I have never really been one for natural history museums. I think it's the dioramas that annoy me and the stuffed animals, especially the big ones, that freak me out. It just doesn't seem natural for some reason to me. But, the side of them that I do like are the traveling exhibits, like the latest Genghis Khan display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

The Genghis Khan exhibit just opened at the museum and will run through February of 2010. I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek and was more than pleasantly surprised; they definitely got it right. The artifacts that are on display are unbelievable. I particularly enjoyed the glazed stone pieces (photos not allowed) that were preserved as well as the remains that were found with a woman who was believed to be a rich Mongol of some importance.

There is also a great multimedia display; my favorite was with the touch screen monitors since it turned out to be a fun game of comparing and contrasting with my date. Upon entering the exhibit we were given cards with a name on it. That name, as well as several others, were listed in the monitors where we could track the person through the course of history as we made our way through the exhibit.

Even though he ultimately sounded like a lazy slug of a man that needed to be carried around by servants, I was happy to get Subotai's card. Subotai was one of Genghis Khan's great generals. He was so good at military strategy even that he was able to conquer Russia in the winter, something I'm sure Napoleon can tell us isn't the easiest of feats.

There are also a few hands on stops for the kids, historical movies and replicated weapons of the time on display. All of this helps pick up the slack that may be lost from any other display; there is just so much that sometimes it can feel overwhelming, so the change in media is a great way to keep everyone interested.
The Genghis Khan exhibit is so well done that there's really no time for the rest of the areas of the museum. I would've liked to have run through some of it, like the space exhibit, the Egyptian mummies room or the prehistoric journey, but it was unfortunately not open during the premiere. But, like I said, I'm not exactly one for dioramas or stuffed animals, so it wasn't a major disappointment by any means.

I highly recommend the museum for a visit to anyone coming to or living in Denver, particularly families. It's a great place to spend a day and learn about the world around us. And, if time is budgeted correctly, it can also be done in conjunction with a day at the Denver Zoo, which sits right around the corner.

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