Science and history museums have ABUNDANT tools to awe their guests. Funworld offers a look at a few museums around the world that to ensure their guests leave with new knowledge and a sense of amazement.
Melbourne Museum
Melbourne, Australia | www.museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum
“We’re always working to inspire our community with new exhibitions, talks, programs, and events—as well as providing a space to explore the old favorites,” says Miriam Capper, experience developer and creative lead, on an exhibit named Tyama: A deeper sense of knowing. The exhibit at the Melbourne Museum in Melbourne, Australia, depicts a nocturnal world that engulfs visitors in responsive projectors, special effects, gaming software, and a custom soundscape.
“From bringing in the world’s most complete Triceratops fossil to using technology in immersive, innovative ways, we want to give guests experiences to get excited about,” Capper tells Funworld.
From July 2022 to January 2023, the museum hosted the multi-sensory exhibition that took guests on a journey through Victoria’s natural worlds at night. Visitors were asked to use their senses, much like the animals they share the state with.
“After being cooped up in COVID-19, we were set on making something completely new that brought people together and reminded us how incredible our natural world is,” Capper tells Funworld. “We didn’t want audiences to be passively viewing creatures from our collections—we wanted to give them something they can’t get anywhere else—the chance to step into these creatures’ worlds, see through their senses, and find their own meaning. It’s one thing to learn facts, it’s another to live them out.”
Taking their key learnings at the Melbourne Museum, Capper encourages attractions to tell stories in new ways that will bring people together who hold different perspectives, which helps museums think outside the box to up their “wow” factor. “Tyama was developed by a team of museum designers, scientists, First Peoples knowledge holders, external creative agencies, and technical artists,” she adds.
Natural History Museum Vienna
Vienna, Austria | nhm-wien.ac.at/en
Offering a variety of formats, locations, and activities to inspire and fascinate guests is the mission of the Natural History Museum Vienna in Austria, according to Iris Ott, head of science communication.
To craft an immersive environment, the museum opened Deck 50—a new space for science communication created in September 2021.
“We created a unique space combining a modern laboratory, a performance stage with a 10-meter LED wall, and a meeting area with seating and multimedia furniture,” Ott details. “Visitors are invited to discover, experiment, discuss, learn, ask questions, and contribute ideas.”
A unique “wow” program provided through Deck 50 is the Augmented Reality Dinosaur Show, aimed at making the life and habitat of dinosaurs an interactive and participatory experience. “Based on real skeletons and the latest scientific findings on the physique and behavior of these animals, the team … created new 3D reconstructions of the animal and plant world of the Mesozoic,” Ott explains. “These 3D models were then brought to life using computer animation.”
Ott says the addition of the Augmented Reality Dinosaur Show was designed to help visitors gain additional knowledge from what they’re seeing and experiencing.
“Jointly gained insights and emotional experiences anchor knowledge sustainably,” she continues. “Social developments in the wake of the current pandemic, in particular, make clear the extent to which emotions can override cognitive processes and influence our actions, decision-making, and interpersonal communication.”
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Dallas, Texas | perotmuseum.org
The amazement factor at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas starts when guests enter and take a ride up a glass-encased escalator hanging on the side of the building with a T. rex at the top. “It’s from the moment you enter understanding that you’re going to walk into this really exciting space and signaling with that T. rex some of what you’re going to see inside the building,” says CEO Dr. Linda Silver.
Although the Perot uses a variety of technologies—including artificial intelligence, virtual reality (VR), and immersive technologies—Dr. Silver says she’s learned guests are the most “wowed” by seeing and touching the real thing, such as dinosaur footprints and bones in their Life Then and Now Hall. “When you see or touch a real dinosaur bone, there is no substitute for that with a video interactive,” she adds. “These real objects capture the imagination and inspire curiosity to a much greater degree than anything we can do with a virtual platform.”
The Perot also worked to elevate excitement by giving guests an inside look at what their scientists are working on with an easily viewable lab space. “Every day, you can walk in and see what the scientists [are] working on,” Dr. Silver says. “That is one of our most popular spaces ... because you’re seeing the real thing and you’re seeing real science done in in front of your eyes. And people line up for that much more than they line up for our VR experiences, for example.”
