Monday, March 07, 2011

Fernbank's New Nature Quest

Being members at Fernbank's Museum of Natural History, we had a chance to preview the new Nature Quest before it opens to the public. We took advantage of it and went this morning to check it out. As you enter the area, you're "under the sea" with some cool interactive games on screen, some magnet animals to put back on the pier and more.

You move up the 'river' which is an interactive video on the floor to a shack on the coast. On one side of the river is the shack itself which has lots to explore.

You then go further up the river to the forests and "water fall". Another interactive video on the floor of the river, a tree to climb, bridges to cross and more.

This replica of a dug out log canoe is across the 'river' from the shack.

A rope ladder to climb up the inside of a tree to get to the bridge.

Baby American Alligators. My camera didn't want to cooperate very much on this. Located just inside the entry, in the coastal area of the gallery.

In the 'forest' area is a 'waterfall' made up of vapor cascading down. Behind the waterfall were these guys. Mole Salamanders.

There's a lot that's interactive scattered around the whole gallery. From microscopes that zoom in on bugs, to an archaeological dig where you can piece together pottery. This was a 'nightscope' that showed the gallery as it might be if it were real and it were 'night'. Watch out for those nocturnal animals!

My kids had a lot of fun. I was half afraid they'd consider themselves too old to enjoy it. Instead, we spent around 1.5 hrs in there just checking it all out. My son was done before my daughter, but that wasn't wholly surprising. If I remember correctly, this opens to the public in two weeks. You'd have to check the Fernbank web site to make sure, though.

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