We hope you have had a chance by now to visit the new wing at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. The media have had quite a lot to say about the museum and its expansion. Here are just a few examples:

From WRAL.com

Nature Research Center makes grand first impression

Raleigh, N.C.—More than 70,000 people passed through the doors of the new wing of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences over 24 hours. The Nature Research Center opened Friday afternoon and quickly made a memorable first impression. Read more

From ScientificAmerican.com

A New World on the Outside of a Raleigh Museum

In Raleigh, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences has been building its Nature Research Center, a brand new extension to the museum focusing not just on science but on how science is done. It’s all awesome, and it opens today, April 20. You could talk all day about it—and, full disclosure, as a member of the board of the Friends of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, I seriously could.  Read more

From the newsobserver.com

The long-awaited Nature Research Center is finally open

RALEIGH – At 6 p.m. Friday, the Nature Research Center welcomed its first saucer-eyed kid to gawk at robotic bats, its first grabby fingers to touch a computerized map of Australia, its first nose pressed to a tank with a stingray swimming inside. Read more

From The Verge

90-foot ‘Patterned by Nature’ installation is low-res, high-impact

What better way to decorate the new Nature Research Center at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences than by snaking a gigantic LCD glass ribbon through its five-story atrium? At 90 feet long and 10 feet wide, the installation—titled Patterned by Nature—is composed of 3,600 sandwiches of LCD glass. Read more

From charlotteobserver.com

New Fun in Raleigh

…Curiosity kicks in before you enter: Note what looks like a three-story globe attached to the building near the corner of Jones and Salisbury streets. It’s actually the SECU Daily Planet, a multimedia space with a 40-by-40-foot high-definition screen that, among other things, shows live science news. On the center’s first floor, a 10,000-gallon aquarium holds large saltwater fish, including bonnethead sharks and Atlantic stingrays. Read more

Write your own story! Plan a visit for you and your family soon and take advantage of 24 great celebration deals at visitRaleigh.com/newworld.

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After much anticipation, the new wing at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is open after a 24-hour celebration last Friday and Saturday. Attendees and the media are still buzzing about everything there is to see and do. We’re sharing a few of our images from the weekend in the gallery above plus a few of the comments we’re hearing:

“I was impressed that the attendees I met at the 24-hour opening were excited and engaged with the street festival activities and vendors. The general mood was ‘how cool is this?!’”

“I heard several comments that reflected great pride in the community overall–that they have the good fortune to live in an area that has so much to offer and where projects like the NRC (Nature Research Center) can become a reality.”

“The highlight for me was the Skype session on Saturday morning with Jane Goodall, who is famous for her work with primates. She was in Washington D.C. that morning, promoting the new movie about chimpanzees and couldn’t actually be there, but she took questions from the audience and told us about her work; it was great!”

“I was there for the opening ceremony on Friday night (and the parade). I was impressed by the excitement in the air, the colors and festive feeling of the event and the diversity of cultures represented in the parade (and the crowd). I was proud to be from Raleigh and I really want to invite my out-of-town friends and family to see the new wing. Oh, and the globe after dark…gorgeous!”

What did you think? Were you there? Pass along your comments below and we may pass them forward!

The day has finally arrived–the opening of the new wing at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is tonight! Opening ceremonies are at 5pm on the front steps of the museum, and as we have been telling you for the last few weeks, the museum will remain open for a full 24-hours until 5pm on Saturday, April 21.

The streets around the museum complex (Jones and Salisbury) will be filled with musicians, performers and exhibitors. There will also be performances inside the building, as well as presentations by scientists and museum staff in various venues around the space.

Also, remember there are a lot of other activities going on around Greater Raleigh this weekend.

