World-Class Museum Opens in Cartersville

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tellus: Northwest Georgia Science Museum opened its doors to the public Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. The 120,000 square foot museum features four incredible galleries that include gems, dinosaurs, space capsules, minerals and a special kid's interactive area.

"After working on this project for so many years, it is exciting having a museum full of people enjoying the exhibits," said Tellus Executive Director Jose Santamaria.

Tellus' four galleries - Weinman Mineral Gallery, Fossil Gallery, Science in Motion and Collins Family My Big Backyard - feature exhibits and activities that cannot be found under one roof anywhere else in the country.

An 82-foot-long Apatosaurus looms over visitors in the Great Hall. The replica Wright Brothers' Flyer dominates the Science in Motion Gallery. A giant tree reaches to the ceiling in Collins Family My Big Backyard, inviting children of all ages inside to learn about weather.

Tellus is an expansion of the Weinman Mineral Museum, which received hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over Georgia in its 24 years of existence. School children on field trips made up a significant portion of the visitation and Tellus will continue that tradition. More than 15,000 students are already signed up to visit the museum on field trips during the first four months Tellus is open.

"Research has shown having students do experiential, hands-on activities helps to broaden their experience base. A visit to Tellus and participation in one of our programs helps them associate all of the science vocabulary and concepts they are learning," Tellus Director of Education Cantey Smith said.

The buzz about Tellus has grown from a whisper to a roar over the last few months. The museum's E-newsletter membership has increased an average of 300 people a month for the last six months to more than 4,000 people. The grand opening gala, held on Jan. 10, sold out within three weeks of tickets going on sale. Tellus expects to draw more than 150,000 visitors in its first year of operation.

"The public's outpouring of support has been phenomenal," said Joe Schulman, director of marketing at Tellus. "As excited as we are to open, it's obvious the public couldn't wait either."

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Community Support Key for New Science Museum

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The future looks bright at Tellus: Northwest Georgia Science Museum, thanks to the support of local individuals, businesses and foundations who joined the Tellus Founder's Circle.

Tellus is a world-class museum that will excite visitors with amazing exhibits that will open minds and ignite a passion for science. Tellus, opening in January 2009, will feature four main galleries: The Weinman Mineral Gallery, The Fossil Gallery, Science in Motion and The Collins Family My Big Backyard. A planetarium and an observatory are also located at Tellus. The 120,000 square foot museum is located in Cartersville, GA just off I-75.

The Founder's Circle is the lynchpin of the museum's $6 million capital campaign. The Founder's Circle is made up of everyone from local residents to international businesses. Opportunities for individuals begin at $250 and $5,000 for corporations.

"The education statistics in Georgia and nationwide reflect the need for a more intensive approach to science, math and technology teaching in our schools," said Tellus Director of Development Adam Wade. "This is a critical time as we begin to realize the full potential of this exciting project. We've been able to raise more than $3.2 million thanks to the support of our community."

Individuals, families and corporations are all invited to join the Founder's Circle. Contributors will receive quarterly updates via the museum's magazine, a permanent listing on a wall in the Tellus lobby, a hard hat tour during construction and a tour of the museum prior to opening.
"Tellus will help fulfill the demand for high-quality earth and planetary science education in the fast-growing communities of northwest Georgia and including metropolitan Atlanta," Wade said. "All donations received for the Founder's Circle will be used to support exhibition fabrication, acquisition of equipment and technology for the new facility."

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World-Class Museum Coming to Georgia!

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Explore the Earth and search the stars when the Tellus: Northwest Georgia Science Museum opens in Cartersville, Ga. later this year.

The 120,000 square foot museum is being constructed on the site of the former Weinman Mineral Museum and will excite visitors with amazing exhibits that will open minds and ignite a passion for science.

Tellus Features:

The Weinman Mineral Gallery - Learn how the Earth formed and see dazzling displays of minerals from all over the world, including some from the Moon and beyond.

The Fossil Gallery - Walk through time from the start of life on Earth through the age of dinosaurs. Touch a real dinosaur fossil and stand among some of the largest creatures to ever walk the land.

Science in Motion - Learn about the history of motorized transportation in this unique gallery featuring a replica Wright Brothers flyer, a 1948 Bell 47 helicopter, a jet cockpit and more.

Collins Family My Big Backyard - Just for kids! Play, experiment and learn how the world works. Discover the science behind light, sound, electricity, weather and more in this interactive, engaging gallery.

Planetarium and Observatory - Travel the universe in style in our digital planetarium, and become an amateur astronomer at our incredible observatory housed on the Tellus campus.

Tellus: Northwest Georgia Science Museum will be a world-class museum with something for everyone.

Keep up with Tellus news by signing up for the museum's monthly newsletter at www.tellusmuseum.org. For more information, call 770-386-0576.