Friday, March 16, 2012

#33B: Dinosaurs


Goal #33 is to get someone to give me a tour of two of the newest museums in town: The Leonardo and the Natural History Museum of Utah.

I still can't believe I haven't made it to the Leonardo yet. But last Thursday I went to the Salt Lake Convention and Visitor's Bureau Annual Meeting at the Natural History Museum that moved last year from President's Circle to Red Butte Gardens (or up in that area). The building itself is amazing. I was there a month ago for a Museum Leaders Meeting but didn't get to stay very long.

So the annual meeting was a perfect opportunity to tour the museum. I didn't get a private tour, but I did get to tour it with my good friend Annie and her husband Shawn. Annie works for "The Bureau" and I love that I get to sit by her at these things. I also don't know how I get invited to these things. My name tag said "Salt Lake Gallery Association" which I gave up several years ago, but free dinner? free entrance to the museum? I'm not going to say no to that.


The museum is fun. It spirals all the way to the top floor. But you're having so much fun looking at the displays you don't realize you've been walking uphill for the past hour. There are of course a lot of dinosaur bones, but there are also a lot of interactive displays to play around with. Here are a few of them. You can make a rubbing of a fossil, draw a picture of a dinosaur on the chalkboards. You can be an archaeologist and search for bones and you can smell a forest (and other grosser smells). It's a great place for kids.

If anyone wants to bring their kids up, let me know. I'll come with you. I had a great time.


 

4 comments:

Annie said...

Technically we're no longer The Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau, we're Visit Salt Lake. But I still like to say I work for "the Bureau." I'm so glad you came, it was definitely more fun to sit with you and tour the museum with you. But you did miss out on my favorite display, the earthquake exhibit where you had to try to build an earthquake proof building!

Sue S said...

do you have to be a kid or will you go with me????

also, i want to make a quilt with you. do you have a sewing machine? I want to buy one so I can quilt.

Julie said...

Feel free to take my 5 kids up there! ;)

SRA said...

I didn't love the NatHist museum. I felt like they tried to put too much stuff on display. It is great they have such an extensive collection, but I felt kind of buried. The Leonardo was GREAT, though.