The Discovery Center is a nature center and wetlands boardwalk near downtown Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
It began as the "Discovery House", a children's museum, in 1986. During its first year of operation it had 11,000 visitors.
In 1995 after it outgrew its old location the Discovery House staff, Congressman Bart Gordon and Murfreesboro Mayor Joe Jackson, with the help of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, began to study the possibility of reusing the vacated site of the old Murfreesboro Water & Sewer Plant. After several years it was decided that, for environmental reasons, the old structures should be demolished and new buildings built.
In 1996 the City of Murfreesboro leased 61⁄2 acres of city land to the Discovery House. The Board of Directors, with the help of local citizens, was able to procure a large amount of privately donated wetlands. They then began a grassroots funding campaign to raise the money needed for the 'Discovery Center". By 1999 $1.8 million had been raised and the construction of the 18,000 sq ft (1,700 m2) center began in 2001. Its grand opening was held August 3, 2002.
As well as its museum the Discovery Center includes 20 acres (81,000 m2) of wetland.
The Discovery Center and the cities Greenway trail system and parks have reversed decades of local environmental damage and preserved large areas of vanishing wetlands and natural areas which include rare native plants.
Today the Center receives over 110,000 visitors annually.
Famous quotes containing the words discovery, center and/or spring:
“The gain is not the having of children; it is the discovery of love and how to be loving.”
—Polly Berrien Berends (20th century)
“Columbus stood in his age as the pioneer of progress and enlightenment. The system of universal education is in our age the most prominent and salutary feature of the spirit of enlightenment, and it is peculiarly appropriate that the schools be made by the people the center of the day’s demonstration. Let the national flag float over every schoolhouse in the country and the exercises be such as shall impress upon our youth the patriotic duties of American citizenship.”
—Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)
“The spring is here, young and beautiful as ever, and absolutely shocking in its display of reckless maternity; but the Judas tree will bloom for you on the Bosphorus if you get there in time. No one ever loved the dog-wood and Judas tree as I have done, and it is my one crown of life to be sure that I am going to take them with me to heaven to enjoy real happiness with the Virgin and them.”
—Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)