Oregon: Sherlock Holmes at the Museum of Science and Industry

It’s elementary--or is it? Sherlock Holmes and his investigative powers are the subject of an interactive exhibition opening Thursday at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland.

Visitors will learn about Holmes and his methods, the world that inspired Holmes’ creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, and the history of forensic science. Expect footprints and splatter patterns too.

Museum-goers also will have a chance to develop their detective powers by using a book of clues instead of the museum map while trying to crack a Sherlock Holmes mystery written especially for the show by Conan Doyle biographer Daniel Stashower.

The exhibition features original manuscripts and period artifacts, investigative tools and a collection of all things Sherlock, including vintage comics, magazines and props and costumes from current Holmes televison shows on CBS and the BBC.

And where would a modern-day detective seek shelter before a hard day of sleuthing?

The Governor Hotel is offering an “Elementary, My Dear” package that includes admission for two to the Holmes exhibit, an authentic deerstalker hat, a notebook for recording observations and a $20 food and beverage credit for Jake’s Grill at the hotel. The package can be booked now, for stays through Jan. 5. Rates start at $259 a night, not including tax.

Admission tickets for the International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes are $18 for adults and $13 for seniors and youths and are on sale at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. The show closes Jan. 5. It will reopen Feb. 16 at the Center for Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio, and Oct. 9 at the St. Louis Science Center in Missouri.

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