The Colburn Earth Science Museum in Asheville, North Carolina, will close in July ahead of a move to a new home in a larger space in September.

Rebranded as the Asheville Museum of Science, the attraction will move into an 8,000sq ft (743sq m) space occupying the ground floor of Asheville’s Wells Fargo building.

The reimagined museum by Sparc Design and Hazlip Studio will feature three permanent new exhibits, one based on Southern Appalachian forestry, one on the French Broad River and one on dinosaurs and fossils – complete with a 12ft-high (3.6m), 20ft-long (6.1m) terataphoneus curriei skeleton. Additionally, the museum will include a new version of its existing Colburn Hall of Minerals.

In addition to new exhibitions, the revamped museum will feature a STEM lab part-funded by Wells Fargo, which will include microscopes, a Van de Graaf generator, laptops and iPads, a 3D printer and other new technologies for users to experiment with.

The museum has raised more than half of its US$1.3m (€1.15m, £900,000) goal needed for the move, with US$748,000 (€658,000, £518,000) raised towards its target sum.

“For more than 55 years, the Colburn Museum has fostered an appreciation for the Earth and its resources and environments through its exhibits, educational programming, and the care of its collection,” said a statement from the museum.

“This summer, the Colburn will embark on a new journey as the Asheville Museum of Science. We will relocate to the Wells Fargo building adjacent to Pritchard Park and expand our mission beyond earth science to incorporate a broader reach of all types of science such as chemistry, technology, engineering, biology, and climate science, to name a few. Our upcoming Under the Stars event will help us reach our campaign goal of US$1.3m to open downtown Asheville’s premier family-friendly venue with a brand new, state-of-the-art facility and exhibits for all to enjoy.”