Final moments: A Day in Pompeii features seven original body casts of eight victims frozen in their last moments. Ethan Lebovics

Gold: This bracelet is among the treasures recovered from the Pompeii ruins.

Art preserved: An authentic, large-scale fresco is one of the highlights of A Day in Pompeii.

CHARLOTTE — One summer day in A.D. 79, the city of Pompeii vanished when Mount Vesuvius erupted.

The city was buried under ash and was not uncovered until the 18th century.

The rediscovered Pompeii gives us an amazing record of what life was like during the Roman Empire.

Starting July 11, Charlotte's Discovery Place will host "A Day in Pompeii."

The Charlotte stop is the exhibit's fourth and final U.S. destination.

More than 13,000 square feet, the exhibit provides a portrait of the city's culture, artifacts and art with more than 250 well-preserved items recovered from beneath 13 feet of ash and mud.

The exhibit includes original archeological field casts of eight of the victims of the volcano's destructive power, frozen in their final moments. The body casts were made by pouring plaster into the cavities that were left in the volcanic materials by decomposed bodies.

Discovery Place has already sold more than 10,000 advance tickets — twice the rate of advance ticket sales for the popular BodyWorlds exhibit.

With each exhibit, Discovery Place raises the bar, says Natividad Lewis, a spokesperson for Discovery Place.

The Pompeii exhibit is educational, fun, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she says.

The exhibit is open through Jan. 4. Advance general admission tickets are on sale now. Reservations are highly recommended. Tickets will be for timed entries, so before making a purchase, visitors will be asked to select the date and time of their visit.

Tickets are $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 over and military with ID.

Tickets can be purchased online at discoveryplace.org. After purchasing online, guests print out a confirmation page that must be brought to the Will Call desk.

Tickets can also be purchased with a credit card by phone at 1-877-0849-4377. Tickets can be picked up at the Will Call desk.

Tickets may also be purchased at the admissions desk in the museum during regular museum hours.

Also opening July 11 is the IMAX movie "Greece: Secrets of the Past," which will give viewers the chance to explore the rise and fall of an ancient culture that gave us the concept of democracy.

Tickets are $5 when purchased with "A Day in Pompeii" admission.

Otherwise, tickets are $8 for ages 14-59; $7 for ages 2-13 and 60 plus and free to children younger than 2.

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

Discovery Place is located in uptown Charlotte at 301 N. Tryon Street.

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