Discovery park of america careers9/8/2023 The lost jobs hurt the area’s economy and residents’ morale, but the future may be getting brighter. It’s also near an old Goodyear tire plant, which closed in July 2011, taking 1,800 jobs with it. Highway 51 and the unfinished Interstate 69 corridor. What we’re trying to do is develop an educational vacation, a place for children and families.”ĭiscovery Park of America is actually built on a cornfield. Nashville’s got the music, Memphis has got the music. “Northwest Tennessee needs a venue,” said Discovery Park of America CEO Jim Rippy. High hopes are pinned to the project, but questions remain as to whether Union City will be able to lure hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses to make it a complete travel experience. Bill Haslam says the state plans to include Discovery Park in tourism marketing efforts. Museum operators and local officials are hoping Discovery Park will attract visitors who live within a three-hour drive and bolster the economy in a region of rural America hit hard by job losses, floods, droughts and a tough economy. Union City resident Robert Kirkland, who built a fortune with a chain of home decor stores and smart investments, shelled out $80 million to build the museum, Kirkland plans to keep the exhibits fresh and unique with a $3 million annual investment. The 50-acre (20-hectare) complex also boasts an old train depot, a century-old church and flower gardens, plus enough land for outdoor events and future expansion. There’s an earthquake simulator, a 120-foot (36-meter) glass-encased observation tower and a 50-foot (15-meter) metal replica of the human body that includes a 32-foot (10-meter) slide. With exhibits about natural and regional history, dinosaurs, Native Americans, energy, transportation, science, the military and space flight, the museum can be described as a mini-Smithsonian Institution. It’s Discovery Park of America, a new museum, education center and tourist attraction opening Friday in Union City, Tenn., a town of 11,000 located a few hours’ drive from Memphis, Nashville and St. The gleaming white building with curved exteriors and a spaceship-like tower emerges from the flat landscape of West Tennessee like something out of science fiction, but it’s not a villain’s lair or superhero’s headquarters.
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