SMALL WORLD
Lexington Explorium
440 W. Short Street
Lexington, KY 40507
Explore entomology! The University of Kentucky Department of Entomology has partnered with the Explorium of Lexington (formerly the Lexington Children's Museum) to bring an exciting new entomology exhibit to downtown Lexington. Small World is filled with live and preserved insects from Kentucky and around the world, and offers visitors an opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with tarantulas, giant scorpions, aquatic insects, and other creatures in a safe, fun environment.
Darkling Beetles, Emperor Scorpions, Predaceous Diving Beetles, Tarantulas: Just some of Small World's denizens
(photos by Charlotte Eckmann and Margaret Trafton)
Small World is open on a self-guided basis during the Explorium's regular hours, Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 1pm-5pm (closed Mondays). And of course, when you visit Small World, you get access to all of the other great exhibits at the Explorium, too! Contact the Explorium for ticket prices, directions, parking, and other information at: 859.258.3253 | http://explorium.com/
Small World Saturdays
Every Saturday from 11am-2pm, a trained expert will be on hand in Small World to answer your questions about the exhibit. Don't be surprised if the cages are opened--intrepid guests will even get to touch some of the creatures! Our experts will usually have a few additional creatures as well, such as seasonal native insects. And arrive early, because 11am Saturday is a regularly-scheduled open feeding time, when lucky(?) visitors may even get an opportunity to throw a cricket into the scorpion cage!
Special Exhibits
Coming soon to Small World: a special exhibit of spiders and their relatives from the United States. Included in the display will be a wolf spider, a black widow, and several other creatures.
Attention Educators: Join us at Backyard Biology Week during the week of March 19-23, 2012. At this special event, school groups will rotate through three interactive stations exploring cave systems, plant life, and entomology. Special emphasis will be placed on how these topics are connected on a larger ecological scale. Groups will need to call the Explorium (859.258.3253) and book in advance to attend this event. Cost is $6.50 per student. Read more details in the official flyer.
