A new special exhibit opening on Feb. 25 at Sam Noble Museum, Rainforest Adventure encourages families to explore the sights and sounds of a tropical rainforest. Within an interactive maze, the traveling exhibit uses puzzles, games and a host of mental and physical challenges to guide visitors through an educational journey diving deep into one of the most mysterious and least-known habitats on earth.
“Very few of us will have the opportunity to visit a rainforest. Rainforests are sort of alien to us,” said Alexander Mann, marketing and public relations officer at the museum. “Rainforest Adventure shows us the habitat’s global impact and why we should care.” 
Your journey begins high above the canopy in the tallest trees surrounded by bright colors and radiant sunlight. As you move through the colorful maze and deeper into the rainforest, you’ll answer questions about the flora and fauna in each of the rainforest’s layers: emergent, canopy, understory and forest floor. Incorrect answers lead to dead-ends while correct answers push you deeper into the four layers. If you do end up at a dead-end, you’ll learn about where you went wrong and then circle back to try again.
“Rainforest Adventure is a full-body family experience that engages all of the senses to highlight the rainforest’s abundant biodiversity,” said Jae Nale, with Minotaur Mazes, a creator of traveling exhibits that focus on science and sustainability.
Climb a giant spider web, zip along a butterfly monorail, swing on rope vines, reenact the sounds of rain, see if you can jump as far as a frog, sniff everyday products that come from the rainforest, and discover the diverse inhabitants that live in the rainforest. Then, do it again as you go on a species scavenger hunt to find where a specific species lives in the rainforest! Visitors are also empowered to make a difference by learning how essential rainforests are to human health and survival, how we impact the fragile forest, and ways to take action at home.
The museum has special programming planned to incorporate Rainforest Adventure in its upcoming Spring Break camp on March 13-17 and Little Scientist preschooler program on March 7. Staff will facilitate guided experiences and fun activities. Entry into Rainforest Adventure is included in museum admission and the temporary exhibit will close on June 4.
Also on the horizon at Sam Noble in March: Teens, tweens and grownups won’t want to miss The Science of Sci-Fi, an evening centered on the science behind some of our favorite science fiction classics. Go on exclusive tours of museum collections and get up-close interactions with museum specimens.
