By Jennifer Maerz
The Bold Italic producers crew just got back from an early peek at the new Tactile Dome, which re-opens at the Exploratorium tomorrow. I never got to feel my way through the original version at the old building (which Jackson Scarlett wrote about for us here), but we were told this new one is slightly larger and more disorienting when it comes to making your way through the space in complete darkness. We got so disoriented, I’m not too proud to say, that the helpers at the entry booth had to get on the intercom and lead us to the correct next step. Whatever. I can’t say I’ve spent a morning laughing that hard, or nearly groping my coworkers, in a long time.
For those looking to crawl, walk, and feel their way through the dome, you can make reservations for normal business hours at the museum, or arrive early for the After Dark series and sign up that night.
I’m not gonna give away any spoilers for what happens inside this bit of geodesic magic, but I will say they save the best experience of the route for last. No cameras are allowed inside the Tactile Dome, but to get a sense of the space, you can browse these photos of the exterior, courtesy of The Exploratorium.
And here are a couple Tactile Dome photos from 1971:
