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Discovering the Mashantucket Pequot Museum
Rate it! Votes (2) | Comments (0) By Cheri Sicard Photos: Cheri Sicard Posted August 6th, 2007 FabulousFoods.com Recommends: Frommer's New England's Best-Loved Driving Tours (Best Loved Driving Tours), by British Automobile Association, (2007, Frommer's)	Frommer's New England's Best-Loved Driving Tours (Best Loved Driving Tours)

MYSTIC, CONNECTICUT, USA --The Mashantucket Pequot Museum of Native American history is the biggest surprise of the Mystic area. I'm not sure exactly what we were expecting, but it wasn't the huge, modern state of the art facility that greeted us. We soon learned the building has won numerous architectural awards, including the 2000 National Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects.

Wow! If this was the outside, the inside must be pretty spectacular. And indeed it was.

The museum immerses visitors in over 85,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, dioramas, 3-D touch screen graphics, films and videos. While the structure looks modern from the outside, the inside takes you back in time. You'll take self-guided interactive walking tours of a complete 16th century Native American village, experiencing the sites and sounds of every day life back then. The innovative audio headphones that come with admission price let you go at your own pace, exploring the subjects that interest you and skimming over those that don't. Likewise, each member of the family can similarly customize their own tours.

There's enough of a theme park aspect to the life-sized scenes for little kids to be enthralled, and enough fascinating Native American history to keep the more sophisticated and intellectual family members interested. After spending time in the village you descend in the chilly depths of the ice age - the starting point of a virtual journey through time. You'll learn the struggles for food early man went through, culminating in huge diorama detailing a caribou hunt.

Those looking towards more detailed and scholarly information should know that center's resource libraries (over 40,000 titles) house diverse materials on all Native American peoples of the United States. There's even are large children's library and the museum sponsors ongoing children's programs.

More than an interactive history museum and library, the center is also an important archaeological treasure. Situated on land that has been continually occupied by Native Americans for more than 10,000 years, the research center's team of archaeologists, led by Dr. Kevin McBride, have identified over 250 sites on the property, dating from 11,000 years ago to modern times. The teams work is ongoing, including two current projects: a 9000 year old hunting camp and a Pequot Fort (circa 1675). Artifacts and explanations of their importance are on display. Through an interactive computer program, guests can even "Experience the Fort Site." The realistic recreation lets visitors "navigate" through this Pequot Fort and explore it in detail. Archeology Magazine has stated "The Mashantucket Pequots have built a museum that sets the standard for excellence in the coming century.

The museum is truly world-class and not to be missed. Take time and explore. You'll learn a lot, have a great time doing it and come away with a better understanding of America's first people.

The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center is located at 110 Pequot Trail in Mashantucket, Ctablespoons 06339. Call 800-411-9671 or visit www.mashantucket.com.

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