Located in its modernistic new building in the cultural district in Ft. Worth, the Museum of Science and History is another fascinating way to spend a day in the DFW area.

 

But, this is Texas, folks, and people in Texas do things a bit differently.  You won't just find dinosaurs, you will also find such unusual exhibits as Mexican toys. 
It’s hard to imagine children interested in any toy without a video
screen. But KERA’s Jerome Weeks reports a new exhibition at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History features nothing but handmade toys. No batteries required:
The 600 items are Mexican folk toys, some more than 70 years old. Yet
ironically, they’re on display in the museum’s “Innovation Gallery.” 
They’re traditional dolls and puppets and masks, often built by the very
families that played with them. They’re made of wood, tin, string — and toothpicks!

Recognize this?  It's a Star Wars spaceship

A big part of Texas history involved the Indians, and several displays feature authentic Indian clothing and headdresses.

A recent special exhibition featured inventions by, of all people ,Leonardo da Vinci.  Not how we normally think of him, is it? da Vinci was definitely ahead of his time.  Here is just a small sampling of his many inventions.


© Fayrouz Hancock



© Fayrouz Hancock
Paddle-wheel boat.



© Fayrouz Hancock
Battleship.



© Fayrouz Hancock
Gear shift.



© Fayrouz Hancock
Sickle-cart.



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Assaulting a fortress.



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Flying apparatus.



© Fayrouz Hancock
Glider.



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The robot-soldier.



© Fayrouz Hancock
Lakota war bonnet on display at the Gordon W. Smith exhibit.



© Fayrouz Hancock
Mark photographs at the Gordon W. Smith exhibit.



© Fayrouz Hancock
Lakota drums on display at the Gordon W. Smith exhibit.



© Fayrouz Hancock
Plain Indian man's breastplate on display at the Gordon W. Smith exhibit.



© Fayrouz Hancock
Northern Cheyenne moccasins on display at the Gordon W. Smith exhibit.



© Fayrouz Hancock
A Spur on display at the Spur exhibit.



© Fayrouz Hancock
The Cattle Raisers Museum.



© Fayrouz Hancock
The digital cow at the Cattle Raisers Museum.



© Fayrouz Hancock
Paintings on display at the Ed, Vicki, Maddy Bass Fort Worth History Gallery.



© Fayrouz Hancock
An umbrella on display at the Ed, Vicki, Maddy Bass Fort Worth History Gallery.

Discover the Real George Washington at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is currently hosting an
exhibition that offers fresh insight into the life of our nation’s
first president. Discover the Real George Washington: New Views from Mount Vernon will be on display until January 22, 2012.

The exhibition, organized into eleven sections, goes beyond
familiar, iconic images to show Washington as not only a general and
president, but also as a young land surveyor, experimental farmer, and
savvy entrepreneur. The exhibition also explores Washington’s views on
religion and slavery, and the influence of his wife, Martha. Forensic
specialists, art historians, and computer scientists worked together to
create accurate three-dimensional depictions of Washington at different
stages in his life and career.

The exhibition offers images of Washington’s Mount Vernon estate as
well as tools, armaments, and the only surviving complete set of
dentures that he used in his lifetime. Brief video documentaries examine
Washington’s religious beliefs, military service, and agricultural
innovations.

Humanities Texas served as a local partner for this exciting
program, helping support a series of five public lectures held in
conjunction with the exhibition. The First of Men: A Life of George Washington author John Ferling and Founding Gardeners author Andrea Wulf lectured at the museum in October.
In November, Dennis Pogue, vice president of George Washington’s
Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, spoke about Washington’s connections to
the nation’s emerging whiskey industry. Susan Schoelwer, curator at
Historic Mount Vernon, lectured on Martha Washington.

Laura Simo, associate curator at Mount Vernon, will deliver a
lecture titled “Myths and Trivia about Washington” on January 10, 2012.
For more information on the Discover the Real George Washington exhibition and its related lecture series, visit the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History online.
And much, much more.