Museu Catavento
São Paulo, Brazil | museucatavento.org.br
At Museu Catavento in São Paulo, Brazil, Project Superintendent Ricardo Pisanelli says their team believes that education is most effective when connected with emotion.
One of the museum’s four sections, named Society, has a unique space dedicated to social themes that are often overlooked in science museums.
“In our view, especially in the times we live in, we have seen a dizzying advance of science in the areas of technology, while on the other hand, we are experiencing enormous social weaknesses where science plays a fundamental role, such as in issues related to climate, political science, or ethical dilemmas linked to new technologies,” Pisanelli explains. “In our view, science museums are the appropriate places to promote reflections and departments on such topics.”
Engaging displays in Society include an exhibit that addresses the legacy of African peoples in Brazil, and another where the visitor acts as a politician at decisive moments in human history.
“We believe that the construction of knowledge is closely linked to emotion, that an individual only creates new connections between accumulated knowledge or preserves new information when he is moved by the subject being discussed,” Pisanelli says. “That is why it is so important to leave visitors impressed with the subjects dealt with in the museum, because when this occurs, we are creating an emotional connection with visitors.”
The Museum of Science & History
Jacksonville, Florida | themosh.org
Bruce Fafard, CEO of The Museum of Science & History (MOSH) in Jacksonville, Florida, says the museum has learned unique, local programming can create a “wow” factor for guests. For example, one of the shows at the museum’s planetarium highlights the sky in Jacksonville and shows a traditional day over a time-lapse. “It’s something because of light pollution that a lot of our guests are really unaware of and can’t relate to, and so we’re able to make it real for them,” he says.
MOSH provides an immersive experience with its current Planet Pioneers exhibition. Guests have the chance to participate in activities like navigating a spaceship and figuring out how to generate enough water to survive on Mars. “These are all elements that are engaging, but they have a teaching element to it,” Fafard says. “They expose the visitor to what real-life astronauts have to deal with and interact with.”
Cultural learning adds intrigue as well. The museum recently held an event named POWER – A Celebration of Arts, Culture & History, where it partnered with a local cultural organization to really focus on the cultural diversity in Northeast Florida. “While that’s not a technical immersion, it’s a cultural immersion,” Fafard adds.
For museums looking to increase their “wow” factor, Michael Stice, director of communications and marketing at MOSH, says it’s important for attractions to understand that your stakeholders are not just your staff members, but also the broader museum community.
“Being collegial and participatory with other museums, not just in your region, but nationally, too,” he continues. “It’s really critical to keep an eye on what everybody’s doing and to stay involved and active in that museum community.”
A Museum Focused on Wow Attractions
More than just science museums create a “wow” factor for guests. A facility dedicated to telling the story and preserving part of the history of the global attractions industry is dedicated to creating emotion.
At the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives (NRCMA) in Plainview, Texas, Board Member Pete Owens says the awe-inspiring nature of the museum experience is related to the number of historical artifacts in their collection. “Not only [artifacts from] coasters, but really the theme park industry or the amusement park industry as a whole,” he tells Funworld.
“Currently, ... our biggest ‘wow’ factor without having the museum completed ... is people coming in and seeing this massive collection and relating to the first roller coaster they ever rode,” adds Board President Jeff Novotny.
Although NRCMA’s collection is currently only viewable by appointment, the attraction is in the midst of a capital campaign to turn its 20,000-square-foot building into a fully functioning museum in the next two to three years.
Novotny says the team is already developing the setup and some exhibit display ideas, such as an experience that celebrates the era of the trolley parks. “We’re likely going to recreate a trolley within the museum and have touchscreen exhibits and explain that unique period of history and also encapsulate you within a trolley and that whole environment,” he explains.
Owens says once the museum is open, they believe it will be an opportunity for schools in the area to visit on STEM field trips. “Theme parks and roller coasters are full of engineering, math [and] science,” he explains. “One of the opportunities we have within this museum is to bring science and math to life through these through these rides.”
