City: Charlotte, NC

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (704) 416-4600

Address: 300 East Seventh St.

Description: A multimedia playground and the home of the children’s public library and Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, ImaginOn opened in fall 2005. Its massive tilting roof, glass exterior, colorful and playful interiors, and recycled materials also make ImaginOn Charlotte’s most architecturally adventuresome public building and the city’s first “green” public building.The 102,000-square-foot building provides a variety of experiences for young people and their families, all around the common theme of storytelling. Children can read a story, see a story performed, or even film their own story.From the lobby, a recycled-rubber ramp stretches high above to give visitors a view of most of the building without traditional walls and levels. In the Children’s Library, preschoolers and elementary-school-age kids can read with parents, play at the pretend library desk, or move the puzzle-piece ottomans to create their own storytelling area. The Round provides storytelling space with a puppet theater, while the adjacent courtyard offers outdoor space for story time, creative play, and reading.Tech Central is a light-filled area for school-age kids and teenagers with 35 flat-screen computers for homework, writing, or editing animations or films made on site. A five-person support staff is there to help. Inspiration comes from the Story Jar, an interactive feature that lights up and provides instant feedback. Hanging from a 30-foot spiral sprouting from the jar are hundreds of everyday objects meant to become potential story elements.For teenagers, The Loft serves as a place to do homework or projects, read books or magazines, check out audiovisual materials, surf on computers, or plug in a laptop. In nearby studio i, kids can use animation and video to tell their own stories.ImaginOn also includes a 580-seat main theater. Here the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte puts on family-friendly productions such as Junie B. Jones, Billy Jonas, and The Magician’s Nephew. More intimate productions are staged at the 250-seat Playhouse. Other creative spaces include the glass-lined art studio, the dance studio, and the computer training lab.The best feature of all? Exploring the building and using the library are free. (Shows require a ticket.)Underground parking accessible via Sixth Street is free for the first 90 minutes with validated ticket. Three hours of free parking are available in the Seventh Street Station parking deck after 5 p.m. weekdays and anytime on weekends.Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon to Thurs, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fri and Sat, 1 to 6 p.m. Sun.