Home Article

It's Alive! It's Alive! Discover the lost, living secrets of Catawba Science Center's Rainforest Alive

The safari has come to an end. Put those trips to Africa, Australia, and the Amazon on hold. How about a trip to the Hickory rainforest instead? No—you read that right. There is a rainforest in Hickory, North Carolina. Surprised? So was I until I saw it firsthand.

Have you ever seen a lemur up close? How about a cute, furry kinkajou? (Do you even know what a kinkajou is?) Have you ever watched a burmese python devour his dinner? Or gotten up-close and personal with a Chilean rose-hair tarantula? Well now you can.

Just pack up the Caravan—the Dodge Caravan that is—and hit the trail. You’ll find this rainforest waiting for you at the SALT (Sciences, Art, Literature Together) Block in the middle of Hickory, where the Catawba Science Center has been working diligently for a year and a half to bring this rainforest to life. In a project of massive proportions costing more than $60,000, the Catawba Science Center, with the help of many local people, organizations and businesses, have completely transformed the center's Carpenter Hall into a living, breathing rainforest — complete with live animals that you would never have expected to see in Hickory. The exhibit is named Rainforest Alive.

Wait! Drop the phone and forget the airfare. Traveling to this rainforest is easy. In just one exhibit hall, you can experience exotic animals from remote areas of the world including Madagascar, Africa, Malaysia and Australia. During the exhibit, which runs through May 8, 2005, the Catawba Science Center will host special programs including feedings, Saturday lectures, and other educational activities that can be enjoyed by kids of all ages.

When you visit the exhibit, remember — you will be in a tropical rainforest—accent on the "tropical." Check the coat at the door. The humidity and temperature must be kept high to keep the inhabitants happy, so the exhibit's projected 30,000 expected guests are likely to break a sweat. What do you expect? It's a rainforest!

While you are at the Catawba Science Center, make sure you check out the other areas of interest which include the Hall of Life Science, the EarthWatch Center, the Science Courtyard, the Naturalist Center, Explore It!, the Physical Science Arcade, and RaceWays.

Kids and adults will enjoy the Hall of Life Science, where you can “walk from the mountains to the sea and discover plants and animals of North Carolina.” Want to see even more live animals? Step out of the rainforest and enter the Naturalist Center for a look at more live reptiles, amphibians, insects and other crowd-pleasing exhibits. In the future, the Catawba Science Center will be presenting other temporary exhibits. Other planned attractions for 2005 are “Solve It Central” and “Deep Sea Treasures.”

But for now, intrepid families who brave the remote reaches of exotic Hickory will find themselves rewarded with an exciting adventure through the Catawba Science Center's Rainforest Alive. Don't miss this opportunity to see the rainforest come alive in your own backyard!

The Science Center is located at:
243 Third Ave NE
Hickory, NC 28601

For More Information:
828-322-8169
www.catawbascience.org

Ticket Prices:
Children 3-16 $2
Adults $4
Seniors (62+) $2

Hours:
Tuesday through Friday: 10 am- 5 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday: 1 pm – 4 pm
Closed to the public on Mondays and major holidays

By: Leslie W. Cothren

Comments

- Posted by: Elaine at April 21, 2006 12:02 PM

Post a comment

Name:

Email Address:

URL:


Remember Me? YesNo

Comments: