Discovery Place in Charlotte brings the ancient Roman city of Pompeii up from the ashes beginning Friday, July 11, when the museum presents "A Day in Pompeii." Tickets for this new exhibition are already on sale.

"A Day in Pompeii" journeys back to 79 A.D., to the fateful day in history when the ancient Roman city was buried by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Featuring more than 250 artifacts and national treasures of Italy, including eight original body casts of victims frozen in their last moments, "A Day in Pompeii" allows guests to discover that what nature destroyed, it also preserved.

As it did with to "The Dead Sea Scrolls" exhibition, Discovery Place developed "A Day in Pompeii" in coordination with the Italian government and three U.S. science centers. "A Day in Pompeii" has only appeared in three U.S. cities, with Charlotte being the fourth and final U.S. destination.

"Visitors to the exhibit will experience the moving and tragic story of an incredibly developed and artistically advanced civilization that was eradicated by an unpredicted force of nature." said John Mackay, president and CEO of Discovery Place. "What guests will find most intriguing about the story of Pompeii are the haunting similarities to natural disasters we have seen in our own time."

"A Day in Pompeii" revives the beautiful city before the unthinkable occurred and tells a story about life, art, religion and development, giving guests a rare glimpse into what life was like in the Roman Empire nearly 2,000 years ago.

The exhibition offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see treasures of ancient history. The precious artifacts on display include a stunning large-scale garden fresco, gold coins, jewelry, marble and bronze statuary, and other dazzling examples of ancient Rome's artistry and craftsmanship.

"Discovery Place has received amazing visitor response by bringing world-class exhibitions to Charlotte," said Mackay. "More than 222,000 guests visited 'Dead Sea Scrolls' in 2006 and recently, nearly 300,000 visited 'Body Worlds.' 'A Day in Pompeii' offers another unprecedented opportunity for Charlotte to experience something rare, authentic and unique."

"A Day in Pompeii" is on display at Discovery Place from July 11-Jan. 4.

Tickets to the exhibition will be for timed entries, so before making a purchase, visitors will be asked to select the date and time of their visit.

Guests can purchase general admission tickets in one of three ways:

nBy going online at discoveryplace.org. After purchasing tickets online, guests print out a confirmation page. This page must be brought to the will call desk at Discovery Place prior to or on the day of the visit. Online convenience fees apply.

n Via phone at 1-877-849-4377. Callers may purchase tickets to the exhibition with a credit card. Visitors who purchase tickets by phone will pick them up at the will call desk prior to or on the day of their visit.

n By visiting Discovery Place. Visitors may purchase tickets at the admissions desk in the museum during regular museum hours.

Admission to Discovery Place and "A Day in Pompeii" is $20 for adults (14-59); $17 for children (2-13); free for children younger than 2; and $18 for college students with ID, seniors ages 60+ and military with ID. Discounts are available for Discovery Place members and for groups of 15 or more. Children age 13 and younger must be accompanied by a responsible adult while in Discovery Place.

The last timed-entry tickets will be sold for a time 90 minutes prior to museum closing. During the run of the exhibition, the museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last Pompeii ticket sold at 3:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last Pompeii ticket sold at 4:30 p.m.) on Saturday; and noon to 6 p.m. (last Pompeii ticket sold at 4:30 p.m.) on Sunday.

"A Day in Pompeii" is a collaboration of the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei and the host American institutions, the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center, the Science Museum of Minnesota, the San Diego Natural History Museum and Discovery Place.

Discovery Place is located in uptown Charlotte at 301 N. Tryon Street. Convenient parking is available in the science center's parking garage at the Carol Grotnes Belk Complex on the corner of Sixth and Church streets.

For more information on pricing or programming, call 704-372-6261, ext. 300 or visit discoveryplace.org.?