The Spider Pavilion at the Natural History Museum has done the seemingly impossible – created an engaging, magical walk-through space to see spiders crafting their lacy webs, making a visit just as appealing as a visit to a butterfly pavilion. You know – the kind where you walk by and butterflies land on your shoulders and everyone oohs and ahs?
Well, these spiders don’t land upon you – never fear – but you can get up and personal with red, white, and patterned arachnids as they weave their zig zag, circular, truly stunning orbs among flowers and plants. Misters moisten parts of the mesh-enclosed walk-through experience, because some of these amazing creatures are more at home in jungle weather than what Los Angeles can provide.
In an enclosed space, behind glass, you can take a look in at enclosed spider homes that house the kinds of spidery personnas you wouldn’t want to walk under, such as jumping spiders or tarantulas.
Museum educators are standing by to identify types of spiders and webs and arachnoid habits. It’s incredibly fun and engaging all around – but sorry to report to all you Spiderman wannabes out there – no radioactive arachnoids here.
Be sure to roam inside the museum, too, to experience the beautifully revamped and welcoming dinosaur exhibition, an interactive, well-curated display that include a massive triceratops, the only pregnant plesiosaur fossil ever discovered, and a trio of T-Rexs, another “only at NHM” exhibit, featuring a baby, juvenile and sub-adult alongside other prehistoric predator companions. You can also view informative displays, view dinos from the mezzanine level above, and watch techs at work on uncovering dinosaur artifacts.
A new multimedia exhibition packed with fossils, video images, and plenty of history explores LA Underwater, locally-discovered fossils the define the topography of the city’s past and present.
And of course – the magic of classic animal diaramas, birds, bugs, and lustrous gems both cut and raw are also on exhibit, providing a full day of experiential pleasures. Exploring the natural world has always been a personal delight; the museum’s thoughtful curation makes it even more so.
Visit this wonderful resource any time, but The Spider Pavillion at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum is one more excellent reason to visit the museum this fall. If you’d like to experience a Halloween two-fer, come see the friendly spiders, stay for the whimsical Halloween fun at Boney Island. The spiders alone are so worth web crawling your way over for a visit.
The Spider Pavilion is open for viewing until November 26th. NHM is located in Exposition Park at 900 Exposition Blvd.
- Genie Davis; photos, Genie Davis