Discovery Center at Murfree Springs

The Discovery Center at Murfree Spring is an 18,000 square foot children’s museum and wetlands boardwalk. The Center includes 15 indoor exhibit areas, 20 acres of restored wetland habitat, trails, interactive signs, and outdoor exhibits. The Discovery Center is the culmination of a grassroots effort to bring an interactive children’s museum to the City of Murfreesboro. Built on the vacant site of the old Murfreesboro Water and Sewer Plant, the project included restoration and expansion of the old pump building and offices and redevelopment of the grounds, wetlands and water features. Johnson & Bailey Architects was the prime architect and Lose and Associates were the landscape architects for this U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project. S&ME provided included civil engineering, grading and drainage, hydraulic analysis, and utility infrastructure design for the environmental rehabilitation portion of the project.

Highlights

  • Environmental rehabilitation of a former Water and Sewer Plant
  • Nature preserve on 6.5 acres with 1,400 linear feet of elevated boardwalks
  • Observation deck, fishing pier and pond
  • Aeration pond, interpretive area and waterfall
  • Playground area, outdoor amphitheater and water control structures
  • Aquatic habitat, including wetlands