A new exhibit brings curiosities of the sea to Twentynine Palms. Mojave Moon Apothecary in the Twentynine Palms Historic Plaza is debuting a new exhibit featuring maritime antiques, rare oceanic fossils, and deep sea vibes. Called “The Nautilus Room,” the exhibit is in the apothecary’s backroom. Follow your nose through the aromas of the shop’s tinctures and incense and prepare for a deep dive into aquatic history.
Mojave Moon owner Heather Basile explained the project, starting with why she decided to put the exhibit together.
“Well, I think it’s important to bring the ocean to Twentynine Palms because there’s probably a lot of children here that have never gotten to experience it firsthand. We don’t have a lot of sea life, seashells, stuff like that. As a kid, I grew up going on vacation down in Florida, Gulf of Mexico, and hunting for seashells and sand dollars. And it’s one of my happiest memories of my childhood. I thought it’d be really cool to let people experience that firsthand in the middle of the desert.
“Visitors will see lots of vintage ships. They will see lots of antiques. They’ll see an authentic metal diving helmet, in addition to all kinds of different specimens, coral, sea urchins, seashells, starfish, fossils, some of which are over 65 million years old, which I find to be fascinating.
“People are welcome to come to the exhibit and shop because some of the things are going to be for sale. But there’s no pressure to buy anything. But if you do purchase any of the specimens, 10% of our sales will go to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro for ocean conservation and preservation.”
The exhibit opens this Saturday (May 3) at Mojave Moon Apothecary at 5688 The Plaza in Twentynine Palms, and runs until June 31.
