Discovery Park of America is a 100,000-square-foot museum sitting on a 50-acre heritage park located just 18 miles east of Reelfoot Lake. Guests enter directly into our Regional Gallery where they learn about the Mississippi Flyway, fauna and flora of Tennessee with an emphasis on Reelfoot Lake. Live animal exhibits display fish, reptiles and amphibians native to Tennessee with live animal feedings and programming throughout the week. Located on the lower level of Discovery Center in the Natural History Gallery, you can observe rocks, minerals and fossils found across the state. Guests can also enjoy programs throughout the year based on native wildlife, plants, geology, astronomy and more.
The nearby Reelfoot Lake is a unique ecosystem that is incomparable to any other found in Tennessee. It is the largest natural lake in the state and was formed during the 1811-12 New Madrid earthquakes. The lake is 15,000 acres of flooded forests with a mix of cultivated fields, early successional forests, bottomland hardwood forests, cypress swamps, and freshwater sloughs, bayous and marshes surrounding it. It is one of the best locations in Tennessee for bald eagle viewing and visitors can also see golden eagles, pelicans and numerous woodland, wading, and shore birds. During the winter months over 750,000 waterfowl birds can sometimes be seen at one time! The lake ecosystem is also abundant in mammals, amphibians and reptiles including some water snakes that can only be found at Reelfoot Lake.
