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Our Space
OUR SPACE
Exhibit Hall
Welcome to the Exhibit Hall – our most flexible space! Designed to accommodate large school groups, professional development sessions, hands-on learning experiences, community events, and more, this versatile room adapts to meet the needs of any program or audience.
Trail
Explore our nature trail! Where students can observe local ecosystems up close and connect with the natural world. This 34-acre outdoor learning space offers opportunities for exploration, observation, and reflection, and connects to the larger Catawba College Nature Preserve.
Touchpool Room
Dive into discovery in our Touchpool Room! Meet our five aquatic turtles, explore a hands-on touchpool, and step into a vibrant rainforest environment. Students will learn about aquatic ecosystems, animal adaptations, and the interconnectedness of life in water and on land.
Animal Room
Step into the Terrestrial Room and explore life on land! Get up close with animals, while learning about habitats, food webs, and the role of biodiversity in healthy ecosystems. This interactive space brings the wonders of the natural world right into the classroom.
Rainforest
Have you ever heard of a rainforest right outside of Charlotte? Our indoor rainforest supports a wide range of vegetation types and demonstrates different aspects of the rainforest ecosystem, such as the importance of tree canopy. This artificial humid environment includes a raging waterfall and life-like rock structures.
Setzer School
Built in Southern Rowan County in 1847, this one-room schoolhouse educated children in the area for 50 years. One-room schooling incorporated multiple students from every grade level in the same building and only operated for 2-3 months during the year. In partnership with the Rowan Museum, the Setzer School is used as a resource for public programming. Students have a chance to compare how their school life has changed compared to Setzer, and what inventions, changes, and societal freedoms have changed since the mid-19th Century.
Picnic Area
This outdoor space offers a relaxing spot for students and teachers to enjoy lunch, recharge, and connect with nature during their visit to Horizons Unlimited.
Margaret C. Woodson Planetarium
Since 1969, the Margaret C. Woodson Planetarium has been enthralling audiences with images of our neighborhood, the night sky and the universe. In the 73-seat, 30-foot planetarium in which recent updates have made this dome state-of-the-art. A new laser 4K fish-eye projector allows images and shows anywhere from planet Earth to the outer reaches of space. Our upgraded laser system and sound system creates a multisensory experience for our concert laser shows. With the continued support of the Margaret C. Woodson Foundation, our 1969 Spitz A3P star projector has LED lighting to continue to provide a hyper-realistic night sky for all ages.
Labs
Put on your safety goggles and lab coat, it’s time to dive into hands-on learning in Horizons Unlimited’s Science Lab! Whether you're digging into soil investigations, mastering dissection techniques, or exploring microscopic organisms, this flexible lab space supports a wide range of scientific exploration.
We offer dissection programs for 7th grade and high school students, with a focus on lab safety, tool use, and comparative anatomy. Options include introductory pickle dissections (perfect for all experience levels), grasshoppers, worms, crayfish, squids, herrings, and sheep hearts.
Seating up to 60 students, our science lab can be divided into two separate instructional spaces. Equipped with lab tables, stereoscopes and chairs! It's the perfect environment for everything from soil studies to full-scale dissections and other lab investigations for any age!
Rainforest
Have you ever heard of a rainforest right outside of Charlotte? Our indoor rainforest supports a wide range of vegetation types and demonstrates different aspects of the rainforest ecosystem, such as the importance of tree canopy. This artificial humid environment includes a raging waterfall and life-like rock structures.
Setzer School
Built in Southern Rowan County in 1847, this one-room schoolhouse educated children in the area for 50 years. One-room schooling incorporated multiple students from every grade level in the same building and only operated for 2-3 months during the year. In partnership with the Rowan Museum, the Setzer School is used as a resource for public programming. Students have a chance to compare how their school life has changed compared to Setzer, and what inventions, changes, and societal freedoms have changed since the mid-19th Century.