The Bill & Janet Murphy Ocean Gallery is filled with hands-on interactive exhibits that dive into topics like deep-sea exploration, climate change and ‘ocean literacy’. The gallery’s design, led by AldrichPears Associates, occupies 1,500 square feet of space on the main level of the facility.
Whether it be examining magnified water crystals or virtually controlling the globe to see the effects of environmental change, visitors will have a great time engaging their curiosity about the world’s oceans. Kids can get up-close in the saltwater Touch Pool, filled with intertidal invertebrates like starfish, snails, shellfish, sea urchins, and sand dollars – after all, touching a live sea star is far more meaningful than looking at one in a book. Visitors can watch the magic of sea-ice crystals forming before their eyes, or experiment with what it’s like to be an ocean scientist, getting hands-on with whale bones, a Water Sample Station, and Video Microscope.
These and many more deeply interactive experiences await the adventurous ocean explorer.