RALEIGH, N.C. -- Greater Raleigh, North Carolina's capital area, is
welcoming several new and refurbished facilities, attractions and
museums for the turn of the millennium.
Although Raleigh is not generally regarded as a hotbed of
tourism, the region is determined to change visitors' minds,
according to Tom Fetzer, mayor of the city for the past five
years.
"Tour operators are always looking for what is new and trying to
create 'wow' experiences, and these venues certainly fit the bill,"
said Dave Heinl, president and chief operating officer of the
Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Whether tour operators want distinctive museums, performance
halls or multipurpose arenas, Greater Raleigh has what they are
seeking, he contended. "The museums are different from anything
else around because Exploris [Museum] will be the nation's only
interactive global learning center, and the North Carolina Museum
of Natural Sciences will be the largest in the Southeast," said
Heinl.
"Meanwhile, the BTI Center for the Performing Arts offers
performances for all interests, and the Entertainment and Sports
Arena will present hockey and college basketball at its best, not
to mention headline concerts and other special events," he
said.
With that in mind, the city is inviting new and repeat visitors
with a slew of activities during the next 18 months.
A rundown follows:
Museums
Exploris Museum broke ground in April 1997 and is scheduled to
open in September as the nation's first interactive global learning
center, according to Gordon Smith, founder of the museum.The $39.5 million museum will feature six exhibit areas where
"visitors will gain the knowledge, skills and understanding
critical for success in our rapidly changing, increasingly
interconnected world and global economy," Smith said.
Proposed exhibits include the "Exploris Journey," an
introduction to the museum; "Many Voices," touching on the power of
communication, and "One Voice: From the Pen of Anne Frank," about
Frank's life and the impact of her journal writing.
Also proposed are exhibits called "Living in Balance," which
explores the ways people around the world are connected through
their environment; "People and Places," detailing the world's
geography and cultures, and "TradeWorks," focusing on global trade
and entrepreneurship. Exploris Museum, Phone: (919) 834-4040, Web:
www.exploris.org
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will open in its
new home in April 2000. Currently the museum is located in the
building it has been in for more than 120 years.The $60 million upgraded facility will feature 200,000 square
feet of exhibit space.
The museum will contain 70,000 square feet of walk-through
environments as well as live animals in exhibits throughout the
area. One of the major attractions will be a display featuring the
acrocanthosaurus, a 112-million-year-old, meat-eating dinosaur, the
only mountable specimen of this dinosaur in the world.
The new home for the Museum of Natural Sciences is under
construction next to the existing building and is expected to draw
500,000 visitors each year. Museum of Natural Sciences, Phone:
(919) 733-7450, Web:www.naturalsciences.org
The Raleigh City Museum will open in April in the Briggs
Hardware Building.The site will feature 5,000 square feet of permanent and
temporary exhibits. The first exhibition is "Through a Child's
Eyes: Toys From Raleigh's Past."
In early 2000, the Contemporary Art Museum will move to its new
20,000-square-foot home downtown. The museum is the only site in
the Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) region devoted
exclusively to contemporary art and design, and it will feature
10,000 square feet devoted to art education.The North Carolina Museum of Art recently announced a $20
million capital campaign to provide building renovation and
expansion and soon will choose a designer for the project.Performing arts
For performing arts aficionados, the BTI Center for the
Performing Arts is slated for a September 2000 opening. The $31
million project to enhance Memorial Auditorium will feature a
1,700-seat concert hall and a 600-seat multi-purpose theater. The
center is the home of the Best of Broadway series, the Carolina
Ballet, the North Carolina Symphony and the North Carolina
Theatre.Sports
Sports-hungry visitors to the area will witness several
developments in the coming months:
The National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes will play all
its home games at Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena
beginning this fall. The arena also will be the home site of North
Carolina State University men's basketball team.The Tournament Players Club at Wakefield Plantation is
scheduled to become operational in spring 2000. The course will be
owned and operated by the PGA Tour. The 18-hole, Hale
Irwin-designed course is the future home to the Nike Carolina
Classic.Phase one of a two-stage, $16 million upgrade at Five County
Stadium will be completed this April, followed by phase two in
April 2000. Improvements will add luxury sky boxes, a
superstructure overhang from third base to first base and a new
ticket office for the 6,100-seat stadium.The stadium is the home of the Carolina Mudcats, a Class AA
professional baseball team affiliated with the Colorado Rockies.
Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, Phone: (800)
849-8499, Web: www.raleighcvb.org