CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There are more things to do in the Queen City as North Carolina continue settling into Phase 2.5. Discovery Place started reopening its museums to visitors Saturday, after being closed for six months because of the pandemic.
Events are also starting to pop back up.
At Discovery Place, staff members wear face shields, check temperatures at the door, and social distancing is in place.
The first weekend of reopening is for members of Discovery Place only, but it'll expand to welcome more visitors in next week.
"We have been planning for this moment since the 1st of June," President and CEO of Discovery Place, Catherine Horne said.
Horne says it's been difficult being closed for six months, but now there's excitement.
"We are bringing learning back in ways we all enjoy it, we can help the public of all ages explore science in new and different ways and do it safely," Horne said.
To keep visitors safe, it will be by appointment only and there will be a new touchless entry. Capacity will be capped at 25% and the museums will only be open on weekends.
A special disinfectant will also be sprayed throughout the day.
"Visitors will see us close an exhibit for a very short period of time, 15 minutes," Horne said.
Meanwhile, at the 4th Annual University City Wine Fest, limitations and safety measures were in place.
"The crowd is not as large as it was in the past but I'm glad they still moved forward with it," attendee Tita Bullett said.
The pandemic has been a big blow to local businesses, but the event was an opportunity to make some lost money.
"We have small businesses that are critical to our economy," Executive Director University City Partners, Darlene Heater said. "It's an opportunity for us to create business for our small businesses."
While events aren't the same these days, for Heater they're still important.
"During this time, it's not easy to do events like this but what we've heard is folks need this sense of normalcy they need to be able to see other people," Heater said.
Under Phase 2.5 bars, amusement parks, and movie theatres remain closed.