The Witte Museum in San Antonio, known as "the People's Museum," is popular for its fun and family-friendly exhibits that aim to educate and inspire. Their two newest endeavors have, yet again, managed to raise the bar.
HEB Body Adventure
The HEB Body Adventure, powered by University Health System, is a multi-million dollar interactive experience that engages the body and minds of young and old. The focus is on inspiring and transforming through health IQ, empowerment and wellness. Participants start out by selecting a virtual buddy who accompanies them on various fitness, food and fun adventures:
South Texas Trailblaze allows visitors to cycle through a virtual San Antonio river landscape and explore how to keep a healthy heart rate during exercise.
Witte Museum's HEB Body Adventure — Photo courtesy of Witte Museum
You Are What You Drink directs visitors to choose a drink, step onto a stepper and see how long it would take to work off the chosen drink.
Inside You is where visitors get to examine the human body on a virtual anatomy table or strap on an anatomy vest to learn more about organs and what it takes to keep them healthy.
Relax Your Brain and Relax to Win are two different stations that show visitors how to meditate and breathe in order to test relaxation skills and sharpen mental strength and wellness.
Toddler Discovery Garden is where the little ones can crawl, climb, slide and explore on a fanciful fruit and vegetable playscape. The container gardens encourage healthy outdoor fun, including active gardening and relaxation. Educational programs invite visitors to explore the science of how plants grow.
Demonstration Kitchen is a popular space where visitors can participate in a live cooking demonstration. Here, ingredients from the Witte container gardens are used to prepare fun and easy-to-make healthy foods.
What's even more exciting, perhaps revolutionary, is that this exhibit is built to collect an unprecedented amount of anonymous heath data, which will be shared with the community and used by experts to identify unhealthy behaviors, such as eating too much junk food. Once identified, strategic plans can be designed to address childhood obesity and other major health concerns present not only in San Antonio, but in all of America.
Salud! Culinary Nights with Chef Stephen Paprocki and Mitch Hagney — Photo courtesy of Kimberly Suta
Salud! Culinary Nights
Salud! Culinary Nights is another program the Witte has taken on that seriously addresses healthy eating in a way that's best described as delicious! This program features some of San Antonio's finest chefs and a wide array of cuisine and topics.
The first culinary night focused on fresh farm-to-table ingredients and flavors and paired chefs with local farmers, a wonderful way to introduce prominent issues such as supporting local, sustainable farms, ranches and other purveyors.
For information on getting tickets for the next Salud! event, check out the Witte Museum's website for details.
There's no denying that the Witte is addressing some cutting-edge issues in unique and engaging ways that may have long-lasting, transformative results!
