The Dead Sea Scrolls were uncovered in 1947 and include the oldest writings from the Bible. How amazing is that! The scrolls were in the center room and were great to see - how fantastic is it that 2000 year old writings are still in tact? There were 10-12 sections of the scrolls on exhibit along with translations of those sections. The thing that struck me was how small the writing was (which we figured makes sense since they didn't sell reams of paper for $8 back then).
In addition to the scrolls, there were lots of period pieces found in the same area. No photography was allowed in the scroll area, but we were free to take pictures of the other artifacts, so here are a few:
It took us about 2 hours to wander through the exhibits. After that, we made our way to the cafe to grab some lunch. We thought going on a Friday would mean there would be less people there. To our surprise, it was field trip day and there were at least 500 children in the cafe hallway. Insane. We scarfed down some surprisingly good grilled chicken sandwiches and then made our way to the butterfly room.
I LOVE the butterfly room. Travis and I went one time before and stayed in this 400 square foot room for at least 45 minutes. The walls are lined with lush plants for the butterflies to hang out all day. Everywhere you look there are butterflies. Flying around your face, sitting on leaves, eating fruit, perched on someone's back...it's such a fun experience. It's an additional $5 fee to go to the butterfly house, but is worth every penny.
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| A little boy was getting as CLOSE to holding him as possible, without actually touching him. |
It was a fun day and a perfect start to our fun weekend! AND if you haven't already, check out the rest of their trip - Providence Waterfires & a visit to Ipswich, MA!
