Holmes for the holidays

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What: The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes
When: Through January 4, 2015
Where: The St. Louis Science Center

Well, we finally got around to seeing the The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes at the Saint Louis Science Center this afternoon and I'm glad we did. The reasons why are (ahem) elementary.

The reconstruction of Holmes' sitting room at 221b is worth the price of admission all by itself, but you also get to use clue books to solve a mystery that Lestrade, in typical fashion, has bungled. Using a series of interactive exhibits, you use your powers of observation and deduction to ferret out the truth. Just make sure you allow a good two hours to go through it all (especially if, like me, you get confused by the toxicology clues..).

Dr. Joseph Bell
The model for Holmes

It's a fun way to practice the skills that made Holmes the world's foremost consulting detective. Fun for the whole family, in fact, judging from the number of families in attendance.

It's also educational, with lots of fascinating background on Holmes, his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the real-life characters who inspired Doyle to create the Great Detective. That includes, most prominently, Dr. Joseph Bell, one of Doyle's teachers when he was attending medical school in Edinburgh. Not only was Bell's prowess in deducing the illnesses of patients using observation and deduction the model from Holmes' mental process, but Bell himself bore a remarkable resemblance to the way Holmes is described in the stories as well.

The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes runs through January 4 the St. Louis Science Center on Oakland. Check it out, and don't forget to browse through the gift shop on the way out; there might be something there for the Sherlockian on your Christmas list.