Discovery Park opening set for Nov. 1

Nov. 1 is going to be the beginning of something big for not just Union City, but West Tennessee as well. One of the largest projects this area has seen will finally be accomplished.

Discovery Park of America began with two friends who had an idea back in 2007. The friendship became a partnership when they put their heads together to make their idea come to life. Robert Kirkland and Jim Rippy of Union City are now the founder and the CEO of Discovery Park. The duo wanted to find out how much the community wanted to be involved by inviting all of the people who were interested to meet at the Hampton Inn. There was an outstanding turnout of 250 people who were later named the “volunteer army.”

The troops were divided into committees, which included UTM’s very own Physics professor Dr. Michael Gibson and Geology professor Lionel Crews, that got together to determine what Discovery Park would have to offer. The plans were drawn, and in 2008, ground was broken on Everett Boulevard, down the road from the old Goodyear plant. The 50-acre attraction consists of historical buildings, gardens, a maze and great lawn, a log cabin settlement and a 100,000-square-foot Discovery Center.

The Discovery Center shows the vision of the volunteers in 10 galleries, which includes Children, Energy, Enlightenment, Military, Native American, Natural History, Regional History, Science, Space and Technology and Transportation. All of the galleries have something special to offer. For example, the Children’s gallery has a giant human slide. The Regional History Gallery has aquariums and talks about the history of Obion County and the surrounding areas. Also, there is Dinosaur Hall where there are 13 types of dinosaur skeletons. There are a few extras that people can do in Discovery Center as well, such as the Starship Theater, an earthquake simulator and a sight-seeing tower.

Mary Nita Bondurant, the Marketing Director has nothing but exciting things to say about the park. She explained that the main focus is education. There has been a lot of effort to make everything a more hands-on experience instead of a “normal” museum where people just look and can’t touch.

“It is a unique, educational tourism venue. Even though the focus is education, people from all over the U.S. will come for experience and have a good time,” Bondurant said.

She went on to explain what Discovery Park can offer UTM students. She elaborated on the great lawn. The event coordinator has big plans to have a lot of concerts, car shows and even an arts and crafts fair. Also, there is an outdoor dining area and a gift shop. Bondurant also explained that everyone will be able to enjoy the entire place no matter what the age.

“Even though the human slide is in the Children’s gallery, there will be a height limit, and there have been a few adults go down it screaming,” Bondurant said.

Another way students can get involved is by interning. There are many different areas that offer internships at Discovery Park. For more information on interning, go to discoveryparkofamerica.com and look for the Education Director, Polly Brasher.

Discovery Park of America’s slogan is “See Beyond.” Kirkland and Rippy know that people wonder why they placed this project in rural West Tennessee in a cornfield.

“We want people to see beyond their current level of knowledge and to have the opportunity to see and experience things at Discovery Park that they might otherwise not have,” Kirkland said.

Whether someone is into history, science, education or just fun, Discovery Park has it all. For more information, visit discoveryparkofamerica.com and see beyond.