Visit The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes in Seattle

Remember earlier this year when I was raving about the Seattle Rep production of Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem? Well, I'm back raving about Sherlock Holmes in Seattle, only this time the fun was across the Center, past the fountain, in the shadow of the Space Needle at the Pacific Science Center. The new Pacific Science Center’s The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes brings the legendary Sherlock Holmes to life, showing backstory of his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as the history of those Sherlock was modeled after. You will be transported to the Victorian time of Sherlock Holmes to learn about the science, technology, and methodology of the time while solving a mystery created just for this exhibit.

In the first part of the exhibit, you will see why the world fell hard for this master of observation and brilliant detective while looking over original manuscripts, letters, and illustrations that influenced the creation of Sherlock Holmes. The exhibit brings to life this scientific expert that was well ahead of his time and who used seemingly trivial observations and clues others missed to solve some of his era’s most mysterious crimes. You’ll also learn about 221B Baker Street, the infamous investigation room of Holmes and Watson, as well as peek into the creation of the books that any fan of the Sherlock Holmes series will adore. We got to experience the Seattle Sherlock Holmes exhibit during the members preview night {note to Seattle residents: you should definitely become members} and I can tell you that we all loved it. We were one of the few who had kids with them during the preview night, and I was a bit stressed that we were going to clog the exhibit, but the exhibit was designed in a way that made it easy to stay out of others way. Since there were different stations in each room that you could visit in any order you wanted, I never felt like we needed to rush to avoid a line of people forming behind us, which was really awesome since sometimes the kids liked a display or activity that they wanted to do it over and over. While there is quite a bit of reading in the first part of the exhibit as you explore the life and times of Sherlock in the beginning, there still are fun activities for kids to keep them busy while you read. From ballistics angles to telegraph instructions, the kids loved the hands-on learning while we gave them an overview of what they couldn’t read.

After you have explored the world of Sherlock, you will go right into an interactive adventure that will have you scoping out a staged crime scene, gathering evidence, testing hypotheses, doing experiments, and ultimately solving the case in true Sherlock fashion. You’ll receive a detective notebook that you will use to collect clues, which is all done without the use of a pencil. You will use stamping, embossing, and punch-out tools at each station to record your findings in your notebook, which all lead you to the answer. The kids have been talking about these experiments ever since we visited the exhibit, and not only are they talking about how fun they were, I love that they are also talking about the science behind them. Seeing them enjoy learning so much makes me really happy, and it makes me resolve that we will always take them to things like this that have aspects tailored to all of us – hubby and I who love the Sherlock stories and learning about different technology from other eras, and my oldest who is just now getting into detective stories who will no doubt end up loving Sherlock like we do, and then to my younger two who just love all the hands-on trial and error that leads to unexpected discoveries. After the mystery is solved, you will conclude your experience with a museum of sorts where you will see a collection of Sherlockian pop culture that includes props and costumes from TV and movies, and Sherlock collectibles from every decade. You can then visit the Pacific Science Center Sherlock Holmes gift shop that has fun reproductions, art, books, and collectibles you can buy to take home to remember your adventure learning about Sherlock Holmes. The whole experience takes approximately 60 minutes, but I would plan on about 90 minutes if you have kids with you who will want to try everything themselves and who love gift shops like mine do. The exhibit is stroller friendly, just please be courteous and make way for your fellow patrons. You can also park your stroller and pick it up when you are finished, which is especially nice in the mystery portion of the exhibit. The exhibit closes January 8, 2017, so make sure you plan your Seattle stay around experiencing this awesomely fun and educational experience for the whole family. Tickets for The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes can be purchased at the Pacific Science Center box office on day of visit or for an advance date, depending on availability. You may also purchase your tickets online or by phone at 1-800-664-8775.