Visiting the new Cook Museum

Numerous circumstances conspired against us having a traditional fall break this year, so we kept it a pretty normal week. We did go to the new Cook Museum of Natural Science today. (It’s so misleading to call it “remodeled.” It’s much larger and much nicer than the museum it replaced.)

We had a marvelous time with all of the beautiful exhibits, and everyone was helpful and friendly.

Italian honeybee colony. The combs to the right were built and used by a colony that has now departed. The museum guide told us that they were going to tear it out, but now it’s looking like the current colony is planning to join the structures, so they have left it for now. (Click for larger.)

I didn’t get any good photos of how airy a lot of the new museum is, but this gives you some idea.

A magnificent golden eagle that was my favorite at the old museum, and may still be. This bird has a 7′ wingspan. (Click for larger.)

There is a large marine fish-only aquarium with numerous tangs, fingerfish, angels, and a few others. (There is also a smaller reef tank, but I didn’t think to take photos of that one.) (Click for larger.)

There are several live reptile exhibits. (Click for larger.)

This is one of several interactive exhibits. This is a sand table onto which a computer projects a biome. As you move the sand around, making high and low points, it simulates what would happen in that biome. Here we see primarily ocean, with a few mountains and a volcano or two. (All of this sand is the same color. The color you see is projected from above, and updates dynamically as you move it around. **Really** cool.) (Click for larger.)

The old Cook Museum was a favorite stop of ours when the boys were younger, and this new one is an impressive facility indeed. Alas, it’s not a pittance to make this trip anymore. Admission for the four of us was $87. Is this too much for the engaging and enjoyable two to three hours you’ll get out of the trip? No, it’s really not. It’s just maybe not quite as “whimmable” as it once was. But it definitely deserves to be on your family’s list!

Visiting the new Cook Museum

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