Without knowing it, many Tristate residents have peered 450 million years into the past. Whether it’s been splashing through a local creek bed, exploring parks or sitting bumper-to-bumper at the Cut-in-the-Hill, you’ve seen for yourself traces of our prehistoric past. A new permanent exhibit at Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) is transporting you back in time to learn more. And, though the exhibit has been 450 million years in the making, you won’t have to wait that long to visit. CMC’s new Ancient Worlds Hiding in Plain Sight gallery opens this month. You’ll be able to walk the prehistoric sea floor when it opens September 29.
Ancient Worlds Hiding in Plain Sight presents an immersive journey through the Paleozoic Era, beginning with the Ordovician Period – well before the dinosaurs in CMC’s Dinosaur Hall thundered across the land – where trilobites, arthropods, early echinoderms and giant cephalopods thrived in the warm tropical sea that covered the Greater Cincinnati area so long ago. To do so, the gallery showcases CMC’s world-class Ordovician fossil collection, regarded as one of the finest and largest in the world. And for good reason. Cincinnati is a hotspot for Late Ordovician fossils.
Ancient Worlds Hiding in Plain Sight is the latest addition to the award-winning museum as CMC continues an extensive museum experience refresh funded by its $112 million Champion More Curiosity campaign. Since 2018, the campaign has opened 15 new or reimagined exhibits and experiences at CMC, including Made in Cincinnati and the John A. and Judy Ruthven Get Into Nature Gallery in 2022. Additional exhibits and experiences are currently in development with opening dates scheduled through 2024, 2025 and 2026. Those interested in contributing to the Champion More Curiosity campaign can do so at supportcmc.org, as an add-on gift during your online ticket purchase or in person at CMC’s box office.
For more information, visit cincymuseum.org
