Schiele Museum Opens at 100% March 27th, 2021

GASTONIA, N.C. – March 25, 2021 – The Schiele Museum is thrilled by Governor Cooper’s announcement this week that museums across North Carolina can open at 100% capacity! Starting on Saturday, March 27th, The Schiele Museum will be open at full capacity for visitors!

“We are excited by this news” shared an exuberant Dr. Ann Tippitt, executive director. “The lifting of capacity restrictions relieves the burden of turning people away if they did not purchase tickets in advance.”

One of the adjustments made since the museum’s reopening was to provide tickets online for people to purchase in advance. Museum experiences are available a-la-carte so that visitors can build their own adventure for when they visit! From Museum Exhibit tickets, Farm access, Planetarium tickets, to special programs, the visitor can choose what they’d like to do while they’re here. With the capacity restriction lifted, they’ll now have all day to experience it all!

The museum still recommends purchasing tickets in advance via their website especially for programs that still have capacity restrictions. With this new executive order starting at 5 PM on March 26th, the museum’s James H. Lynn Planetarium will be able to increase its capacity to 50%. Additional seats have already been released so that the Friday Night Lights programs in the planetarium this Friday reflect that increase.

Special opportunities like the Winter Wonderland sock skating exhibit will also be available with limited capacity through the weekend before it closes on Sunday, March 28th. Since the exhibits opening earlier this year, hundreds of kids have slid across the “ice” to escape the cold weather while releasing a lot of energy! Limited tickets are available in 30 minute increments this weekend for just $3 for children. Parents are encouraged to “skate” with children 3 and under.

“It is such a pleasure to watch the joy on children’s faces as they take to the ice,” commented Dr. Tippitt. “Sometimes timid at first, they soon are zooming around and have a great time sliding and twirling across the floor.”

The Schiele Museum will continue to align with the guidelines in place per Governor Cooper’s Executive Orders such as the mask mandate for face covering the nose and mouth, social distancing, along with rigorous cleaning.

The museum will be open for visitors Saturdays from 10 AM – 5 PM, Sundays from 1 – 5 PM, and Monday – Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM.

For more information, please visit schielemuseum.org or follow The Schiele Museum on social media.

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The Schiele Museum of Natural History

Inspiring wonder and appreciation of the natural world, The Schiele provides the region with a unique educational resource. Whether through formal instruction or visiting the various exhibits, visitors to The Schiele gain insight into the marvels of the world around. To find out more, visit www.schielemuseum.org or follow The Schiele Museum on social media.

NEWS RELEASE Contact FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Elysabeth Utick Director of Development elysabethu@cityofgastonia.com