What to Know
- For more than five decades the Giant Heart has given children of all ages a chance to be like blood pumping through your body.
- The beloved Franklin Institute attraction is reopening on Nov. 23, 2024, after the exhibit around it underwent months of renovations.
- The Giant Heart is pumping again as part of a larger exhibit focused on the human body that's called "Body Odyssey."
Kids and people nostalgic for their childhood days are once again going to race like blood through the Franklin Institute's Giant Heart months after the beloved attraction closed for an "Odyssey" to its surrounding exhibit.
The massive replica heart with a distinctive smell that lets children of all ages act like blood pumping through the organ has stood in the Franklin Institute's Center City Philadelphia location for more than 70 years.
"Hear the sounds of an actual human heartbeat as you go through the chambers," the Franklin Institute says on its website.
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(This writer loves running with his kids through the "Oxygen Exchange" section.)
The Giant Heart room closed in May so it could be turned into something more body-focused. Luckily, the heart is back after surgical repairs to its surrounding space, being dubbed "Body Odyssey."
Body Odyssey opens on Nov. 23, 2024, alongside the revamped Baldwin train room as part of the The Hamilton Collections Gallery. The ribbons on both exhibits were ceremonially cut on Wednesday as the museum gave the media a sneak peek.
What's the Giant Heart's role in the life blood of the Franklin institute's 'Body Odyssey' exhibit?
The heart will look the same but has undergone a little cosmetic surgery.
Franklin Institute President and CEO Larry Dubinski told NBC10 back in September that the Giant Heart's upgrade will keep the heart the same, but the paper mache creation has been "fiber-glassed over."
"It has been cleaned up a little bit," Dubinski said. "It will also have an exhibition in it which you're going to hear your heartbeat coming from the Giant Heart."
That sounds cool. What else does the new exhibit feature?
"Curiosity meets discovery in Body Odyssey, where the walkthrough Giant Heart is just the beginning," FI writes on its site.
"Embark on an immersive journey through the intricacies of the human body, exploring how its inner workings interact with the world around us to achieve balance in life and well-being. Travel through the circulatory system, explore the complexity of senses and perception, and see firsthand how the latest technology and data push the boundaries of medicine and human performance."
It's all about being hands on.
"What special and what's new about this exhibit is that we're really telling a much more balanced story about what the human body is all about," FI's director of science content, Jaytari Das said Wednesday. "Our goal is we want people to really actively participate in their learning."
A new exhibit featuring the Baldwin 60,000 steam locomotive
Fans of the once-moving locomotive have been unable to step inside for months as well. Now, the Baldwin 60,000 steam locomotive is the suspended centerpiece of the new Hamilton Collections Gallery.
"Suspended on a cutaway floor, this iconic locomotive invites guests to climb aboard and witness firsthand the ingenuity that powered the Industrial Revolution," FI writes. "Marvel at the intricate machinery and feel the pulse of innovation as you explore every detail of this magnificent piece of machinery."
The new space includes lots of other artifacts.
"Surrounding the Baldwin 60,000, guests will discover a treasure trove of rare artifacts meticulously curated from The Franklin Institute's collections," FI said. "From the earliest film projectors to the groundbreaking designs of the Wright brothers, each item on display tells a story of human achievement and technological advancement. Open casework extends upwards on two levels, inviting guests to delve deeper into the history of innovation and discovery."
"One of the things we've done in Hamilton Collections Gallery is create open storage, so that people, visitors, can come in and see objects that haven't been on display ever," Dubinski said Wednesday.
Franklin Institutes making upgrades for 200th anniversary
The exhibit closures were part of the museum's bicentennial transformation, dubbed "200 Years of Science: TFI is Transforming."
So, what will the beloved science museum look like after all these renovations are done?
"Six all-new exhibits and a two-story collections gallery will transform the museum, elevating immersion, imagination, and impact. It began with the award-winning Wondrous Space exhibit in 2023 and continues in 2024 with the opening of an expansive new exhibit on the human body and the unveiling of the Hamilton Collections Gallery," the museum wrote.
"These six innovative exhibits will be the core of the new Franklin Institute experience, further enriched by our planetarium, observatory, daily live science shows, and new collections gallery. They will provide our guests with unparalleled opportunities to engage with cutting-edge scientific discoveries across various topic areas, including space, the human body, computer science, the built environment, advanced machines and robotics, and earth systems."
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