#DISCOVERY PARK OF AMERICA PLUS#

We saw so much more that I could make this post three times as long, so if you want to see a ton more photos, go here.Discovery Park of America, J(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Union City, Tenn.- Discovery Park of AmericaВ in Northwest Tennessee will be the location of a three-day Native American Pow Wow to be held Oct. Tiffany and I were thoroughly amused and intrigued the whole time we were there, so I'd imagine that kids would absolutely love this place. This new Tennessee attractionВ isВ impressive, educational, a little bitВ kitschy,В and entertaining, all at the same time.В There is a lot of taxidermy. Looking through the floor of the Tower Observatory room. Kids were a big fan of the engine with the working horn. We also explored a very impressive, totally restored passenger train. Tiffany and I spent another hour or so wandering around outside in the log cabin settlement, looking at lots of taxidermy and 1800s-era artifacts. One of the strangest exhibitis was a blue-lit gallery behind a giant bookshelf that displayed everything from a dog's suit of armor to a driftwood sculpture to a set of early hominid skulls, and a life-size replica of the Ark of the Covenant.

The Tower Observatory was also well worth it. Tiffany and I didn't have a chance to do the Starship Theater, but the Earthquake Simulator, a video-sensory show thatВ told the story of the formation of nearby Reelfoot Lake, was worth the extra few bucks. The third level has more interactive exhibits on science, energy, and space, including a play area for kids and aВ human-shaped slide that takes you back down to the second level.

#DISCOVERY PARK OF AMERICA PLUS#

On the bottom floor, there areВ 25 antique and novelty cars from all eras, plus a WWII airplane and a helicopter suspended from the ceiling. IВ saw a group ofВ dinosaur fossilВ displays, an aquarium, a collection of several thousand arrowheads, Civil War memorabilia, and a couple of holograms. There were all manner of sandwiches and pizza.В Next we got our tickets and wristbands.ДЇor at least the first half hour, I walked around with my mouth hanging open because the variety of exhibits kept surprising me. I tried the turkey pita and Tiffany had the fried chicken salad. This is what greets you when you walk in the front door.ДЇirst things first, we had to eat. on a summer Wednesday and the parking lot was pretty full.В The main facilityВ is an imposing metallicВ modern building surrounded by, no joke, a moat. We arrived at Discovery Park around 11 a.m. It's a two and a half hour drive to Union City, and otherВ than some small towns, there's not too much to see on your way. You could (and should) spend several hours there. Inside, there are threeВ floors of exhibits, plus a tower with an observatory and a giant slide.В Outside,В there's a replica 1800s settlement, a restored passenger train, a replica early 1900s town square, a chapel, and a dozen other buildings. It's part children's musuem, part science/nature museum, with a big doseВ of history plus a sprinkling of random cool things. It's there that we discovered Discovery Park of America.Дiscovery Park of America openedВ in November of 2013, and it's a little hard to explain succintly. If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you'll know that a few weeks agoВ I took a little road trip with my colleague Tiffany to Union City, Tennessee.

Discovery park of america