 |
Exploring Science and Nature around the Country
|
Find your state:
AZ, CA, CO,
CT, FL, GA,
HI, IL, MA,
MS, MO, NM,
NY, NC, OH,
PA, TX, VA,
WA, WI
|
|
ARIZONA
Mesa
Arizona Museum of Natural History
Through March 29: “Hohokam! Ancient Monuments of the Salt River Valley”
Discover the canals, houses, and ovens of the Hohokam people, who lived near modern-day Mesa and Phoenix from a.d. 1 to 1450, in this new exhibition based on the museum's recent archaeological excavations. Explore the layout of a “pithouse” home, see clay figurines portraying Hohokam life, and find out about ancient trade networks that stretched to western and central Mexico.
53 North Macdonald
480-644-2230
www.azmnh.org
Phoenix
Arizona Science Center
Ongoing: “Forces of Nature”
Explore—and even experience—some of the raw power generated by a dynamic Earth, including phenomena such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires. An “Immersion Theater” puts you in the center of the action, and hands-on exhibits help explain the underlying causal phenomena of plate tectonics, ocean currents, wind patterns, and more.
600 East Washington Street
602-716-2000
www.azscience.org 
|
See scientists patiently assemble a teenaged T. rex in the “Thomas” lab at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County |
|
|
CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Ongoing: “Thomas the T. rex Lab”
Watch the museum’s paleontologists work on preparing and assembling the fossil skeleton of a young-adult Tyrannosaurus rex, nicknamed “Thomas.” The 66-million-year-old fossil components, excavated from a Montana site three to five years ago, appear to be two-thirds complete—and visitors can observe the daily progress as researchers explore the nature of the injuries and diseases this specimen might have suffered and try to determine its sex. When fully assembled, the teenaged Thomas will take up residence, alongside others of its species, in the museum’s new T. rex growth series display, scheduled to open in a new Dinosaur Hall in 2011.
Exposition Park
900 Exposition Boulevard
213-763-DINO
www.nhm.org
Mural by William Stout in the “Fossil Mysteries” exhibition at the San Diego Natural History Museum, depicting camels, tapirs, horses, early llamas, and other Pleistocene plant-eaters that roamed southern California 20,000 years ago
San Diego Natural History Museum/William Stout |
|
San Diego
San Diego Natural History Museum
Ongoing: “Fossil Mysteries”
Dioramas, fossils, models, murals, and plenty of hands-on activities tell the changing story of the bioregion encompassing southern California and Baja California in this exhibition spanning 75 million years of history. Examine fossil clues—just as scientists do—to answer questions about plants and animals (including dinosaurs), changing environments, evolution, extinction, and more.
Balboa Park
1788 El Prado
619-232-3821
www.sdnhm.org
|
Try your hand at excavating real fossil casts at the Dinosaur Gulch dig site in the “Dinosaurs” exhibition, now at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Denver Museum of Nature and Science/Tara Kurtz |
|
|
COLORADO
Denver
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Through January 4: “Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries”
Presenting an up-to-date look at what scientists currently think about dinosaur physiology and behavior, this exhibition builds on cutting-edge science and explores the latest research about why dinosaurs became extinct. It includes an impressive, detailed walk-through of a Mesozoic-era environment.
Ongoing: “Space Odyssey”
The Museum’s newest permanent exhibition hall features 21st-century, interactive learning technology that immerses visitors in the planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies of our universe. Experiment with the infrared technology scientists use to see distant objects; try docking a space shuttle at the International Space Station; explore the 15,000-foot cliffs of Mars; and much more. The adjacent planetarium boasts digital technology that may be “light-years” beyond the usual planetarium experience.
2001 Colorado Boulevard
800-925-2250
www.dmns.org
CONNECTICUT
New Haven
Peabody Museum of Natural History
Through February 22: “Jungles: Photographs by Frans Lanting”
Forty-five photographs from jungles around the world document the often-hidden worlds within the lush tropical vegetation. Photographer Frans Lanting’s images examine water and light, color and camouflage, anarchy and order, and form and evolutions—including a convention of rainbow macaws, an orangutan’s commute, the giant foul-smelling Rafflesia flowers of Borneo, a blue-eyed toucan, and an inquisitive aye-aye.
Yale University
170 Whitney Avenue
203-432-5050
www.peabody.yale.edu
A queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) searches for nectar in the “Butterfly Rainforest” exhibition, now at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. Weather permitting, visitors can see live butterfly releases in the exhibition on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m.
Photo: Florida Museum of Natural History |
|
FLORIDA
Gainesville
Florida Museum of Natural History
Through January 11: “Grossology”
The exhibition’s subtitle is “The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body,” and visitors quickly discover why. Through interactive stations, whimsical animatronic figures, and informative graphic panels people can discover the scientific reasons why breath might smell bad or why mucus is sometimes green, among other things.
