The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science will soon be welcoming a new exhibit, but for now, visitors can continue to take a trip back in time to the prehistoric age and enjoy present offerings.
Before welcoming the “Mindbender Mansion” exhibit to the facility at Lefleur’s Bluff in Jackson, central Mississippians and science enthusiasts from across the state have just over two more weeks to enjoy “Dinosaurs Around the World: The Great Outdoors.”
Per museum officials, visitors are invited to embark on a globetrotting expedition around the world to discover the Age of Reptiles before the exhibit closes. This outdoor and indoor exhibit features 11 animatronic dinosaurs alongside.
Attendees will see animatronics such as the mighty T. rex of North America, the bi-pedal predator Herrerasaurus, one of the first dinosaurs to appear on Earth, and the bizarre, bony-crested Oviraptor from Mongolia. This exhibit will be up and running until January 5.
Then, the museum will transition into a new phase of educational presentations with “Mindbender Mansion,” an eclectic space filled with brainteasers and interactive challenges running from January 18 through May 4. The goal is to test the brainpower and problem-solving skills of guests of all ages.
“It’s more for solving puzzles and challenges. It’s also math, science, and technology-based. So if that’s your thing, or if your grandchild or children are really into that, it has huge educational content all woven into the exhibit,” Mississippi Museum of Natural Science Foundation Chair LoRose Moore said on Good Things with Rebecca Turner.
Visitors are invited to join the “Mindbender Society” by gathering hidden clues and secret passwords scattered throughout the various thematic rooms of the house soon to be located within the museum. The clues and passwords are revealed by solving select brainteasers and group challenges.
The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday’s operating hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the museum being open on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for senior citizens, $6 for children ages 3-18, and free for those under 3 years old. Annual membership passes can be purchased for individuals for $50 and $100 for families.