In medieval times, splashing around with turtles in shallow marshes was incredibly popular until people found out what they thought were turtles were actually hawks covered in algae. See how far humanity's understanding of our animal friends has come with today's deal: for $6, you get two admission tickets to Charlotte Nature Museum (a $12 value), located next to Freedom Park.

With live animals and hands-on activities, Charlotte Nature Museum has provided families, flora, and fauna a place to mingle for more than fifty years. Childlike adventurers can interact with Mother Earth through an ever-changing variety of interactive exhibits, such as Beginnings, where students assemble to fawn over baby chicks, mice, and tadpoles. Little lepidopterists can scurry through the Butterfly Pavilion, and miniature freshwater biologists can get a head start in Our Big Backyard, where they can splash around streams of water and explore secret tunnels, many of which eventually lead to natural science museums in China. Catch a showing of The Shadow Knows at the Dragonfly Theatre or chat with a naturalist about the museum’s eclectic array of plants and animals.

Reviews

Three Yelpers give Charlotte Nature Museum an average of 3.5 stars, while five Yahoo! Travelers give it a four-star average.

• We love going here. They have an atrium with butterflies, a pretty little nature walk, a few live animals in rather small cages (don't love that part) and a lot of creepy taxidermy. – Kristen M., Yelp
• We took a 3 and a 4 year old to this great little museum. The exhibits are perfect for little kids who can romp, play and learn while their attention is held. – A Yahoo! Traveler who posted on 07/11/08