhibits include:

· I Can Work

· I Can Be Healthy

· I Can Move

· I Can Build

· I Can Explore Underwater

· I Can Grow

· I Can Create

· Town Center

· Learning Garden (outdoors)

Education

Discovery Place offers field trip and educational resources for communities in Charlotte and beyond. What Discovery Place offers that other museums do not, is the Education Studio and dedication to ensuring that educators continue to have ongoing training and support in teaching STEM classes. The Education Studio is available for teachers of K-12 grades and is found adjacent to the Discovery Place Science. The studio offers workshops, consults, coaching, leadership institutes, and showcases.

Discovery Place also helps schools with language barriers. There are programs offered that will help preschool students enrich their vocabulary before entering kindergarten as well as dual language programs offered for children.

Field trips are offered with all three branches of Discovery Place and an Education Guide with detailed information about field trip programs being offered that school year is downloadable from their website. Outreach classes are also available that make is convenient to impact your students with science at your location. Summer camps at all three locations are also offered annually with a detailed schedule and registration fees found online. All camps are taught by qualified educators and are full-day with extended care available as well. Camps are available for grades k-8.

Girls In Stem is a program specifically for girls at Discovery Place. This program immerses girls in science and STEM projects where they will participate in camps, contents, festivals, and have mentorship from women in the STEM field.

Science on the Rocks- This program is for adults age 21 and over only. This event occurs once a month were visitors get to tour the museum after hours, participate in costume contests, have local radio DJs running the music, adult beverages, and other crazy activities.

Workshops- There are several 6-week immersion programs available at Discovery Place that are designed for grades 5-8. Some of the themes include robotics, 3D printing, dissection, and human anatomy.

Special Events- Hosting a birthday party, wedding or corporate gala can all be done at Discovery Place Museums. Rentals fees include AV equipment, tables, chairs, and museum admission for your guests. Labs, animal encounters, Liquid Nitrogen Wine Slushies, and other activities can be added on to rental packages to turn any event into a science filled occasion.

301 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28202, Phone: 704-972-4934

More Things to Do in Charlotte NC

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More Ideas: Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, North Carolina is a contemporary museum dedicated to the celebration of mid-century modernism through an impressive collection of more than 1,400 works by 20th-century modern artists. The collection, known as the Bechtler collection, also contains photographs, letters, drawings and books from the Bechtler family.

Established by the Swiss-born Bechtler family and opened to the public in 2010, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art was designed by the Swiss architect Mario Botta and features intimate spaces and inspiring vistas. The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is home to a collection of works from the 20th century with a particular focus on works from the School of Paris after World War II. It boasts works by some of the world's most influential artists of the mid-20th century including Picasso, Warhol, Miró, Hepworth, Giacometti, Le Corbusier, Ernst, and Nicholson, many of which were privately owned by the Bechtler family and available for public viewing. The collection includes genres of a European perspective, the School of Paris, and American and British artists, such as Ben Nicholson and Mark Tobey.

The current exhibition showing at The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is ‘All That Sparkles -20^th Century Artists' Jewelry,' which celebrates the craftsmanship and creativity of jewelry artists who use various materials and techniques to explore texture and color. The exhibition includes various wearable forms of art, such as monoprints and brooches, as well as works from the Bechtler collection by Niki de Saint Phalle, Alberto Giacometti, and Raffael Benazzi.

Past exhibitions have included ‘The House That Modernism Built,' ‘The Art of Print,' ‘Portraying the Patron: Andy Warhol and the Betchlers', ‘The Art Books of Henri Matisse', and ‘British Invasion.'

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art presents some educational, musical and art-based programs and events throughout the year. On the third Friday of each month, the museum opens its four gallery floors to the public, free of charge, from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm in a program called Bechtler By Night where art lovers and friends can gather under the night sky and enjoy the extensive Bechtler collection.

ArtBreak is docent-led museum tours for free during lunchtime for people with limited amounts of time and can be enjoyed at any of the three of the Levine Center for Arts, namely the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and The Mint Museum.

Music and Museum is an innovative and exclusive classical music concert program that fuses music and conversation to explore a deeper understanding of the artists at work. These shows are performed by chamber musicians and include exhibits of artworks from the Bechtler collection or the museum's current collection. Mid-century art meets mid-century music during popular jazz concerts performed by the renowned Ziad Jazz Quartet every first Friday of the month.

The Museum presents special family days whereby both adults and children can participate in a variety of hands-on art activities, special workshops, and guided tours that showcase the art and artists from the Bechtler Collection.

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is located on South Tryon Street in Charlotte and is open from Monday through Sunday and closed on Tuesdays. The Museum is part of a dynamic development of natural space, culture and innovative urban architecture known as the Levine Center for Arts, which is located on the southern edge of uptown Charlotte. The Levine Center for Arts spans for more than two blocks across four acres and features progressive new venues and plazas for art and live performances, as well as additional space for commerce and retail.

Taking center stage of the development is the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, with other featured buildings being the Knight Theater, the Mint Museum Uptown, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and the Duke Energy Center. Visitors can experience the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and The Mint Museum with the purchase of one ticket which is valid for 48 hours. Free, themed 30-minute docent led tours are held every third Thursday of each month at noon and are open to all.

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art also offers engaging and interactive guided and self-guided school tours school tours that are designed to inspire curiosity, develop creative and critical thinking skills and promote a visual language that enhances reading and writing skills.

Back to: Best Things to Do in Charlotte, NC

420 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28202, Phone: 704-353-9200

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