Take It Inside! When Museums Bring the Great Outdoors In
Museum visitors want to DO things. Preferably, things that are slightly surprising, a little bit physical, and things they may not be able to do anywhere else.
That's why some of my favorite exhibit ideas flip the usual script. Instead of asking visitors to imagine the outside world from inside a building, these exhibits just... drag the outside world inside. No bus. No field trip permission slips. Just a great big "yes, and."
The Humble Sock Skating Rink
Let's start with the obvious hero of this post. The indoor sock-skating rink has quietly become one of the most visitor-beloved (and cost-effective!) temporary exhibit ideas in Children's Museums. Kick off your shoes, slide around a smooth surface on your socks, and suddenly you're a winter sport athlete — no Zamboni required.
Boston Children's Museum's Snowmazing! has been running this indoor winter experience for a remarkable 10 years now, pairing sock skating with igloo fort building and a Northern Lights-inspired art installation.
Out in Santa Barbara, MOXI's Seaside Sock Skating takes the concept in an off-kilter direction; it's on the museum's roof, with ocean views! They even suggest cotton socks for the best glide performance. (Science!)
The genius of the sock rink isn't the surface material. You've taken away the barriers — cold, cost, gear, age restrictions — and just given families the pure kinetic joy of sliding around together.
A video or graphic teaches kids about ice skating. A sock rink produces genuine delight, some wobbly balance practice, and the occasional spectacular fall.
Going Further: Other Outdoor-to-Indoor Wins
Sock rinks may be the poster child, but the broader concept has legs. Here are a few more examples worth stealing inspiration from:
The Providence Children's Museum has "Little Woods," which drops visitors into a colorful indoor woodland complete with tree climbing, caves, and animal costumes. It's not a forest, but it feels like one, and that emotional hook matters enormously.
Boston Children's Museum also features a full indoor nature exhibit called "Investigate," where kids and families can crawl under a turtle tank for a bug's-eye view, or handle natural specimens.
Museums that capture the sensory, physical essence of an outdoor experience and bring it indoors in an accessible, repeatable way are the ones that get return visits.
What "outdoors-in" exhibit ideas have you seen (or created!) that deserve a shoutout? Drop them in the Comments Section below!
Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!
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