I've been a fan of the Egypt exhibition at the Field Museum in Chicago since it opened in the late 1980s. I was especially drawn to the tiny dioramas that depict the elaborate mummification shops of Egypt's Middle Kingdom. In four sides of the display, you can peer into small, highly detailed scenes. There are memorable tableaus like the extraction of guts, the salting and draining of corpses, the carving of coffins, and the wrapping of bodies in linen strips. The human figures are barely a few inches tall, but the viewing experience is highly immersive nonetheless. I visited recently, and these mummies in miniature still prove that compelling theatrical immersion need not be large scale to be engaging. Guests are certainly drawn-in and are very captivated.

The popularity of this display, and other mini-immersive exhibitions like it I've seen, prove to me that the fine art of the miniature diorama is one that should not be wrapped up and laid to rest.

Museum visitors can step back in time and tour a 1950's all-electric house.

Visitors can explore a Chinese House that was once located 11,000 miles away in a rural village near Shanghai.

Museum guests can visit a forested park and wander among tree ferns, waterfalls, and caves.

These experiences are offered by the Johnson County Museum (Shawnee, KS); The Peabody Essex Museum (Salem, MA); and Te Papa Tongarewa (Wellington, NZ), respectively. Exciting, educational, and memorable, they are among these museums' signature experiences. Once ticketed to any of these museums, one can tour the indoor galleries and at some point, venture outside the museum to enjoy these destination attractions. These outdoor exhibitions are accessible only after visitors have entered the museum proper.

In the All-electric House, you can smile at the memorably stylish furnishings of the 1950s and contemplate how the suburban lifestyle – with all its modern conveniences – was marketed to those who originally toured the model home. In Yin Yu Tang – a Chinese House, you can discover a rare example of Chinese architecture and learn about the daily life the Huang family, who resided in the house for over 200 years. In Bush City, you can wander a re-created natural area replete with indigenous plants and geological specimens. And when you’re finished with any of these, you can return to the mother ship museum and take in other exhibits, spend time in the gift shop, or enjoy refreshments.

These types of exhibitions represent, what I call, on-site excursions. I find that these “in-then-out-then-back-in” exhibitions offer a great sense of value, a refreshing change of scenery, a breath of fresh air, and an immersive contrast to the formal museum. They break up a typical visit structure and reduce fatigue. Also, many museums offer them under a separate ticket, and as such, they are revenue generators. I think they're a good idea.