Friday, September 23: Pre-Conference Activities: Hadley

Display of Ybor City in Tampa Bay History Center

Since I got in late on Thursday evening, I had time to explore my surroundings and get a little more familiar with the city where I used to live. The registration booths for the conference were open and I decided to get my badge early since it allowed you to  get free admission to the Tampa Bay History Center and the Florida Aquarium which were only a few blocks away from the convention center. I ended up spending nearly all of my time in the Tampa Bay History Center before meeting up with Angela later in the afternoon.

There were a great deal of interactive exhibits detailing Tampa and Florida history including immersive theaters regarding Spanish colonization and the infamous Seminole Wars. One of my favorites has an interactive map of the city that let you access then and now photos of various land marks.

Interactive maps of landmarks for Tampa Bay

After Angela arrived, we attended an exhibit showcase where we picked up brochures and heard over 42 (there were over 50 on the list) exhibitors talk about their upcoming traveling exhibits. There are some creative exhibits out there. The one that stuck in my mind was the  fully customization exhibit where everything was 3-D printed and, of course, the many exhibit focusing on dinosaurs. 

• Ontario Science Center has "Motion Mania" debuting in 2017, an interactive exhibit all about force and motion. http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/Rentals/
• Science Museum Grouphas an "create your own" 3-D printing exhibit
• Cincinnati Museum Center has "In the Dark" About nocturnal adaptations http://www.cincymuseum.org/traveling-exhibits/in-the-dark
• Michael Holland Productions-  "Marco/Micro" Exhibit https://www.facebook.com/macromicroexhibit/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE&fref=nf

Lots of options out there!