Inside the BODIES... The Exhibition: You'll Want to Stop Smoking | @BodiesExhibit #BodiesBuenaPark #PhotoGallery

We were invited to check out a NEW exhibit in Buena Park - BODIES... The Exhibition so I grabbed my sister-in-law Nhi who loves this stuff. She's also in the medical field so let's just say it added another level of experience for me. Usually we're rushing through events with kids in tow so this time around I was able to stop and reflect.

I've been told that this was a seriously rare opportunity to see in person and that you won't see in text books. Aren't we lucky that it's local? I made sure to take lots of pictures since the general public was not allowed to. I'll just highlight a few here, and you can see more in my photo gallery.

You might want to know it's not just looking at healthy muscles, bodies, and organs - some are diseased. It's fascinating! 

* * Warning: This post contains photos of real bodies. * *

SKELETAL SYSTEM

There are bones in display cases like these. In one of the cases, you'll find one with Osteoporosis which were really porous.

KNEE JOINT (Sagittal Section)

Look how graphic this is. Wow. You can see the femur, patella, and tibia bone how they precisely lay in our legs.

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM (HEALTHY VS SMOKER'S LUNGS)

I've never seen anything like this. The lung on the left are the healthy lungs while the one on the right side are the diseased cancer lungs with tar build-up . The box in the middle is hoping you'll deposit your cigarettes after you see the difference up close.

Are you ready to see a close up? Here you go...

 This cigarette deposit box is not yet full but it needs to be.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Look how long our intestines are and where it sits in our bodies. Just imagine how food is processed and how long it has to travel.

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

Colored to show arteries and veins. Interesting: arteries are usually colored red, because they contain oxygen-rich blood. Veins are usually colored blue, because they contain carbon dioxide-rich blood.

VERTEBRATES COMPARISON (Whale vs. Human):

This was interesting to see. They showed striking similarities between a human's and a whale's vertebra, rib, and intestines.

FETAL DEVELOPMENT:

There were warning signs and a staff member to redirect those who may be sensitive to this room. I'm only going to show a picture of younger embryos (about 3 weeks). It wasn't as frightening or alarming as I thought it would be, but I can understand why someone who had complications wouldn't want to see it.

MUSCULAR SYSTEM

I want to show you this. (It's actually found in the second room). See this body and skeleton? Believe it or not, it's from the same body! How are they able to do this and preserve the body is beyond me.

Pictured below is brain hemorrhage. Say what?? It doesn't get more visual than this.

Another amazing display is the Central Nervous System. How did they??

There is plenty more to see here. After seeing the exhibit, I wanted to go somewhere to reflect and digest what I have seen. It wasn't bloody or as scary as I thought it would be, but it can be a bit overwhelming. It's amazing how they're able to preserve the bodies. I heard some actually love it so much they keep going back (especially the medical students). I think I'm good for now. You might want to eat before you go too, because I had no desire to eat after the exhibit. You can visit my photo gallery or you can see it all for yourself in person. (Also see Nhi's perspective below).

Disclosure: We received media tickets to the exhibit to share our experience with our readers. All opinions are our own. All images (c) LetsPlayOC.com. 

BODIES…The Exhibition

Premier Exhibition Center

(Former Movieland Wax Museum)

7711 Beach Blvd.

Buena Park, CA 

(657) 529-7224

www.bodiestheexhibition.com/buenapark

ADMISSIONS

Adults: $16.75

Children (Ages 3 - 11): $12.75

BOTH TITANIC AND BODIES EXHIBIT

Adults: $28.50

Children (Ages 3 - 11): $20.50

HOURS

Mon - Thur: 10:00 am to 9:00 pm (Last ticket sold at 8 pm)

Fri - Sat: 10:00 am to 10:00 pm (Last ticket sold at 9 pm)

Sun: 10:00 am to 7:00 pm (Last ticket sold at 6 pm)

You might want to know Titanic The Experience is next door and consider buying the combo tickets. You'll want to allow a minimum of 1.5 hours for each exhibit and take a Starbucks break in between. Starbucks is located at the entrance of both exhibits and can be seen off Beach Blvd.

You might also like: Inside Titanic The Experience Exhibit 

Remember, I had Nhi with me. In case you wanted another perspective, here's what she thought...

"No child taking a science course (especially when dealing with the human anatomy) should be deprived of this experience. You have only seen and learned from textbooks, but nothing is more educational than a visual tool as graphic as BODIES... The Exhibition. You get the full 2-D and 3-D experience on the entire human anatomy. I was amazed to learn the exhibition showcased real body preserved specimens. Each specimen was perfectly showcased and organized by body system ranging anywhere from the musculoskeletal to the most intricate nervous and circulatory system. This was a self-guided exhibition with audio tour option but there was always a knowledgeable member at each different body system to answer all questions. 

Disease states were visually differentiated from healthy organs. My husband is a chronic smoker and he was immediately taken back at the sight of a deteriorating lung compared to a healthy one. He is currently now on a smoking cessation program. Overall, BODIES... The Exhibition was absolutely nothing less than amazing! 

If you have a moral distaste to the use of real body specimens then this is not the place for you. But be reminded that this exhibition is an advantage and serves a more educational purpose." - Nhi