Timed Events:

  • Meet a Beekeeper at the Observation Hive at 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. (weather permitting)
  • Honey Extraction- beginning at 12:30 p.m. & immediately following hive visits
  • Honey Tasting at 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
  • Book Signing with Mary Priestly, author of William’s Wildflowers: 1 p.m.-4 p.m.

(June 23, 2011 -- Chattanooga, TN) Creative Discovery Museum is all a-buzz to present the 11th annual Honey Harvest, which will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Honey Harvest, the only event of its kind in Chattanooga, is a museum wide celebration for some of the world’s hardest workers: the Honey Bee. Museum guests will be awed by the art of beekeeping, the life and work of a honey bee and how honey is made. Plus, guests will experience the grand opening of the newest Creative Discovery Museum Exhibit—Buzz Alley, an exhibit celebrating the bee.

During the Honey Harvest celebration, visitors can make honey lip balm, beeswax candles, honey soap, taste different kinds of honey, participate in honey extraction and meet a beekeeper with the Tennessee Valley Beekeeper Association. Creation Station will also offer guests an opportunity to make a pollination wristband. All activities are free with paid Museum admission.

“Honey Harvest is a unique and really fun event. I hope guests will come away with an increased appreciation of the importance of honey bees and be inspired to support local honey bees and beekeepers,” said Karen Dewhirst, Museum Experience Manager.

A hive of local honey bees has long been a part of the Museum’s exhibits. The bees enjoy a habitat of plants on the Museum’s green roof creating an ecosystem helpful to the bees.

Both beekeeping and the green roof are examples of how Creative Discovery Museum is making green choices to better the guests’ experience and the environment through good energy management and conservation. “I thought honey bees were fascinating before doing the research for the new Buzz Alley exhibit gallery,” says Dewhirst. “Now I’m totally blown away by the intricacies of their social structure, their tireless productivity, stubborn resilience and the awe inspiring capabilities of these tiny insects.”

Honey Harvest activities are free with paid admission into the Museum.