The State Museum will host Forensic Science Saturday, March 14 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Guests will hear from local police officers, first responders and get to meet some special guests. The day will be full of investigative interactives and forensic fun for kids to get them ready to solve the mystery in the museum’s blockbuster exhibit, The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes. This event along with Bring Your Watson Tuesdays, starting Tues., March 10, will offer guests a fun chance to save on admission to the museum and exhibit.  

On March 14, guests will get to meet with City of Columbia police officers and have their photo taken with McGruff the Crime Dog. The Richland County Sherriff’s Department will also be on-site hosting their Kidprint program, sponsored by the Richland County Sheriffs Foundation. This program provides parents with a copy of their child’s fingerprints, and statistical information about their child for use in an emergency. The City of Columbia Fire Department will teach guests about fire prevention, how they fight fires and how they investigate fires with their fire truck demonstration. Hands on education stations will be open for kids to make their own investigative tools like DNA Pipe Cleaner Models to help the gather evidence and Cipher Wheels to help decode secret messages.

Kids ages 3 to 12 years old can get a junior detective pass, which includes admission to the Sherlock Holmes exhibit, and a 4D movie ticket for only $10.  

Bring Your Watson Tuesday: Starting Tuesday, March 10, guests can bring a “Watson” each Tuesday night in March from 5 until 10 p.m. Each guest and their “Watson” will experience the Sherlock Holmes exhibit, plus general admission to the museum for only $10. Guests can add on a 4D movie ticket to see Sherlock Holmes 4D: the Great Detective for only $5. This Tuesday night admission discount is only available on-site.

The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes offers an interactive experience combining science with history and culture to bring to life the historic underpinnings of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s rich and vibrant stories.  Museum visitors will learn how Sherlock Holmes, a scientific expert ahead of his time, used seemingly trivial observations of clues others missed to solve some of his era’s most puzzling mysteries. His practices and techniques, created in the mind of doctor-turned-author Conan Doyle, encouraged a change in the way police work was conducted, and remain in practice today.