• The North American Table Tennis Olympic trials are April 20-22 at Bond Community Center in Cary. | Details
• The ACC Tennis Championships take the court, April 19-22 at Cary Tennis Park | Details
• Billed as “the world’s largest paint party,” the second annual Dayglow Tour, “Life in Color,” will make a stop at the Raleigh Amphitheater on April 20. | Details
• The N.C. Master Chorale and the Raleigh Symphony is present “Carmina Burana” at Progress Energy Center | Details
• The southern classic, “Steel Magnolias,” is playing at the N.C. Theatre in downtown Raleigh. | Details
• Get tickets for Redress Raleigh at the Contemporary Art Museum in downtown Raleigh. | Details
• Foodies can enjoy “Great Grapes,” The Art, Music and Wine Festival in Cary. | Details
• Cole Brothers Circus will be performing at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. | Details
• The World Series of Comedy takes the stage at Goodnight’s. | Details
• Raleigh’s annual Cuegrass Festival is also happening in downtown Raleigh. | Details

Thank you for anticipating this event with us. We called our opening celebration Raleigh’s New World for a reason: besides the larger-than-life-size globe that now anchors Jones Street, the new wing will a open whole new world of research and discovery in downtown Raleigh. This is just the beginning…

For a full event line-up, plus other valuable information about parking, etc., go to the new wing’s grand opening webpage here.

We will see you there!

We have been counting the days, but now we’re down to hours. It’s less than 36 hours until the 24-hour opening of the new wing at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, beginning tomorrow night, April 20, at 5pm.

As we have mentioned, the museum is expecting a big crowd (barring any surprises in the weather). If you are planning to come (and we hope you are), here are a few things to keep in mind as you make your final plans.

Parking right around the museum is likely to be a challenge, but you have a few really good options.

R-LINE
Park in one of downtown Raleigh’s numerous public parking lots, then hop on the the R-LINE, downtown’s free hybrid bus. The R-LINE circulates around downtown on a regular basis, makes stops at regular intervals, and it is usually 10-15 minutes until the next bus comes along.

Human power
If you are anywhere in the city center area, the museum is no more than a 10-minute walk.

Pedal power
If you are really environmentally-minded, you can ride your bike. There’s plenty of bike parking at the museum.

Free CAT bus
Ride any CAT bus for FREE on Saturday, April 21. Service begins as early as 4:30am for some routes; check the online CAT schedule for specific route details.

The museum has more information and a full list of exhibitors, performance and event schedules and indoor and outdoor activities on its website. Take a look at the schedule and the museum map to get a clear picture of what you want to be sure and see.

It’s finally here, and we’re really looking forward to it! The visitRaleigh.com staff will be in one of the exhibit areas across Jones Street. We’d love it if you would stop by and say hi!

Today is the second part of the sneak peek photos of the New Wing of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. If you have any questions leave them in the comments below or contact us on Twitter or Facebook.

Yesterday a couple of GRCVB staff members were given an inside tour of the Nature Research Center, the new wing of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh. Today and tomorrow the blog will feature their instagram photos of what they saw. If you have any questions leave them in the comments below and be sure to check out www.visitRaleigh.com/newworld for information on the 24-hour celebration in honor of the grand opening.

It’s less than a week to the 24-hour opening of the new wing at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences! The museum will open its doors for the first time on Friday, April 20, 2012, at 5pm and stay open until 5pm on Saturday, April 21.

We have already let you know about great hotel deals in Raleigh in honor of the new wing opening. These other local attractions are also getting into the celebration spirit.

