Today, a group of six friends, all active fathers from the NYC Dads Group with our toddlers, participated in a special Mystery at the Museum: An Accomplice Adventure at the American Museum of Natural History.
From the creators of Accomplice—theatrical experiences set on the streets of New York City , Hollywood , and London —comes an exciting new way to explore the American Museum of Natural History. Part walking tour, part game, and part theater, Mystery at the Museum is an immersive and unique adventure through the Museum’s halls. Meet characters, follow clues, and solve puzzles as you unravel a tale that takes you through iconic Museum locations and behind-the-scenes areas.
This experience was unique, innovative, and an adventurous way to explore the museum with our children. The excitement began last night when I received a bizarre phone call from one of the characters (it is certainly part theater) providing our first clue of our scavenger hunt. When we arrived, our group was greeted by a host (another interesting and odd character) who quickly ushered us into a secret room for a debriefing. What happened next was over 90 minutes of dashing through some of my favorite places in the museum with my 2 1/2 year old son and our entire team. We were lead through a fast-paced and engaging adventure through the Museum to solve a modern day whodunit. This experience was 100% about the dads having a blast. Interestingly, our pint sized children, who certainly slowed us down, thoroughly enjoyed themselves as well. What person doesn’t love this museum? That said, I would recommend doing this Mystery experience with children who are much older than three. Note to self: the recommended age of 10 or older was something I could have paid more attention to.
It was an absolute blast. I would absolutely do it again (maybe in a few years when our son is a little older)! We were running, exploring, and trying to keep a handle on our kids. My son napped like a champ from all of the excitement and running around. Overall, it was a truly unique avenue to explore some highlights of the museum. My favorite part was meeting the different characters along the way…you never quite knew who was involved in the mystery vs. the average visitors. I was also impressed with the use of technology as we were equipped with an iPad, high tech headsets, and used Skype to get our marching orders! There are many more surprises that happened along the way, but I don’t want to spoil it for the rest of you…
For more information about the Mystery at the Museum Experience:
WHEN: Saturdays and Sundays (8 performances per day; each performance runs approximately 2 hours)
WHERE: American Museum of Natural History
ADMISSION $50; 10 years old and up. Advance purchase is required.
This is great- we are actually planning to go to the museum this weekend and will definitely look into this. Sounds like a lot of fun!