The Whaling Museum & Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor is hosting a shark-themed scavenger hunt through the end of August to mark the 50th anniversary of the film Jaws and engage families with interactive programming tied to the iconic movie’s re-release.
The activity is one of several shark-related programs at the museum this month.
“We’re calling it JAWsome,” Assistant Director Cristina Ainslie said of the scavenger hunt, which runs through the end of the month at the museum, located at 301 Main St. “We’ve hidden pictures of sharks throughout the museum… They’re everywhere, and they’re kind of hard to find. I think there’s nine of them, and once you find all nine, you win a jawbreaker candy.”
Ainslie said many parents who grew up with the film are especially engaged with the activity.
“I don't know if the kids would remember that (the movie), but the parents definitely remember it, and we've seen a lot of families do the scavenger hunt together. The kids love to look through the museum and find the sharks.”
She added that a common misconception about sharks is that they are interested in humans.
“We just happen to be sharing the same space in the water, and they don't want to bite you but sometimes they may see you as prey such as a seal or something different that they would be more interested in,” she said.
As part of the scavenger hunt, visitors can view a shark jawbone on display.
“You'll actually go through one part of the museum that has a jawbone and you'll be able to see all the teeth,” Ainslie said, noting that sharks have multiple layers of teeth to replace broken ones.
Also on view at the museum is a two-year exhibit titled Monsters and Mermaids, which highlights sea creatures ranging from mythological to real, including sharks. A video of Jaws will be featured in the exhibit.
Another activity offered this month lets children build and race boats outdoors.
“You're not racing against somebody but you're racing to get the best time. And then once you do it's logged, and we put the top three winners of the day on social media. So that's something that will be going on this month,” Ainslie said. Dates are listed on the museum website.
The museum is also preparing to celebrate a milestone of its own.
“We will be having our 90th anniversary, and the museum started off as one small, little room that has expanded to three different areas. It's quite large today, and we have over 6,000 artifacts, and at any time we're displaying several hundred, if not thousands, of them,” Ainslie said.
She said the museum’s goal is to give visitors a sense of what life was like when Cold Spring Harbor was an active whaling town.
The Whaling Museum’s summer hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.