Museum Updates Spotter’s Adventure Trail and The Den Ribbon Cutting Media Kit

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ABOUT SPOTTER’S ADVENTURE TRAIL & THE DEN

Spotter’s Adventure Trail (a museum walking trail) and The Den (an outdoor pavilion) at the LeFleur’s Bluff Education and Tourism Complex (LBC) will open to the public on October 1^st. 

Spotter’s Adventure Trail will connect Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks’ Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (MMNS), the Mississippi Children’s Museum (MCM), and the LeFleur’s Bluff Playground, a state-of-the-art playground that has welcomed 100,000 visitors since opening in December of 2021. The 8-foot-wide trail features a fun and interactive outdoor experience with Spotter the Otter and friends, designed and illustrated by MCM’s Senior Graphic Designer, Lori Nesbit.  Characters were brought to life through stories and exhibit elements by MDWFP’s staff and MCM’s Education Team, which was led by William Moore, Assistant Director of Exhibits. 

The Den, located west of the playground, will include tables and seating for up to fifty students. Both museums will use the facility for field trips, events, and programs, including the award-winning Mississippi Science Festival and Park After Dark. An adjacent sloped lawn allows the structure to be used as an open-air amphitheater for large assemblies.

The Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation funded the LeFleur’s Bluff Playground, Outdoor Pavilion and Museum Trail. The Foundation’s generous $3.86 million made this innovative project possible, and the Foundation’s leadership team played a visionary role in developing the state-of-the-art playground and complex. 

PRESS RELEASES

MISSISSIPPI CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

The Mississippi Children’s Museum (MCM) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission of creating unparalleled experiences to inspire excellence and a lifelong joy of learning in all children. The 53,000-square foot museum is designed around five primary initiatives, with correlating exhibits, programs, and outreach efforts. These initiatives include: Literacy, STEAM, Health and Nutrition, Cultural Arts, and Mississippi Heritage – the keys to helping our children mature into healthy and productive adult learners. In response to community needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MCM shifted operating and programming priorities to best serve Mississippi’s children and combat learning loss through facilitating virtual schooling and creating online educational enrichment – services that continue today through a robust, daily afterschool program and an online platform for teacher professional development. 

In 2021, MCM celebrated a monumental year by receiving an Institute of Museum and Library Services National Medal, the nation’s highest honor for museums, and through opening its first satellite museum, MCM-Meridian, which received the 2021 Governor’s Award for Travel Attraction of the Year. To learn more about MCM visit www.mschildrensmuseum.org. 

MDWFP’s MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks’ Museum of Natural Science is located in Jackson, tucked within historic LeFleur’s Bluff State Park. The museum overlooks a 300-acre natural landscape, an open-air amphitheater, and 2.5 miles of nature trails. Inside, enjoy face to face encounters with more than 200 species of live fish, turtles, alligators, and other animals in a 100,000-gallon aquarium network of underwater habitats. Explore 73,000 square feet of exhibits featuring natural Mississippi settings filled with native plants and wildlife including deer, waterfowl, fossils, and Mississippi’s endangered species. For nearly 90 years, the museum has thrilled and entertained visitors while pursuing its mission to promote understanding and appreciation of Mississippi’s biological diversity through collections, research, scientific databases, education, and exhibits; and to inspire the people of our state to respect the environment and to preserve natural Mississippi. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is a member of the Association of Science – Technology Centers. Please visit www.mdwfp.com/museum for more information. 

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Photos Courtesy of: Mississippi Children’s Museum