Get out of your house and into the trees at the Discovery Center’s newest exhibit, Tree Houses, opening May 26.

This summer, families can spend some quality time hanging out in the trees with a visit to the Discovery Center’s newest exhibit, Tree Houses. Tree Houses will open to the public on Saturday, May 26 and run through September 7, 2012.  This new hands-on exhibit is the second created by the Environmental Exhibit Collaborative.

The focus of this exhibit is in, around and even underneath trees. Tree Houses includes fun, hands-on ways to explore the important roles that trees play in providing homes for all sorts of wild things (including people!). Incorporating all of the senses, this popular exhibit engages forest explorers of all ages in indoor nature explorations and the ecology of sustainable harvesting of this important natural resource.

In this exhibit, families can:
- Look for signs of animal tree dwellers as they walk through an indoor tree house and across a wobbly connecting bridge 
- Watch how a forest becomes house 
- View the tree houses people have built around the world— even design and build their own
- See stereoscopic 3-D images of some of the smaller animals we can find living in New England’s trees
- Listen for animals inside the tree house and try to guess their sounds on an “animal dance floor” 
- Peer down from inside a “crow’s nest” (and peer down at the folks “on the ground”) 
- Revisit favorite fictional tree dwellers, from the Ewoks of Star Wars to Winnie the Pooh
- Wander through a “kitchen” to discover not-so-obvious tree connections in our own houses

Tree Houses will open to the public on Saturday, May 26.  The exhibit was produced by the Environmental Exhibit Collaborative (EcoTarium, Worcester, Massachusetts; ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, Vermont; and the Children’s Museum of Maine, Portland, Maine) with major support from Jane's Trust. Additional support was provided by Cabot Family Charitable Trust and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. It will be at the Discovery Center through September 7.

MEMBERS-ONLY TREEHOUSES NIGHT
On Friday, May 25 from 5:30 - 7:00 PM, Discovery Center will be open for members only to explore TreeHouses and enjoy hands-on activities based on the exhibit.

The exhibit is included with museum admission. It is open Monday – Saturday from 10:00AM to 5:00PM, and on Sunday from 1:00PM to 5:00PM. Discovery Center is closed on Monday, May 28 and Wednesday, July 4 during this exhibit run. Admission is $6 per person; children younger than 2 are free. Members are always free and family memberships start at just $75. The museum is located at 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37130. For more information, call (615) 890-2300 or visit www.discoverycenteronline.org.  

Celebrating 25 Years of Discovery…
Serving more than 130,000 children and families each year, the Discovery Center is a non-profit youth museum dedicated to inspiring exploration, enhancing learning, and building confidence through diverse programs and exhibits.

We are located at 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37130. Discovery Center is open Monday – Saturday from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Sunday from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM.  A nominal door fee of $6 is charged and annual memberships are available. For complete details, please call (615) 890-2300 or visit us online at www.discoverycenteronline.org.