I’ve been to a lot of places, but I haven’t yet been to outer space. And beings from outer space haven’t come to see me, though that’s not true of many, including two of our U.S. Presidents.
Screen from the Alien Hunter laser game
I learned a lot about aliens and alien encounters during my visit to the Encounters UFO Experience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This unique “museum” of alien abduction accounts, alien descriptions, replicas, and military investigations was a one-of-a-kind experience. It’s hard to take it seriously since the whole exhibit is based on something that most people don’t even think is real. Still, there’s documentation. And theory. And recordings of actual 9-1-1 calls from people who spotted Unidentified Flying Objects and felt compelled to report it.
That was the facet that interested me the most. Part of it was research for a book I’m writing, but the other part was pure voyeuristic fascination with what people might say to a 9-1-1 operator upon seeing a UFO. Most of the calls started with, “I don’t believe in aliens, but…” They went on to describe objects in their backyards or in the night sky while they were driving. They described the lights, and dogs barking, and objects that appeared, then disappeared in the sky.
It would be easy to chalk this up as a bunch of calls from nuts. But we know some of these nuts. Rock stars such as David Bowie and John Lennon. And actors such as William Shatner, Will Smith, and Dan Akroyd. (Not that they lend any credibility to UFO sightings.) But I admire them being brave enough to report their experiences and provide their names. President Carter dutifully filed a report after he saw something in 1974. Ronald Reagan spied an object while flying in his private plane in 1974. He had the pilot follow it until it disappeared. Makes me wonder what was going on in 1974? That’s probably around the time that actress Fran Drescher was in high school, and here’s what happened to her:
I’m joking about 1974 being an extraterrestrial kind of year, but I do find the subject fascinating. There’s so much to learn about these sightings and phenomenon. The museum offered clarification on the different types of alien beings. Most of us picture them as “Greys” — the elongated-bodied aliens with large heads that are featured in books by Whitley Strieber and in movies like Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind.
Or perhaps they look more like the squidish/octopus creature in this specimen jar:
Aliens have been credited with constructing the pyramids of Giza, the monoliths of Easter Island, and a host of other unexplained masterpieces. Generally, they seem to be friendly. At least to me. Unless I made this one mad by doing rabbit ears and I’m about to be abducted and probed in retaliation. Then I’ll be the one making the call, “I don’t really believe in aliens, but…”
Here’s the loaded question: do YOU believe in aliens?
Browsing The Atlas 
Excellent, made me laugh Julie especially that last pic. Call me a nut but I think we all need to be receptive to the idea that there may be stuff that can’t be explained away conventionally. Why do we have scientists if we know everything already? Gotta go, the men in white coats are here.
I joke, but I’m open to the idea of aliens. But I get stuck on the fact that we’re looking for life forms as defined by us. I think we’ve limited ourselves in our search. There are so many unanswered questions in the universe… Never say never!
We went to Roswell recently and… though some of it seemed hookey… some of it’s still unexplained. We’ll probably never know.
I really want to see Roswell. I’m actually surprised that this museum is in Myrtle Beach, not Roswell.
Very interesting ~ my husband and I are on board with the belief that there’s more out there than what we think. This would definitely be a museum we’d love to see – Lots of fun and freaky encounters with some life size greys!!
Also, that’s so crazy about Fran Drescher and her ex having the same scar/experience…didn’t know about that!
~ Andrea ❤
I think the museum would be a lot more credible if there weren’t so many replicas. But I suppose they appeal to children. I was more interested in the phone calls and accounts of disappearances. And, of course, seeing which celebrities have spotted something.
I’m definitely skeptical but I agree with others that there’s a lot more out there than we know (or would like to think) and sometimes weird stuff happens. I’ve always had the thought that there was probably some alien galaxy out there somewhere laughing at all our human ways of trying to find/prove the existence of aliens.
Me, too! 🙂
That last photo of you and the alien had me in stitches, hahaha!
I don’t know whether there are other beings in other worlds, but reports of UFO sightings seem to have diminished a lot over the years. Your last pic is hilarious. 🙂
They have tapered off, haven’t they? I didn’t think about that.
I don’t. But it sounds like that museum is gonna turn anybody into a believer. 😀 Very interesting. “Seeing” is believing so I wouldn’t mind exploring a museum that exhibits something I don’t believe in. Nice post.
It was unique. I think it’s hard to build a museum around something that hasn’t been proven. Kinda like the Leprechaun museum in Ireland.
Hahaha you really got the grand tour of SC, didn’t you, kazoos and aliens, too! You know, the Quran makes a pretty good case for aliens from outer space, becaue Muslims know that the Jinns have space travelling abilities as well as the ability to bother humans while visiting earth! So yes, if this is what you call aliens, definitely, I believe in them! Don’t want to get abducted, tho, just to prove a point, lol! ♥♥♥ ;^)
No. Don’t get abducted. Unless you can blog about it. 😉
;^)
Haha! Love, love, love that last pic. Awesome! Um, I guess I’m open to the alien thing but I don’t really think much about it. More than anything, I believe there is other life out there that looks nothing like our typical yucky alien idea.
That’s how I feel about it, too, though it’s interesting that so many reported sightings are similar.