New Cedar Rapids Exhibit Shows What’s In Indian Creek [VIDEO]

Indian Creek originates in northern Linn County, east of Alburnett. It winds its way through Marion and Cedar Rapids before eventually dumping into the Cedar River near Otis Road and Bertram Road S.E., just west of Highway 151. We know it's prone to flooding, but most of us know very little about the waterway that's a big part of our community. A wonderful new exhibit at the Indian Creek Nature Center is changing that.

The exhibit, which includes wood, soil, sand, roots, and rocks from Indian Creek itself, also has many realistic animals and insects. It's all based inside a 65-foot trench in the Indian Creek Nature Center floor that takes you on a trip through the year inside the creek. You begin with winter and end with fall.

Yes, the exhibit is inside the floor, but don't worry about walking on it. As you can see from the video below, it was designed for that.

The exhibit was created by Terry and Paula Brown of Museum Professionals. According to the Indian Creek Nature Center, the two handcrafted the 200 models in the exhibit, by hand. The Gazette reports the two spent more than 5,000 hours on the job. Terry has been creating natural history exhibits for more than 50 years, and this was his final project. Work was completed on March 5, according to the Gazette. He and Paula are both not retired.

When your family visits the Indian Creek Nature Center, be sure to have the kids check out the indoor fountain, complete with live turtles. Don't be afraid of the snake. It's not real. I promise.

The Indian Creek Nature Center is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. It's located at 5300 Otis Road S.E.

More details on the exhibit are available here and in the video below.