The University of Iowa Pentacrest Museums offer several permanent and temporary exhibits and tours to enjoy the week of March 17. The Old Capitol Museum (OCM) is open normal hours through Thursday, March 21, and closes Friday, March 22, for the National History Day District 10 Competition. The UI Museum of Natural History (MNH) is open normal hours all week.

Grab a TREKsack at the MNH and enjoy a free personalized tour for the whole family. TREKsacks are available to borrow while touring the three museum galleries and encourage teachable moments through reading and exploring. Themes include bugs, bones, geology, and native cultures. TREKsacks are sponsored by the Target Foundation—Early Childhood Reading Grant.

"Unconditional Loyalty: The Military Service of African Americans” is on display in the Pentacrest Museum Gallery of the Old Capitol Museum through Sunday, March 24. This traveling exhibit, courtesy of the African American Museum of Iowa, features Iowa’s African American military heroes and heroines from the Revolutionary War to today. Highlights include the 60th U.S. Colored Troops, the Buffalo Soldiers, women in the military, Iowa’s World War I training camps, and the Tuskegee Airmen.

“Gone to See the Elephant: The Civil War through the Eyes of Iowa Soldiers" is also at the Old Capitol Museum now through Sunday, May 26, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. The exhibit is on display in the Old Capitol Museum’s Hanson Family Humanities Gallery and rotunda on the ground floor.

The exhibit examines the important role of the State of Iowa and the University of Iowa during the war, and features primary resources, artifacts, historical documents, and educational programming. Visitors will see how Iowa soldiers experienced daily camp life, faced injuries on the battlefield, survived prisoner camps, and longed for home.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. You can find more information on the UI Pentacrest Museums at www.uiowa.edu/oldcap/, www.uiowa.edu/mnh/, or by calling 319-335-1474 for OCM or 319-335-0606 for MNH. Normal hours include Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m.–8 p.m., and Sundays 1 p.m.–5 p.m. The museums are closed Mondays and national holidays.