Director of Communications
amanda.murphy@tn.gov
615-741-9010
Senior Communications Manager
jill.kilgore@tn.gov
615-927-1320
Communications Manager
Alli.Lapps@tn.gov
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The grand opening of Galactic Gardens, a new outdoor learning space for students and visitors, takes place 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 18 at Adventure Science Center.
Featuring the Cornerstone Financial Credit Union Amphitheater and a rain garden planted with species native to Tennessee, the space provides visitors an opportunity to step into the great outdoors to learn more about environmental and conservation science.
Adventure Science Center plans to build a 400 square-foot glass greenhouse that will allow visitors to step into a mock simulation of an extraterrestrial garden to learn about how plants may one day survive on other planets.
Alongside the Galactic Gardens opening, scientists from the Tennessee Center for Botanical Medicine Research at Middle Tennessee State University will be on-site giving presentations on how plants can be used as a medicinal tool and visitors can explore some exciting, hands-on activities that relate to the latest traveling exhibition Wicked Plants: The Exhibit.
Local folk band Isabella Bird will also join in 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Cornerstone Financial Credit Union Amphitheater.
Special Activities included with general admission:
WHERE'S OUR WATER?
Discover where the water we use is located and why conservation of this resource is so important.
PLANTING ACTIVITIES
Calling all green thumbs! Come help us plant our rain garden, using sustainable plants donated by Cumberland River Compact, and the pollinator garden for our bees!
"BEE" A POLLINATOR
Explore how bees (and other animals) help us all through pollination.
ITTY BITTY BOTANICALS
Check out what plants look like under the microscope, and discover the itty-bitty plants (called algae) that keep us alive!
IT’S ALIVE!
Discover why we need plants, and why plants need us, to survive.
FUTURE BUILDERS
Learn how money, people and nature can work together in a sustainable way to grow communities in the best ways!
Special activities and presentations are subject to change. Galactic Gardens is sponsored by 3M and Cornerstone Financial Credit Union. Wicked Plants: The Exhibit was created by The North Carolina Arboretum, and is funded by the North Carolina Arboretum Society and the Creel-Harison Foundation. Some content in Wicked Plants may not be suitable for children under 12.
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About Adventure Science Center
For more than 70 years, Adventure Science Center has been bringing science to life for students, teachers and families in Middle Tennessee and across the U.S. The Science Center offers engaging learning experiences and science fun through hands-on, interactive exhibits; innovative programs; and fulldome productions in state-of-the-art Sudekum Planetarium. Adventure Science Center strives to open every mind to the wonders of science and technology, fostering a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Adventure Science Center is located at 800 Fort Negley Blvd. in Nashville.
For more information about the event, visit www.adventuresci.org/galacticgardens or call Alexis McCoy, Director of Marketing and Communications, at 615-401-5059.
Director of Communications
amanda.murphy@tn.gov
615-741-9010
Senior Communications Manager
jill.kilgore@tn.gov
615-927-1320
Communications Manager
Alli.Lapps@tn.gov