Permanent Imagination Destination Exhibit
Opens March 10
at The Strong® Museum
Choose your destiny! Be an astronaut, rescue pilot, construction worker, actor, and more at the original, permanent Imagination Destination exhibit opening at The Strong Museum on Saturday, March 10. Role-play in inspiring spaces bursting with physical challenges, such as a rescue helicopter, construction site, rocket ship, and theater.
Command: assume the captain’s chair and take command of the bridge of the U.S.S. Strong—a futuristic spaceship replete with lights and sounds reminiscent of favorite science-fiction movies. Give orders to the crew, work the controls, and set the ship to light speed! Overhead, monitor the flight on the navigational computer and watch the stars whirl past. Want to save the day? Climb into the cockpit of an emergency helicopter with working controls and set off on a search-and-rescue mission. Zip down a slide into the ocean below to aid those in need—but watch out for sharks!
Construct: don a construction vest and head off to one of two hands-on worksites. Gather your tools and become a builder by attaching blue or purple siding to the frame of a house. Or be part of the remodel and demolition team by knocking the existing siding out! After, use an air-powered cannon to shoot shingles to the top of the house, climb the ladder, and complete the roof. Drop used shingles down a giant trash shoot into the waiting dumpster below. Then travel down into the sewers to inspect city pipes and use engineering skills to repair missing pieces. Then crawl through the dark, winding environment to see real cockroaches.
Perform: become a Broadway darling! Go backstage and put on a costume in front of a giant mirror. Then deliver an on-stage performance in the newly renovated theater worthy of a
Tony Award. Add sounds—such as applause and laughter—and adjust the house lights and the glittering, crystal chandelier overhead. Role-play as a concession stand worker and “sell” tickets to fill up the audience seats. Bust a move in the dance studio and practice your footwork while listening to a variety of music, including classic, country, and contemporary.
Discover: step through a giant magnifying glass and shrink down to the size of a bug in an area specially designed for toddlers. Crawl amid the oversized honeycomb maze and meet giant, plush bumblebees. Wind through a front yard brimming with huge blades of grass, droopy daisies, and cuddly bunnies. Overhead, dazzling fireflies light the sky.
Explore: blast off! Climb up and around a rocket ship set among the stars. Work your way through spaces packed with physical play opportunities—including a ropes maze, tube slide, climbing deck, and moon walk area. Be sure to say hi to the NASA space monkeys around you.
Imagination Destination is made possible in part by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. Entry to Imagination Destination is included with general museum admission fees.
# # #
