Raven Hill Discovery Center is the proud recipient of the 2005 Crooked Tree Arts Center eddi Award for Arts and Cultural Organizations

Raven Hill Discovery Center is the only place in northern Lower Michigan where science, history and art connect for children and adults through hands-on activities and explorations, both indoors and outdoors. Connections emerge through classes, exhibits and facilities that provide opportunities for all ages to learn, create, grow and play.

Contact Information

Phone: 231.536.3369 or tollfree 877.833.4254 ~ Fax: 231.536.0132 ~ Email: info@ravenhilldiscoverycenter.org ~ Address: 4737 Fuller Road, East Jordan, Michigan 49727

Summer hours are in effect!

* Raven Hill is open daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

* Weekday hours are 10 am to 4 pm

* Regular weekend hours are Saturdays 12 - 4pm and Sundays 2 - 4pm.

* PLUS, we are open over most holiday periods & always by appointment.

Regular admission price is $8.00 per person, except for babies that stay in backpacks or strollers. Admission includes time in the hands-on museum and a visit with the animals. There is also access to the one room Schoolhouse, Time Tunnel, Energy House and theTree House, as well as outdoor exhibits, such as the new Earth Tones Music Garden, Beyond Jurassic Park, Ancient World, Taxonomic (Taxi) Trail, the Stone Labyrinth, and the Pond, if you dress for the weather. The average visit indoors is one and a half to two hours. Exhibits are appropriate for all ages, from one to one hundred!! Gift shop and picnic area available. Activities are individually priced, over and above admission price. The Center is located between East Jordan & Boyne City, just off C-48 at Pearsall Road and within Mile 15 of the Breezeway.

Attention! Coming Events!

A special Luke Buck Water Color Workshop is scheduled at Raven Hill Discovery Center for Monday, August 2 and Tuesday, August 3, 2010 from 9 am to 3 pm. Luke Buck, a native "Hoosier", grew up and studied art in Indiana. His nostalgic paintings of Americana landscapes and American wildlife show a love for life, art, and nature. Many “locals” here in northern Michigan appreciate his talents and enjoy collecting his paintings. Luke will be teaching his unique but traditional technique and approach to watercolor painting through lectures, demonstrations, and step-by-step painting with one-on-one instructions. This workshop is designed for beginner, intermediate, or advanced watercolor painters. Early enrollment is recommended as space is limited. Cost: $200 for 2 days. Lunch is included.

~~~~~~~~

By popular request, a star party will be held again this year out by the Raven Hill Discovery Center Schoolhouse starting at 9 pm on Thursday, August 12th. Bring comfortable chairs or sleeping bags so you can lay back and enjoy the meteor showers. Watching meteors is best done in a reclining position so lounge chairs, sleeping bags or ground blankets to lay down on to watch the meteors will be best and plastic will help keep the dew off. Of course this is all contingent on clear skies that evening (call 231.526.3369 for latest update). Enjoy the wonder and excitement, when you see galaxies and nebula and planets that you may never have seen before. Patrick Stonehouse, local astronomer, will again have the telescopes out and be our “guide on the side” for this exciting event. Donations of $5 per person and $15 per family are appreciated. Light refreshments will be available. Call 231.536.3369 to register or for more information.

~~~~~~~~~

It’s a FAMILY AFFAIR at Raven Hill Discovery Center every second Saturday in 2010—next up: August 14th from noon to 4 pm. Thanks to a grant awarded by the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, the Center will offer FREE ADMISSION and special science activities on the second Saturday of each month in 2010. Bring the whole family “team” OR make it a special event for parent and child. There will be fun problem-solving demos & activities to fit various ages, abilities and interests every month. Family groups can strengthen creative & critical thinking skills by trying a different science challenge each month, plus enjoy the museum, animals and outdoor exhibits. The focus in August will be Pond Critters. Come and be prepared to learn about our pond community and catch (and release) a frog. Watch for other fun events every second Saturday in 2010 and make plans for your family to join us.

Here's More.......info, exhibits and some history!

Winter Hours: Please call ahead to check on winter road conditions. Between Labor Day and Memorial Day, Raven Hill is open weekends from 12 to 4 pm on Saturdays and 2 to 4 pm on Sundays or any time by appointment. Treat yourself and your family to a day or an afternoon of fun and exploration at Raven Hill Discovery Center. You can build connections between science, history and the arts in an interactive learning environment. In addition to playing in the hands-on museum and holding the exotic animals, you can also spend time in the one-room schoolhouse, see the geologic history of the earth in the Exploring Beyond Jurassic Park outdoor exhibit, stroll through various cultures in the Ancient World, explore the new Tree House, show your musical talents in the Earth Tones Music Garden and take a peek at the Center’s “in-progress” exhibit, the Energy House, which is solar powered. Plan at least 2 hours or more, if you are taking a class or experiencing any of the outdoor exhibits.

AND--feel free to email us (look up & left for the blue email button ) and share your experiences, comments and suggestions about our facilities, exhibits and programs. Your input is appreciated.

