Museum replica vs. the real thing, I picked the replica and got roasted

Last month I visited the Field Museum in Chicago and had to choose between waiting 40 minutes to see the actual ancient Egyptian exhibit or checking out the full-size replica they had in the side hall. I went with the replica since my kid was getting restless, and honestly the detail was amazing, but one of the docents overheard me telling my son it was the real deal and corrected me pretty loudly. Have any of you ever gone with the replica over the original at a site or museum, and did it change how you look at these displays?

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joseph_hunt1mo ago

That docent really woke up and chose violence that day, huh? You're just trying to keep a kid from melting down and suddenly you're getting schooled in front of the whole room like you failed a pop quiz. But hey, at least the replica fooled you, which honestly says a lot about how good replicas have gotten. I saw the Terra Cotta warriors touring version a few years back and the fake ones looked so real I felt guilty for not being able to tell. So did your kid end up thinking the fake was cooler after the docent blew up your spot?

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