SOAC WKOA Wild Kratts Ocean Adventure Exhibit 2023

January 21st - May 7th Come explore the SOAC's newest exhibit, Wild Kratts: Ocean Adventure!

Smyrna, TN Parks & Recreation Dept - Outdoor Adventure Center.

Wild Kratts®: Ocean Adventure! is an interactive exhibit based on the popular PBS Kids series is now open at the Smyrna Outdoor Adventure Center. This exhibit was created by Minnesota Children’s Museum in collaboration with the Kratt Brothers Company – kids and families explore four animal habitats and the creatures within them.
The Wild Kratts®: Ocean Adventure! exhibit is presented locally by the Smyrna Outdoor Adventure Center and the Town of Smyrna, TN - Local Government.
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Wild Kratts® © 2023 Kratt Brothers Company Ltd. / 9 Story Media Group Inc. Wild Kratts® and associated characters, trademarks, and design elements are owned by Kratt Brothers Company Ltd. Licensed by Kratt Brothers Company Ltd. All rights reserved.


Read what SOAC staff member, Regina Hampton, has to say about it:

"The Kratt brothers, Chris and Martin, have been known in previous generations to host variety animal shows such as Zoboomafoo and Kratts’ Creatures. Their most recent show is the animated “Wild Kratts,” and the new Wild Kratts® : Ocean Adventure exhibit at the Smyrna Outdoor Adventure Center is based on this show.

Though the show has been around for a bit, this exhibit has never been featured at our facility. There are many creature facts that can be found in various areas of the exhibit, and there is even a “Creature Alert” mission at a monitor which is made to look like the headquarters of the Kratt brothers; the Tortuga. The guests must find out the answer to the questions on the terminal by learning about creatures that can help stop the bad guys!

I have often said that I love our exhibits for their “learning through play” aspects. This one is no exception. Every station has facts about creatures, and kids learn about “Creature Powers” by replicating special abilities of the creatures of the sea.

In the “Tide Pool,” there is an activity that kids can do which shows how lobsters see, challenging guests to look through and try to hit the correctly lit button of a fish. In the same area, kids can take a picture of one leg of a starfish and use mirrors to make as many legs as they want with any of the various colors found in the pictures. The “Deep Sea Trench” area has a dark cubby where guests can crawl in and look at pictures that light up of creatures that live in the deep sea. Nearby is a submarine play area where kids can pretend to be exploring the deep ocean, complete with lit up jellyfish that are strung overhead to look like they are drifting in the current. Kids can also make up their own dolphin sounds in the art gallery and “record” them for playback using four different sound buttons, or color a selected animal and scan it, adding to a daily digital aquarium that plays on one of the SOAC televisions.

There is also an area for toddlers in the art gallery which has buttons to press, textured fabric that looks like seaweed to play with, things to spin and move to practice fine motor skills, and books and blocks to look at and play with. Many parents with children of different ages seem to enjoy this area because their smaller children can play in the toddler area, which is surrounded by soft bumpers, while they watch their older children color and add creatures to the aquarium.

Lastly, the front of the facility has two activities for kids: one that uses a robotic looking arm that is attached to levers to emulate how giant squids use their limbs (probably one of the more difficult activities to do) and one that gives information about how sharks constantly lose and regrow teeth. This activity has a wooden manual conveyor that kids can put “shark teeth” in. A friend or family member spins the handle on the side, constantly dumping the teeth out, which then slide back down to the other person.

Every part of the exhibit has information on various animals that frequent different parts of the ocean, and there are stuffed animals throughout that kids can play with, along with “vests” that kids can dress up in which look like the ones the Kratt brothers wear on the show. The whole exhibit is fun, educational, and bright to catch children’s attention, and many of the guests that have come through already have said how much they or their kids love the animated show and how excited they are that we are featuring the exhibit. Some have even traveled just to see it!

I was always intrigued by the ocean. In college, I almost majored in marine biology, so for me this exhibit is a special one. The ocean is beautiful but also mysterious, drawing people’s interest to learn more about the natural element which makes up the majority of the Earth’s surface. If you or your child love the animals of the sea, don’t miss out! Bring them to the SOAC and explore this exhibit between now and May 7th."