Keep Your Kids Busy, Visit the Herrett Center

A ship, flutes, fish and the replica of a mummy – these are just some of the things you can see at an exhibit at the Herrett Center for Arts and Science.

It’s not a new exhibit, but often when something has been around for a while it gets overlooked by the locals.

I recently wandered into the Herrett Center, located on the College of Southern Idaho campus, and self-toured the exhibit with my camera. Even though I had been here before, there were some items I didn’t remember seeing on previous visits and that now caught my attention.

Each display has placards that highlight and give information about the item. The mummy display – the replica of a mummified woman, its knees pushed up to its chest, a skeletal smile staring out of the glass – shares this info:

“Thousands of feet above sea level, among the high peaks and glaciers of the Andes, lie the ancient remains of sacrificial victims – offerings to the gods made by a powerful Andean culture – the Inca. The bodies, preserved by cold, dry conditions, are a silent testament to the people and events that left them there.”

Tools, instruments, and games from another time also decorate the museum, as does a display about Native Americans and Idaho’s fish. A video tells a little about how the Indians caught, prepared and used fish, and several displays add depth and understanding to the important role salmon and other species played in the territory’s early history.

There’s more, of course – such the Faulkner Planetarium and its many shows or the skeletal replica of a wooly mammoth – and if you haven’t been to the Herrett Center in a while, or if you’ve never been, it’s worth a visit. There’s also an art gallery, activities for young people, and even a live snake that looks like it belongs in a Harry Potter movie.

For more information about what the Herrett Center offers, or for youth activities and other events, visit online or call 732-6655. Or better yet, just stop by. The Herrett Center for Arts and Science is on the College of Southern Idaho campus.