Explore the Earth Tones Music Garden

The new outdoor Earth Tones Music Garden connects the science of sound and the history of instruments to the art of music. The eight over-sized, tuned instruments includes a 75' friction harp, friction rods, a lithophone, triangles, whale drum, bells, aerophone and Amadinda are made possible by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts and many community businesses, organizations and individuals. The Music Garden's gala opening was Friday, July 17th and sponsored in part by WCMU Public Radio and East Jordan Plastics, as well as many other area businees and individuals. The Earth Tones Music Garden was designed and constructed by musician and edutainer, Tom Kaufmann. Tom demonstrates the Amadinda, aerophone, lithophone, friction rods and the earth (friction) harp. Click here to see and hear the Music Garden in action!

Play in the barrier-free Tree House, built in the shape of a maple leaf around four trees.

Designed and built in the shape of a maple leaf by Poineau Woodworkers of East Jordan, Michigan through a grant awarded by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts, plus many private donations, the Tree House connects science and art. Panels are being decorated by local schools and inside, visitors can play with a marble roll, leave notes on chalkboard circles, ring the dinner triangle, examine a tree trunk up close and personal and soon will also be able to look through kaleidescopes, periscopes and telescopes. The stem of the leaf forms a barrier free ramp for everyone's convenience.

Exploring Beyond Jurassic Park

Stroll through Raven Hill Discovery Center's "Exploring Beyond Jurassic Park" and learn about the Earth's Geologic History before and after the dinosaurs. The 350' walkway begins with the formation of the Earth and ends with the appearance of modern man. The exhibit includes real rocks, fossils, and trees and sculptures of extinct species. Pictured above is the Pteranodon sculpture of welded steel by Bill Allen.

The Ancient World

Raven Hill Discovery Center's Ancient World Exhibit includes a working factory site with 4 primitve pottery kilns, a glass furnace, a beading furnace and a copper smelter. There are 5 cultural areas--Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Oceana. Visitors can use their imagination and circle the world, exploring a 10' Moai (Easter Island head); obelisk, the bluestones of Stonehenge, a Sweet Track, zen garden, pyramid, Olmec mound, raised crop beds, shaduf, Great Serpent Mound and a Mayan ball court.

RAVEN HILL OPPORTUNITIES

Classes for children and adults are available any time by appointment. Call 231.536.3369 to book a specific class to fit your interests and choose a day and time to fit your individual schedule.

Teachers can book field trips and outreach programs for their students

Graduate credit classes for educators through Central Michigan University are offered year-round: two consecutive weekends during the school year and one week during the summer months

Scouts and other youth organizations can schedule day programs or overnights to work on activities to fulfill badges, patches or pins

Families will enjoy spending quality time with their children and grandchildren

Hikers and walkers looking for new trails to explore will find multiple opportunities for easy to "black diamond" paths.

Earth Journey: Walk to support Raven Hill any time. Purchase a passport and add stickers as you visit different exhibits at the Center. Beautiful limited edition Raven Hill Discovery Center “Earth Journey” T-shirts are also available with a map of the grounds in full color right on the shirt. Walk, roll, stroll around Raven Hill for as little or long as you wish ~ Stop and play along the way ~ Take time to enjoy Near and Far ~ Now and Then ~ Exhibits and Demos


"Short History of Raven Hill Discovery Center"

Raven Hill Discovery Center, 2005 Crooked Tree Arts Center eddi Award recipient for Arts and Cultural Organizations, was established in 1992 as a regional science and technology center. Raven Hill is a 501 (C) (3) organization. It is located on 157 acres adjacent to Little Traverse Conservancy’s Raven Ridge Nature Preserve. It is also a cultural, historical and art center. The overall goal of the Center is to build lifelong connections for children and adults that link science, history and the arts in a hands-on learning environment. Over the past fifteen years Raven Hill Discovery Center has had more than 134,000 visitors experience science and technology, history and the arts through hands-on exhibits and displays. Indoors, visitors can explore museum exhibits like a wellness center, walk-in kaleidoscope, musical instruments, generator bike, magnet table, loom, gyro cycle, old-fashioned games, laser and plasma lamp, motion displays, as well as many displays and collections of science, history and art. In addition, the animal room is full of live animals, including snakes, lizards, turtles, and spiders. Out-buildings include a Time Tunnel, Print Shop, Work Shop, Raven Hill Schoolhouse and Tree House, plus a Taxonomic (Taxi) Trail, Energy House, caboose and forge that are in various stages of completion or restoration. Outdoor exhibits range from the new Earth Tones Music Garden, the medicinal and turtle gardens, Exploring Beyond Jurassic Park, The Ancient World, labyrinth, wetlands boardwalk, the Taxonomic (Taxi) Trail and a half-acre pond. Programs include professional development workshops for teachers and graduate classes through Central Michigan University, school field trips, scout activities, summer day camp, adult enrichment classes and family days. The museum is also open to the general public. In addition, there have been over 75,000 contact hours with teachers and students in area classrooms during the last fourteen years as a result of Raven Hill’s Outreach Program. Raven Hill is unique in northern Michigan. It draws regularly from a twelve county area during the school year and from across the United States and the world during the summer tourist season. The Center is open year-round to the public, individuals, groups, and organizations.