Hands down my favorite of the museums within CMC's walls. There is so much to explore and take in in this museum, so please excuse if this post is longer than the rest. Similar to the Cincinnati History Museum, as mentioned in my previous post, is divided into two sub levels, and extends into the basement below.
Sub Level 1- Natural History:
Before even going down the small ramp that takes you into the museum itself, you are met with the towering skeleton of a brachiosaurus staring right at you.
As you can see in the background of this picture, there are many fossils to be seen on this level of the museum. Granted, all of the fossils are casts, it's still neat to be able to see them up close. Each display has a plate on the front of it that gives information and insight about the fossil. The one thing I wish they would add is where the fossil came from. It may seem unimportant to some, but I would love to know where they're digging these treasures up from. Below are more pictures of the fossils that are available to view.
Although the blurbs of information don't tell you where the fossils are from, some of them do give some interesting information if you didn't know it already. For example, in the picture on the left, the chicken skeleton is being compared to that of a small velociraptor, the plate mentioning that dinosaurs are still around today, as birds.
Sub Level 2/3 - Science:
While there are some activities for kids on the first sub level, most of the kid activities for this museum are on the second level. There are air cannons with streamers and strings of beads in front of them so the kids can see the power of the air when they pull the cannon. There's also an open 'tornado chamber' that releases a stream of steam so the air current can be seen as it twists and twirls in the chamber. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of any of these activities, mainly because I didn't want to accidentally get kids in the picture and have to blur any of their faces out.
Now the third sublevel focuses on the species that live in Ohio, and what happens during the changing of the seasons for some of these species. There are a few dioramas, the four main ones being how trees look different depending on the season. Theres also a diorama of a pond and all of the creatures within it.
Basement level:
Alright, time for my favorite part of the Natural History and Science Museum, the cave and the Ice Cave. The Cave is a based on a stalagmite cave, most likely the beautiful Ohio Caverns in West Liberty, Ohio. While the main marvel in this attraction is the floor to ceiling stalagmites, there is an actual jaguar skeleton tucked back behind glass towards the end of the path. I like how they did this display, because it gives the idea of how an archaeologist would come across an animal skeleton in a cave like that.
When leaving The Cave exhibit, you're met face to face with a very old bison with very, very large horns. To be completely honest, I forgot to get a picture of this fossil's information plate. Regardless though, the fossil is displayed in such a breathtaking way, just being able to get an idea of the sheer size of such a powerful creature. An animal that used to walk this earth, with its descendants still roaming the plains. This bull is the 'guardian' to the entrance of the Ice Cave. The entrance through the Ice Cave is a glacial looking tunnel that is being blasted with cold air. Really gives you the feel of walking into the Ice Age.
About halfway through the Ice Cave exhibit, you walk into a room with a mammoth skeleton and other fossils from Big Bone Lick, Kentucky. In this room, there are also Earth cores from Ohio's own Miami Whitewater park, in which the sediment captured was carried by the Wisconsin Glacier as it melted 15,000 years ago. The Earth cores were actually captured by the University of Cincinnati's own research team.
Speaking of Big Bone Lick, Kentucky, that's actually the inspiration for the next room. The whole room is an entire diorama with taxidermized, replicated extinct species. I decided not to take any pictures of this room, except for the sign at the end of the room because I felt like the taxidermy wouldn't be doing justice to the actual species around at this time. A lot of them looked very, cartoonish. Another thing I would change, since I know it's possible, is that if they ever get a fossil of any of the species shown in that room, that they're displayed. Either like the bison, hanging by wires, the iron skeleton Mammoth, or behind a glass case. While seeing how these creatures would actually look is nice, I believe it's more interesting to leave it up to the imagination of those who look upon the fossil.
At the very end of the Ice Age exhibit is a giant cross section of a Sequoia tree. Of course I had to take a few pictures of it and it's plaque, especially learning about tree rings in archaeology. It's amazing to see the different stages in growth between the rings. How they're barely visible from a distance, just like archaeology, you may not be able to see much on the surface, but the closer you get, or the deeper you dig, the more you discover and learn.
And thats about the end of the Museum of Natural History and Science, join me in the next post for my overview of the CMC as a whole. Hope to see you there!
