Museum is great back-to-school trip

By Brian Reynolds (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Wednesday, August 6, 2008

JACKSON — As summer winds down, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson provides a chance to enjoy the great outdoors, while getting students ready for a new year of learning.

“It’s fun for parents and children to enjoy nature together, and while it’s so hot, it’s a more comfortable way to enjoy nature,” Museum Director Libby Hartfield said. “You can have a natural experience and still be in front of the air conditioner.”

The museum focuses on Mississippi wildlife, showcasing animals and fossils from around the state.

“We have a little bit of everything here,” Hartfield said.

One of the most popular exhibits is the 100,000 gallon aquarium, which has aquatic life from the Gulf Coast, swamps and rivers, Hartfield said.

“(The aquarium if so popular) because it’s live stuff,” she said. “It’s so dynamic; everything is moving around and changing.”

The aquarium starts with a display of animals from the Gulf Coast, including a 5-foot moray eel.

“He’s a new edition that everybody’s been excited to see,” she said.

The museum also has a greenhouse that displays a swamp habitat for alligators, turtles and several kinds of fish.

The Pearl River Aquarium features fish from the state’s river systems, including sturgeon, paddle fish and gar.

“We call them living fossils,” Harfield said. “We like to tell the kids that this is what was in the water when the dinosaurs came to take a drink.”

They also have many real fossils on display.

Two of the most popular are the ancient whales that they call Ziggy, a zygorhiza that is 16 feet long, and Basil, a basilosaurous that is 60 feet long. Both are around 35 million years old.

“(Ziggy) is a really beautifully preserved animal,” she said.

The museum site sits on a bluff overlooking the Pearl River, and offers a 2.5 mile nature trail that winds down the bluff and along the river.

Because the trail goes through the woods, it is shady and not too hot during the summer, Hartfield said.

“A lot of people bird watch out there,” she said. “Bird diversity is pretty high.”

Admission for the museum is $5 for adults, $3 for children and $4 for seniors. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. It is closed for all major holidays. It is located at 2148 Riverside Drive in Jackson.