CLEVELAND — A few weeks ago, our own Betsy Kling shared the news of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's blockbuster expansion.
On Wednesday, she got an exclusive sneak peek at the $150 million upgrades and reimagined spaces.
The transformation is top to bottom!
A few highlights, below:
Corning Gallery
A new home for rotating exhibits that "highlight the intersection of art and nature," a press release said. Exhibits include a first-edition set of 19th-century artist and naturalist John James Audubon's Birds of America. Also featured is a set of Pop Art icon Andy Warhol's Endangered Species.
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Community Space
Serves as the main lobby of the Museum's educational wing. The area features enhanced, flexible and multipurpose classrooms and a lab, with "state-of-the-art" technology.
Birdly
"A full-body, immersive virtual-reality flight-simulator experience," a press release described. Guests will be able to soar among winged wildlife through "haptic engineering, robotics, game design, and biomechanics."
Smead Discovery Center
Located on the Museum's lower level, guests of all ages can get a close up look at science and nature by digging for dinosaurs, designing their own constellations and more.
3-D Movies
For the first time ever, 3-D movies will be shown in Murch Auditorium. Someof the movies inlcude, Superpower Dogs and Dinosaurs Alive!
These new and reimagined permanent spaces are opening to the public on Wednesday, December 7. On that day, Admission is free.
You have to reserve your tickets before you arrive.
The next phase of renovation will open about a year from now with everything scheduled to be done by 2024.
For more information on the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's expansion, click HERE.
BONUS FOOTAGE | Check out more from Betsy's exclusive peek inside the Cleveland Museum of Natural History:
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