Metal Panels Bring Education Center and Tourist Attraction to Life
The recently opened Discovery Park of America is a striking new multi-million-dollar education center and tourist attraction in Union City, Tenn., a small town of approximately 11,000 people located in the rural, western area of the state. The ambitious $100-million-dollar project was primarily financed by the Robert E. and Jenny D. Kirkland Foundation and fulfills a personal vision of Robert Kirkland. Kirkland, a retired businessman and investor, is a native son of Union City. “This area was a wonderful place to grow up,” Kirkland said. “My family’s focus on education and hard work provided the foundation for my success. It was my goal to build a permanent venue to enhance education for children as well as adults and to do it in an entertaining way for all ages.”
The centerpiece of the 50-acre park is the 100,000-square-foot Discovery Center. The Center, which has been described as “mini-Smithsonian,” houses nine exhibit areas: Energy, Children’s Exploration, Enlightenment, Military, Native Americans, Natural History, Regional History, Science/Space/Technology and Transportation, plus a tenth area for traveling exhibits. Signature exhibits include an earthquake simulator, an interactive starship and a giant climb-through human body.