I was told by several people to make time to visit the Peabody Essex Museum. This year they had a live Egyptian bat exhibit so it was a no brainer for me. It is located in a central part of town and easy to get to. They also have many other historic building scattered about you can visit but those are only available on weekends.

The museum is showcasing an outdoor environmental art installation to honor the 52nd anniversary of Earth Day. The project is intended to catch people’s attention and raise awareness about global deforestation. The artist uses a non-toxic, water-based colorant. It is harmless to all flora, fauna, insects, waterways, and humans. The Blue Trees will gradually fade back to their natural color as the color washes away in the rain.

The Bats are housed in a dark area. You are able to crawl into a bubble and observe them up close and/or watch them on a screen from a camera fitted with night vision.

There were so many cool interactive displays about bats showcasing the sounds they make and echolocation. We even learned how to make origami "happy flappy" bats to take home.

We were able to tour the Yin Yu Tang house, an example of the type of dwelling an average family in China would have lived in.

 

This was my favorite room!

I saw about half of the museum before we had to go move the car from it's parking spot.