From the time it opened in 1972 until it closed in late 2020 for a 17-month renovation, one exhibit at the former Delaware Museum of Natural History stood the test of time: a representation of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, under several inches of protective glass.
It's back, with new specimens and more scientific accuracy, in the recently-reopened, renamed Delaware Museum of Nature and Science.
"This is one of the things our guests absolutely love," DMNS Communications Director Jennifer Acord said. "We've probably had millions of feet walk over this coral reef."
A little over a decade ago, the museum was enjoying record attendance, but for a troubling reason: more people were staying close to home because of economic conditions.
"It's a complete re-do. We took down the exhibits, all the way down to the studs in the wall and built it back up."Delaware Museum of Nature and Science Executive Director Halsey Spruance
Around that time, the museum team began to consider an overhaul of its purpose and its mission. Members, trustees and stakeholders weighed in, and members of the museum team traveled to other museums to get some ideas.
"The museum as it was set up at that point really was not delivering what we wanted to do in terms of interactivity and other things within the museum. So, that's when we started our project," DMNS Executive Director Halsey Spruance said.
The Delaware Museum of Natural History closed to the public in late 2020 - a decision that was independent of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"At the beginning of 2021 is when we took out our exhibits, did deconstruction, and built back up," Acord said.
The overall project cost about $10.8-million.
"I honestly do think that every cent was so well-spent here within the museum," Spruance said. "It's a complete re-do. We took down the exhibits, all the way down to the studs in the wall and built it back up."
While the Delaware Museum of Natural History showcased mammals, birds and shells, the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science showcases ecosystems, the wildlife in them and the environmental issues that face them. The rain forest contains a jaguar, snake and exotic birds. A walrus presides over the Arctic tundra. Hyenas and other creatures inhabit the African savanna.
There, children and adults who feel like getting down low can crawl through tunnels and pop up in a clear glass bubble, face-to-face with wildlife.
The paleo-zone, with a couple of ever-popular dinosaurs, depicts what it was like in Delaware and the Mid-Atlantic during the Cretaceous period. Meanwhile, today's Delaware gallery - with a giant map of The First State on the floor - depicts saltmarshes, dunes, shorebirds and horseshoe crabs, and the Bald Cypress Swamp.
E-readers, flipbooks, a simulated deep-sea dive and other activities are sure to keep visitors of all ages engaged. The risks to the environment such as climate change and wildlife poaching are also detailed, with questions posed to guests: why should I care, and what can I do?
Outside, there is an evolution trail that takes the visitor on a journey through time, beginning with the early formation of the earth through to the present day.
According to Acord, the museum will eventually offer traveling and temporary exhibits.
Visitors can start their experience at the museum's website for information about the exhibits and to buy tickets.
Acord encourages everyone to visit - even if they've been multiple times and think they've seen it all.
"It's so different. We can't wait to show it."
