Food Truck Rally at MOSI

Mummies at night? Zipping in the dark? Gobs of food? What's not to like??

MOSI is hosting a Food Truck Rally, featuring ‘Mummies After Dark’ on Friday, Aug. 31, 2012 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. This event will provide Tampa area residents and visitors a last chance to see the groundbreaking exhibition Mummies of the World before it closes on Sept. 9, 2012.

Attendees will have the opportunity to try food from the area's coolest food trucks, enjoy great games and music, and experience Mummies of the World at night like never before. Guests can conquer MOSI’s Sky Trail® Ropes Course and Zip Line in the dark, and check out The Dark Knight Rises on Florida’s largest and only IMAX DOME Theatre. MOSI’s standard exhibit galleries also will be open.

Admission to the Food Truck Rally is free! Additional fees apply for Mummies of the World, Sky Trail attractions, IMAX movies and MOSI general exhibits. Advance reservations are recommended. Tickets can be purchased by calling 813-987-6000.

Birthday Bash and Zip Line Launch Party on Saturday!

Join us as we celebrate the 7th birthday of our Kids in Charge! science center and the launch of our new Sky Trail® Zip Line. With mummy-themed activities, games and birthday cake, along with the opportunity to coast more than 700 feet on the new Zip Line, this celebration is guaranteed to have something for everyone. So bring your sweet tooth and get ready to defy gravity!

Kids in Charge! is the nation’s largest science center and is designed for children 12 and under. Kids in Charge! emphasizes the value of learning through play by bringing together science, creative thinking and the imagination. With the addition of our new Zip Line, children of all ages are sure to take fun to new heights!

This event will be held Saturday, July 14, from 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. The birthday party and cake are included with MOSI admission (while supplies last). Additional fees apply for Zip Line rides.

MOSI’s Sky Trail Zip Line will be open every day, weather permitting.  Mondays – Thursdays: noon – 5 p.m.; Fridays: noon – 8 p.m.; Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.; and Sundays: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.  Group rates, team building and exclusive birthday party packages are available.  Please visit www.mosi.org or call 813-987-6000 for more information and ticket prices. 

Height and weight restrictions apply. Secured, closed-toe shoes are required and available for purchase. Tickets are per person and valid for one adventure only. The Ropes Course and Zip Line are separate adventures and each needs its own ticket. Waiver required. Availability subject to change. Guests should call prior to their visit.

Mummies of the World Geocaching Challenge

Aspiring treasure hunters and explorers can embrace their inner archeologist with the new Mummies of the World Geocaching Challenge, where modern-day GPS equipment and smartphones can double as treasure maps. The Geocaching Challenge will take place from June 17 – 30 in the Back Woods preserve behind MOSI.

Using a handheld GPS or the Opencaching phone app, explorers can hunt down geocaches (different types of hidden containers) containing special prizes and coordinates to other geocaches on MOSI property. There are four Geocaches hidden in the Back Woods area of MOSI. The first three stages all have free prizes, as well as the coordinates to the next Geocache. For the bravest and quickest Geocachers, the very last prize in the expedition will be a raffle for an 8GB Apple iPod.

Other prizes inside the geocaches include MOSI tickets and IMAX Dome passes, travel tags and geocoins. The “treasure” will be available starting Sunday, June 17.

All prizes are first come, first served. Though the contest doesn't officially end until June 30, the treasure may have all been taken by that time. Because of the nature of this game, MOSI cannot guarantee any prizes to Geocachers even if the Geocache is found within the contest dates.

Here’s the first clue. You must find this Geocache to get the coordinates to the second, third and fourth Geocache. Inside the fourth Geocache is the real treasure – a chance to win an 8GB Apple iPod!


Cache #1  (Coordinates to the second cache are inside this cache!)

Howler Monkey Cache

This howler monkey is from the site of Grand Chaco, in Argentina, South America. It has not been radiocarbon dated, but it is likely that the monkey was naturally preserved in the warm, dry environment of the area and prepared for display, with a rhea feather skirt and feather wreath around its head and neck. To learn more about the Howler Monkey, visit Mummies of the World – the Exhibition here at MOSI.


Hint to help you find it:

See a side of KIC rarely viewed (the back side).


Coordinates:

N 028°03.185
W 082°24.361


Prizes:

We are stashing 20 pairs of IMAX Dome Theatre tickets in this Geocache! The first few participants who make it to the Howler Monkey Cache get to see our IMAX film, Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs!



Give Me My Mummy!

Get ready, Tampa Bay. MOSI has hit the mummy-lode…literally. MOSI’s newest exhibit, Mummies of the World, is now open! Come join us as we journey as far back as 6,500 years and attempt to unravel the secrets that mummies hold about the past. This highly anticipated attraction boasts a staggering collection of 150 mummies and artifacts, more than enough to keep both the kids and adults interested. 

For the science lovers out there, Mummies of the World is a fascinating mix of old and new, including engaging interactive multi-media exhibits that illustrate how current science tools enable us to study mummies in new and non-invasive ways, allowing unprecedented insights into past cultures and civilizations. Mummies of the World demonstrates real advances in the scientific methods in which mummies are studied, including Computer Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), DNA analysis and radiocarbon dating, allowing researchers to learn about the lives, history, and cultures of the mummies.

 MOSI also offers guests the opportunity to learn about mummies from the comfort of MOSI’s IMAX® DOME Theatre with the film Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs. This film follows researchers and explorers as they piece together the archeological and genetic clues of Egyptian mummies. Both the exhibit and the film will leave you with much insight into past cultures and civilizations.

Mummies of the World is a timed-entry event so reservations are encouraged. The IMAX® DOME Theatre film Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs is a separate ticketed event. Please visit www.mosi.org or call 813-987-6000 for more information.

