18 Dinosaur Replicas Coming to Mid-America Science Museum
The Mid-America Science Museum is about to take a dino-sized step back in time.
Thanks to a $400,000 donation fro the Oaklawn Foundation, a new exhibit featuring 18 life-like dinosaur replicas will open Memorial Day weekend of 2018.
Some of the dinosaurs will be life-sized, others will be scale models, but all of them will be accurate depictions of the historic creatures.
The Oaklawn Foundation DinoTrek will be comprised of two segments: the “front yard” of the museum will display two dinosaurs and the second and more extensive portion of the exhibition will be located along a pathway in the woods behind the museum, adjacent to the Bob Wheeler Science Skywalk.
Some of the dinos on display will include a 16-foot Brachiosaurus, a 20-foot Pteranodon and a walking T-Rex. Speakers will be located near each dinosaur so visitors can hear how these animals might have sounded when they roamed the Earth
“The Oaklawn Foundation DinoTrek will provide the opportunity for our guests to explore botany, biology, geology, ecology and natural history, which are subjects that are not currently covered in the interior exhibitions,” Diane LaFollette, executive director at Mid-America Science Museum, said in a press release. “Our visitors have always loved the temporary dinosaur exhibitions we’ve had in the past."
Education staff are planning to extend the learning opportunities by incorporating the exhibition and its content in summer camps, after school programs, school group visits and in other educational programming.
Watch the museum’s website and Facebook page for upcoming announcements, progress reports and events surrounding the installation of the new exhibition.