Enter some of Murfreesboro's most enchanting outdoor spaces to support one of the city’s most cherished educational resources: Discovery Center.
The Secret Garden Tea Party for adults and children will be held May 8 at the Discovery Center to celebrate the mothers in our community. The event will be outside and there are two ticketed times: 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Breakfast and tea are provided, with craft stations for making flower crowns and fairy gardens.
The Secret Garden Tour, a self-guided walking tour of some of the city’s most intriguing private gardens will be on June 5. This year’s tour will feature a scavenger hunt element for children to encourage interest and engagement with gardening and agriculture.
Preceeding the Secret Garden Tour will be the 29th annual Secret Garden Party at Ken and Judy Stones’ historic East Main Street home on June 4. The event will feature a French theme, “A Stroll by the Seine” with signature cocktails, crafted plates and a rich array of fine auction items including travel and novel home accessories.
Photo by Nancy DeGennaro
The evening is highly anticipated after a year of closed events in 2020, due to the Coronavirus. The Secret Garden Party committee, chaired by Kelly Goodman and Maegan Snyder, will also plan features that allow patrons to support the event online.
“After a year of virtual and ‘no-show’ events, we’re excited to see the Secret Garden Party bloom back to life with an in-person party, complete with everything our supporters love about this event including a captivating venue,” says Goodman. “Our auction committee is working hard to create a collection of unique and sought-after trips, experiences, and packages for our live auction. They’ve also been exploring several ways to expand the auction to allow guests who can’t be with us in person to still be able to participate from their homes.”
Discovery Center CEO Tara MacDougall is excited to tell the community about all the fun things Discovery Center has up it sleeves in the coming months.
“For over 34 years, Discovery Center has opened our doors to discovery through hands-on exhibits that educate and engage kids and their grown-ups,” she says. “The support of the Secret Garden Party is critical for our operations and allows us to continue to update and design new experiences for our guests. We are so excited about these new spaces and exhibits: The Great Outdoors, The Studio, The Science of Music, The Chill Zone and coming soon, a renovated Tot Space! We also have some surprises coming for Nature Play. The funds raised will help ensure that Discovery Center remains accessible to all visitors.”
Tickets for all events will be available at explorethedc.org/special-events. To sponsor, contact ljennings@explorethedc.org.