Win a Trip to the Los Angeles Premiere of To The Arctic 3D

Ever dreamed of walking the red carpet at a Hollywood movie premiere?

Well, One World One Ocean, in collaboration with MacGillivray Freeman Films, is giving you that chance!

Starting today, you can enter for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid, two-night trip for two to sunny Los Angeles for the April premiere of the new IMAX® film To The Arctic 3D, a MacGillivray Freeman Film from Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX® Filmed Entertainment, and the first film presentation of One World One Ocean – a massive for-purpose media campaign to help restore the world’s ocean.

Click here for a chance to be one of the first people to see To The Arctic on the giant screen AND watch the recently released movie trailer.

The stunning film tells the intimate story of a mother polar bear and her cubs as they navigate the changing Arctic wilderness they call home – and marks the first time a polar bear has been tracked and filmed for five consecutive days!

We’re talking about the most up-close-and-personal experience you’ll have with polar bears aside from travelling up to the Arctic yourself! But here’s the good news… no parka necessary.

So enter the To The Arctic sweepstakes today (submissions close on March 25!) and join us in celebrating the Arctic’s cutest mascot – the polar bear!

Dive into more fun Arctic content from One World One Ocean, including photos and videos, by clicking here.


Photo: A scene from the IMAX® film To The Arctic, opening exclusively in select IMAX® 3D and IMAX theatres starting April 20, 2012. Copyright 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. IMAX® is a registered trademark of IMAX Corporation. www.imax.com/ToTheArctic

Make Your Own Flying Monsters!

Last Saturday, February 18, MOSI held a Flying Monsters Prehistoric Premier Party for the guests that came in to see the IMAX Dome Theatre’s brand new Flying Monsters movie - a groundbreaking film that brings the story of giant pterosaurs and their prehistoric world to life!

In honor of the film, MOSI guests were invited to create their own flying monsters with a few materials you might have in your house or classroom like pipe cleaners, plastic straws, tape, scissors, crayons, and a nifty little cut-out of Pteri the Pterosaur. Check out the party pictures on our Facebook Page.

Our guests had so much fun with this activity that we’ve decided to put the cut-out and the instructions online so that you can do it at home or school. Below are the eight simple steps to follow to make a fantastic flying monster. We recommend this activity for kids 5 to 8 years old. For younger dinosaurs, have an adult perform the step involving scissors and tape. Enjoy!

Step 1: Download and print the Pteri the Pterosaur cut-out. Click Here.

Step 2: Color in your flying monster with lots of different colors. Don’t forget the wings!

Step 3: Using a pair of safety scissors, cut along the dotted line and recycle the extra paper.

Step 4: Cut a one-inch vertical slit over the ‘X’ on Pteri’s belly. It easiest to do this if Pteri is gently folded in half long ways or “hotdog style”.

Step 5: Cut a one-inch slit into the top of a regular clear drinking straw. Bend the two halves backwards to create a ‘T’ shape.

Step 6: Slide the straw through the slit on Pteri’s belly so that the ‘T’ shape is against the colored side of the paper. Then tape the two prongs of the straw onto the colored side of the drawing.

Step 7: Loosely tie a pipe-cleaner around the straw at the base of the back of the drawing. Tape the two ends of the pipe cleaner down at the end of the wings.

Step 8: You’re done! To make your monster fly, hold the knot of the pipe cleaner and move it up and down the straw. Pteri’s wings will fold in and out to make it look like he is flying.

We want to see your creations! Upload your pictures to Facebook and tag ‘MOSI’ or post on our wall to share.

Don’t forget to come see the Flying Monsters movie in our famous IMAX Dome Theatre! It’s only here for a limited time, so don’t let the time fly by. Check out the daily show times here on our website or to purchase tickets ahead of time, give us a call at (813) 987-6000.

Have fun with your monsters!

Now Open: "Target America: Opening Eyes to the Damage Drugs Cause"

MOSI recently opened its newest exhibit, Target America: Opening Eyes to the Damage Drugs Cause. This exhibit created by the Drug Enforcement Administration has been seen by over 20 million people since it first opened in 2002 and started its national tour.

The exhibit’s main goal is to educate visitors on the dark side of drugs and their impact on the human body, families and on the world as a whole. The exhibit has also been expanded to educate visitors on Florida’s history as a drug gateway and local drug issues such as “pill mills.” As visitors enter the exhibit, the grim wreckage of a drug-related car crash greets them and immediately shows the damage drugs can cause to users and innocent bystanders. To the right of the crash wreckage is the section of the exhibit detailing the various ways drugs will damage the bodies of addicts.



Throughout the exhibit, visitors can view informative displays on topics ranging from drug production to money trafficking as well as re-creations of an Afghan heroin “factory,” a jungle cocaine lab and a methamphetamine motel cook room.




The damage to the environment caused by drugs is also featured in a section of the display which details the destruction left by drug production across the globe.



One of the most emotional sections of the Target America exhibit includes a wall of lost talent and two thick binders filled with stories of the casualties of drug use. Here, photos of celebrities and average people remind visitors that the danger of drugs does not discriminate.




The final section of the exhibit has been tailored to feature Florida’s unique history and role in the war on drugs. Displays here include a quiz game on Florida’s role as a drug gateway to the United States, a display on the warning signs of a pill mill and a replica of a police surveillance operation for a drug bust.



The Target America exhibit opened at MOSI on September 16th and will be open until September 3, 2012. This run will be the longest the exhibit has stayed at one location and serves as a reminder of Florida’s importance to the war on drugs. Previous stops for the exhibit have included: the Louisiana State Museum, the California Science Center and the Museum of Science & Industry of Chicago.

Click here for more information on Target America: Opening Eyes to the Damage Drugs Cause. For ticket information please call MOSI at (813) 987-6000.