• Amtrak is offering 24% off a companion ticket when booking two tickets in Raleigh. You have to travel before May 15 and some restrictions apply. Book now
• Shop at Art Source Fine Art in North Hills for beautiful handcrafted jewelry and gifts for $24. This offer is also good until May 15. Mention New World at time of purchase.
• Discounted tickets are available from the Carolina Ballet. Get 25% off front orchestra tickets for evening performances of Carmina Burana, Beauty and the Beast and Weiss’ Beethoven. Use code CB25 and BB25 when booking online. Book now
• Save on tickets to see Steel Magnolias presented by North Carolina Theatre. Buy four tickets and save $24 with code GRCVB. Good for performances April 27-29. Book now
• Take $24 off a $50 Museum Associates membership at the North Carolina Museum of History. This discount also entitles you to 24% off on merchandise bought the same day in the Museum Shop. Mention New World at time of purchase
• Wear your hog love with pride! Get two Harley-Davidson t-shirts for $24 at Ray Price Harley-Davidson. Mention New World at time of purchase.
• Get four races for the price of two at Rush Hour Karting in Garner. Mention New World at time of purchase.
• Tobacco Road Tours is offering “24 Incredible Things to Know,” a special, 1.5-mile professionally-guided walking tour designed for guests seeking an educational, enlightening and FUN experience. Get two tickets for $24, adults or children, mix/match. Book now
• Get two adult day passes or three child day passes at Triangle Rock Club in Morrisville for $24. Mention New World at time of purchase.
• Buy tickets to Wells Fargo IMAX Theatre at Marbles for 24% off (documentaries, Kids Movie Series, features and museum/IMAX combo tickets). Use promo code NEWWORLD for discount; online purchase only. Book now

You could easily fill a weekend itinerary with a stop at the museum plus some of these other options! For more information about Raleigh’s New World, go to visitRaleigh.com/newworld.

Check out these photos from a recent sneak peak inside the Nature Research Center

Stumpy the Whale being installed on the first floor (the much-talked-about aquarium is in the background – those windows that looked blacked-out)

This is a dinosaur fossil located on the third floor of the new Nature Research Center.

This is the top floor looking at the interior of the Daily Planet. From the railing, you can look down at all three stories of the 40-foot screen, and they were testing the lighting while we were there.  You can also see the sort of “cap” at the top of the screen at the top of the photo.

This is a lighting effect that runs through the ceiling of the third floor – reminiscent of DNA perhaps.

This is the top of the Atrium Ribbon, seen from the top floor/third floor of the new wing.  The darkness in the middle of the picture indicates the actual pixels that are turned “on” and were in motion.  Patterns from nature move digitally across the length of the ribbon as sound effects playing in the Atrium help you know what pattern you are looking at.

Plan your own celebration

It’s just a few days away–the 24-hour opening of the new wing at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, starting at 5pm on Friday, April 20 and continuing until 5pm on Saturday, April 21. If you haven’t made your plans yet for opening weekend, here are a few suggestions for how you can have your own celebration around the museum opening.

Pull together a buddy or gal pal weekend

If there are friends or family you have been meaning to see, the museum opening can be a great centerpiece for a buddy or gal pal weekend. To make it even sweeter, take advantage of “Raleigh’s New World” hotel deals which feature big discounts, extra freebies and even “green” bonuses. To learn more, click here.

Pack the itinerary full

Start with the museum opening, then use the “Raleigh’s New World” attraction deals to build a full weekend itinerary. Try the Tobacco Road Tour, “24 Incredible Things to Know,” grab a couple of discount passes at Triangle Rock Club or score some tickets to the Wells Fargo IMAX Theatre at Marbles. For attraction deal details, click here.

Discounts at museum restaurants

Whatever you do, make sure you mention New World at either the Acro Café or Daily Planet Café at the museum to get 24% off your check.

An evening out

Plan an evening out on Friday night, starting with dinner at Mura in North Hills, Flemings, Dickey’s, the Irregardless Café or Market Restaurant (using a New World deal), then head to the museum for the opening. Or come downtown on Saturday afternoon to the museum, then go out for dinner on Saturday night at any of these fine eateries. For restaurant deal details, click here.

The wee hours and breakfast

If you are really adventurous, plan to come to the museum in the wee hours of the morning. Then go out for a special Saturday morning Raleigh-style breakfast at Big Ed’s, maybe Carolina Café or one of your favorite breakfast spots.

However you do it, plan to be part of the celebration. It’s possibly the biggest party Raleigh has seen in years!