The forecast is calling for SNOW!! Gather your holiday sweaters and prepare for a blustery season at Sci-Port Discovery Center’s new exhibition, “Sno-Port: The Science and Wonder of Snowflakes.” Get ready! A season of winter and intrigue is coming to Sci-Port Discovery Center as two new attractions come to life.
The first of these additions, “Sno-Port,” a temporary ten-week exhibit, will be taking over the first floor of Sci-Port Discovery Center beginning November 30 . So, how is Sci-Port making it “snow” in the ArkLaTex? Sno-Port will consist of a variety of interactive snow and ice-themed exhibits, displays and games for visitors of all ages. Activities will provide information about the science and wonder of snow and snowflakes. Lead exhibit producer and coordinator Bonné Summers, owner of Apex Communications and Events, states, “I was approached in May of this year by a variety of people about how a temporary exhibit could be produced at a reasonable cost to help animate Sci-Port Discovery Center and increase traffic during the holiday season. I asked a variety of local fabricating, lighting and engineering professionals to brainstorm with me on a concept and Sno-Port is the result of this group of local talent.” This group includes Ryan McCutcheon of JRyan Artist, Luke Lee with Fusiform Workshop Design, CSC Productions, Twin Blend Photography and Mitch Landry Services Inc.
This creative team is building a variety of sets and interactive games and activities.
Once you have experienced these activities of “Sno-Port,” guests will travel into the Sci-Port Planetarium to take an interactive virtual reality ride on the Red River Rocket Sled. Riders will feel the excitement of take-off and the sensation of cool wind on their faces as they trek their way through a snow blizzard in downtown Shreveport and Bossier City.
In preparation to meet the emerging educational demands of STEM in American education, the team has developed activities that highlight a variety science fields, including geoscience, biology, physics, mathematics, architecture, engineering, computer science, and chemistry.
BUT… That’s not all!
By February 2020, expect the opening of the new, permanent exhibit, which will be named “Adventures of Intrigue.” This innovative approach to hands-on, curriculum-driven education will provide an immersive, interactive story experience for all ages that will utilize one of the world’s greatest computers of all – your brain! Search the Inventor’s Mansion, the Train Depot and the Nature Cabin of as you select an adventure requiring you and your team to solve riddles and find clues hidden within the Adventures of Intrigue Gallery. Educators and employers alike expect individuals in the 21st century to be proficient in critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving. The new exhibit will integrate these skills into an experience through gamification — the framing of approved curriculum with interactive play and instant feedback.
This new, permanent installation is based on, and being created by, the owners of the Museum of Intrigue, located at the Destiny USA Mall in Syracuse, New York. The Museum of Intrigue team is comprised of game developers, set designers, story writers, and more, led by production director Nicole Ginsburg to begin the transition and transformation of the former Louisiana wetlands exhibit area into the “Adventures of Intrigue Gallery.”
Guests will begin their adventure when they enter the Train Station Depot, inspired by the railroad industry in Northwest Louisiana. Adventures include unique, custom-designed and interactive faux architectural facades that will showcase our local culture, biology, and history as “jumping- off points” for the enacted stories.
Dianne Clark, Executive Director of Sci-Port Discovery Center, sums up the excitement of these two new programs.
“We were thrilled when the Shreveport Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau asked Sci-Port to become more involved in the downtown holiday activities. As a result, the concept of Sno-Port was developed and is now being designed by a team of experts as a one of a kind holiday-themed, educational exhibition. Our plan is to continue to improve this exhibit and make it bigger and better every year. In addition to the holiday excitement, we are finally ready to reveal our plans for a new permanent exhibit, The Adventures of Intrigue Gallery. This new exhibit will incorporate curriculum-aligned STEM-related activities designed to provide engaging group experiences for all ages. Look for a March opening for this new adventure!”
Sno-Port Exhibit: The science & wonder of snowflakes
- Blizzard Tunnel: Transform into a snowflake as you enter into the exhibit.
- Make A Flake: Make a snowflake as individual as you are to hang in the ceiling with hundreds of other snowflakes.
- Ice Fishing: Grab a pole and go fishing in an animated ice pond. View virtual reality fish as they swim under the surface.
- Snow Chair Lift: How high can you pump up your ski lift chair?
- Snowball Castle: Toss a “snowball” into the windows of the snow-covered castle to initiate a series of bells.
- There’s No Place Like Igloo: Chill out in an inflatable igloo while you create your own igloo or other creations with “ice” blocks.
- Snowglobe Discovery: Discover the inner workings of a giant snow globe.
Adventures of Intrigue Exhibit: Coming February 2020
- Dockside: Inspired by the steam boat era’s import/export business and the oil manufacturing industry.
- Bayou: A “river bed” of water mimicking both Red River and Caddo lakes will demonstrate indigenous species of flora and wildlife which, often through conservancy intervention, are thriving in our ecosystem.
- Inventors Mansion: Inspired by Captain Henry Miller Shreve’s home in Illinois, this space will consist of rooms decorated with clue-bearing information.
EXHIBIT INFO:
Sno-Port
11-30-2019 thru 1-30-2020
Adults: $12
Children ages 1-12: $5 (under 12 months free)
Sci-Port Members: $5
Gallery of Intrigue
Opening in early March 2020
First adventure free with general admission
Additional adventures $5 – $8
Group and corporate pricing information will be available upon request.
Tickets available online here.
Call 318-424-3466 for more information click here.