This is the crime scene: An overturned chair. A mussed desk, papers all over the floor. A broken bust of Napoleon. What happened, and who did it? The legendary detective Sherlock Holmes could solve the case — and so can you after learning all his tactics at the Liberty Science Center’s new International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective may seem like he had special powers, but only to the untrained eye. The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes, opening Nov. 3, transports visitors back into his era of the 1890s, when the world was experiencing a rush of discoveries in the fields of science and technology that laid the groundwork for modern innovations and continue to be used by investigators today.
Learn the ‘magic’ of being Sherlock Holmes
The adventure begins as soon as you walk in, when each visitor receives a booklet to collect clues at each station throughout the giant exhibit that takes up four halls. Visitors enter into a salon exploring the scientific experiments that unlocked the clues of the human body. Then, you step into the streets of London, where a series of interactive stations guide your education.
You’ll not only learn about Morse code — you must send coded messages to another station. You learn about poisoning through Victorian ladies who put nightshade in their eyes to create a dewy-eyed appearance. There’s rubbings to be made of seeds, scouring newspapers to decipher a code and dirt to analyze, all to prepare you for the actual crime in the following room.
The next hall of rooms contains Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson’s iconic living room in 221B Baker Street, where you’re invited to meditate on what you’ve learned, before moving on to the crime scene you must solve, both impressively detailed. The lessons also continue, ranging from cultural history to botany, with more ways to fill up your booklet by embossing, stamping, rubbing and drawing your deductions.
After you’ve learned all of Sherlock’s tricks, the exhibit concludes with a room full of photos, figurines, comics, costumes and more memorabilia from all the many adaptations of the detective through the years, including Elementary and the BBC’s Sherlock.
In addition to the exhibit, LSC will be hosting a special edition of its monthly After Dark series for guests 21+ on Thursday, Nov. 15. Titled Murder at the Museum, you’ll use your newfound crime-solving skills to solve a mystery created by the theater troupe Murder Mystery Co., plus a bar and Midnight Market vendors. Tickets are $20 in advance, plus $6 for access to the exhibit.
The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes is open Nov. 3-May 27, 2019 at the Liberty Science Center, 222 Jersey City Blvd., Jersey City. Tickets are $29.75 adults, $24.75 kids through age 12; lsc.org.
