Indoors & Out: Life & Science
I visited the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, North Carolina, last summer. A lot to see! Indoor exhibits as well as 84 acres of outdoors to explore. A rather hot day at 94 degrees but I saw a lot.
The museum offers an intriguing variety of exhibits. The Aerospace exhibit features authentic Apollo-era space artifacts. In the Butterfly House, visitors can wander into a lush rainforest filled with hundreds of tropical butterflies - feels a bit magical. There’s also a Dinosaur Trail that showcases life-sized models of dinosaurs. Outdoors, there’s a train to ride, Explore the Wild - home to red wolves and black bears, and a Farmyard. And, so the kids can expend their energy, there’s a playground.
Things I loved: Filled with families. Wide-variety of topics, exhibits, and activities. Friendly staff. The butterfly house. Oh, the butterfly house! Butterflies eating. Butterflies flitting about. Butterflies resting. A chance to sit quietly and be surrounded by a tropical forest!
Things that didn't meet my standards: poor wayfinding - which is extra challenging on 84 acres. Also, there was limited indoor seating to sit and contemplate or observe or just rest.
From a mental wellness perspective it had much to spark a sense of awe, multiple opportunities to learn and fill one’s curiosity, and many places to admire nature.
Have you been to the Life and Science Museum in Durham? How was your visit?