Turtle Bay Exploration Park

Bedtimes can wait.⁠
It’s not often you get to let the kids stay up late and explore a garden full of giant lanterns and fun activities. Glowing Wild makes any evening feel a bit more magical.⁠
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Open nightly from 7 to 10pm until June 28th. Get your tickets at www.glowingwild.org.

Did you know butterflies taste with their feet? ⁠
Explore a world of wings at Turtle Bay's Wings of Summer Butterfly House and discover more than just beautiful colors. From monarchs to swallowtails and other fascinating species, there's always something new to observe and learn.⁠
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Add even more wonder to your visit with a butterfly feeding stick or the chance to release an emerging butterfly when chrysalises are available.⁠
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Open daily through August 9.⁠
Free for members | Included with admission.

Calling all Jedi, time travelers, and dinosaur enthusiasts!⁠
The Turtle Bay Museum Store has some seriously cool POPnology-inspired merchandise waiting to be discovered. Explore puzzles, mugs, games, retro lunch boxes, magnets, metal model kits, and fun space-themed toys that celebrate some of pop culture's most iconic characters and stories.⁠
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No Museum admission is required to shop, so stop by and see what treasures await!⁠
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Which fandom are you representing: Star Wars, Star Trek, Back to the Future, E.T., or Jurassic Park?

Where pop culture meets innovation. Long before many of today's technologies became reality, they first lived in the imaginations of storytellers, filmmakers, and dreamers. POPnology explores how pop culture has inspired inventions that continue to shape our world.⁠
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Filled with interactive experiences and fascinating discoveries, this exhibition has quickly become a favorite among Turtle Bay guests. Whether reliving childhood memories or introducing the next generation to iconic moments, there's something for everyone to explore.⁠
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Free for members | included with admission

Make your visit to Glowing Wild even more special with an upgraded experience. The Premium Ticket Package helps make your evening easier and more enjoyable. You’ll get convenient West Gate parking close to the entrance, so you can avoid the long walk from distant lots and often skip the longer entry lines. Premium tickets also let you arrive anytime between 7 and 9pm, so you can come whenever it suits you.⁠
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After you enter, you can wander among glowing lanterns and photo-filled paths while sipping a complimentary drink in a special mug. At the end of the night, you’ll leave with a bamboo fan, a custom can cooler, and a souvenir backpack to remember your visit.⁠
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Visit ww.glowingwild.org to get your premium tickets today.

This week’s Artifact of the Week highlights a neat little kit (SHS1980.2.68D Gift of Jean Beauchamp) that caught our attention for a variety of reasons. When closed, it appears to be a simple, nondescript wooden box. Once opened, however, it reveals an array of interesting contents, such as a tube of fingerprint ink and a roller, each neatly fitted in its own compartment. Inside the lid are instructions on “How to Use the ‘Y and E’ Finger Print Outfit for Banks”.

The final, fun surprise is what looks like a small drawer but is actually a detachable steel ink plate. Neat!

Dating to around 1945, this kit comes from a time when fingerprinting was becoming more widespread in banking and identity verification methods. Already well established as a criminal identification tool, fingerprinting expanded into civilian documentation and wartime security. Now the process of fingerprinting was helping institutions confirm identities, maintain secure transactions, and formalize agreements.

Capture the beauty of butterflies through your lens. ⁠
Join local professional outdoor photographer Melody Revnak for our Photography Workshop: Beautiful Butterflies and experience the Wings of Summer Butterfly House in a whole new way. You'll learn photography basics, camera settings, and techniques while surrounded by the beauty of these fascinating insects.⁠
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Whether you're just getting started or have years of experience behind the camera, all skill levels are welcome. Bring your DSLR or mirrorless camera and discover how to turn special moments into beautiful photographs.⁠
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Saturday, June 27 | 4–6:30pm⁠
$35 for members | $40 for non-members⁠
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Register today:⁠
turtlebay.ticketapp.org/portal/product/19

Ready for the ultimate girls’ night out?⁠
Glowing Wild transforms Turtle Bay into a radiant nighttime experience filled with incredible animal lanterns, immersive light displays, music, and energy.⁠
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It’s the perfect setting to celebrate your friendships and make memories together. Wander glowing trails, sip your favorite drinks, enjoy light bites under the stars, and capture plenty of photos along the way.⁠
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Open every night now through June 28. Grab your tickets at www.glowingwild.org

A world of wings awaits. One of Turtle Bay's most beloved summer traditions returns tomorrow! ⁠
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Starting Saturday, June 13, come visit our Wings of Summer Butterfly House and explore a peaceful garden filled with hundreds of butterflies. Nestled under the redwoods in Wildlife Woods, it's one of the most magical spots in the park.⁠
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You can also feed a butterfly or help a new butterfly take its first flight for an even closer experience.⁠
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Open daily through August 9.⁠
Free for members | Included with admission⁠
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Summer just got a little more beautiful.

Dangerous? Not exactly.⁠
Meet Danger and Precious, Turtle Bay's Northern Pacific rattlesnake ambassadors. One of the biggest misconceptions about rattlesnakes is that they want to bite people. In fact, venom is an important tool they use to catch and begin digesting their prey, so they would much rather avoid us altogether. If they sense people approaching, most rattlesnakes will move away if given the chance.⁠
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As rattlesnake season continues, it's important to stay aware when enjoying trails and natural areas. Northern Pacific rattlesnakes are the only venomous snakes found in Northern California. If you encounter one in the wild, give it plenty of space and allow it to continue on its way.⁠
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Want to learn more? Join us for our Venom Show on Saturday, June 20, from 2:30–3pm in the Forest Amphitheater and discover how rattlesnakes and other venomous animals use venom to survive.