University of Florida
Cultural Plaza
SW 34th Street and Hull Road
352-846-2000
www.flmnh.ufl.edu
Tampa
Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI)
Ongoing: “Kids in Charge!”
Colorful, interactive exhibits encourage creativity and science skills in this special facility just for children 12 and under. Test differently shaped wings in a wind tunnel, lie down on a “bed of nails,” figure out how to crack a safe with a mathematical code, discover facts about an animal's history from a single tooth, play checkers on a 20-foot-square board, and much more. A separate area for preschoolers features specially designed activities that focus on gross and fine motor skills, balance, coordination, and movement.
4801 East Fowler Avenue
813-987-6100
www.mosi.org
|
Visitors discover the planet’s polar extremes in the “Ends of the Earth” exhibition, now at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta.
Fernbank Museum of Natural History |
|
|
GEORGIA
Atlanta
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Through January 2: “Ends of the Earth: From Polar Bears to Penguins”
Discover the animal adaptations, human adaptations, and science that are unique to Earth’s polar regions in this new exhibition. Compare bear skulls and find out what scientists are discovering about the status of polar bears. Discover the stories of polar explorers who braved the cold. Examine real specimens to learn which Arctic whale has a tusk and which Arctic animal has the most hair. If you’re feeling adventurous, don a penguin suit and try walking and sliding like a penguin.
767 Clifton Road NE
404-929-6300
www.fernbankmuseum.org
HAWAI’I
Honolulu
Bishop Museum
Through January 11: “Megalodon: Largest Shark that Ever Lived”
This giant creature, thought by some scientists to have been as much as 60 feet long, was one of the largest predatory fish that has ever lived. But don’t be scared—you can walk safely into its mouth in this new exhibition that highlights paleontologists’ latest research findings on ancient and modern sharks. A life-size, walk-through megalodon sculpture is the centerpiece of the show, which also includes fossil and modern specimens and several kid-friendly interactive experiences.
1525 Bernice Street
808-847-3511
www.bishopmuseum.org
ILLINOIS
Chicago
The Field Museum
Through September 1: “Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids”
For thousands of years, people have recorded tales about fantastic creatures that populate the air, land, and sea. This new exhibition explores the legends of Bigfoot, griffins, sea monsters, and other fabled creatures from around the world—and explains their likely origins as repositories for human hopes and fears.
1400 South Lake Shore Drive
312-922-9410
www.fieldmuseum.org
Chicago
The Notebaert Nature Museum
Through April 27: “Wild Music: Sounds & Songs of Life.”
Exploring evidence that points toward a biological basis for music, this exhibition documents commonalities among the “songs” and “instruments” of birds, spiders, whales, people, and other living things. Interactive exhibits let visitors sample sounds from the forest to the ocean, explore the musical instruments and traditions of many human societies, experiment with vocalizations in a bioacoustics lab, and much more.
2430 North Cannon Drive
773-755-5100
www. naturemuseum.org
|
The tail of a panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis), found in Madagascar, is one of the examples of coloration in the “Language of Color” exhibition, now at the Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge, Mass.
www.AnimalExplorer.com/Paul Bratescu |
|
|
MASSACHUSETTS
Cambridge
Harvard Museum of Natural History
Through September 6: “Language of Color”
Find out what bold zebra stripes, bright butterfly wings, and iridescent beetle wings are saying in this ongoing dazzling new exhibition of real animal specimens and interactive exhibits. Discover how different animals’ bodies produce the rainbow of hues found in nature, the varied ways their eyes perceive color, and how color is used to conceal or communicate in this new exhibition that lets you experience colors as other animals do, including parts of the spectrum that are normally imperceptible to humans.
26 Oxford Street
617-495-3045
www.hmnh.harvard.edu
MISSISSIPPI
Jackson
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science
Through December 30: “Hunters of the Sky”
This exhibition takes a close look at birds of prey—including eagles, falcons, hawks, owls, and vultures—and the environmental issues that may endanger their survival. The show also illuminates the role raptors have played in art, folklore, literature, and religions throughout the world.
2148 Riverside Drive
601-354-7303
www.msnaturalscience.org
MISSOURI
Saint Louis
Saint Louis Science Center
Ongoing: “Ecology & Environment”
See a T. rex prepare to take down its dinner, an unlucky triceratops; feel the Earth move beneath your feet; examine 65-million-year-old fossils; visit an urban forest; and much more in this comprehensive exhibition that explores the relationships of living things with one another and with the places they inhabit.
5050 Oakland Avenue
800-456-SLSC
www.slsc.org
Altair 8800, one of the earliest personal computers, is part of the “Startup” exhibition at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque, documenting the city’s roots in the development of the microcomputer industry.
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science |
|
|
|
NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
Ongoing: “Startup: Albuquerque and the Personal Computer Revolution”
Historical artifacts, interactive exhibits, and videos in this new permanent exhibition explain how microcomputers developed—and how they transformed society. From early electronic computer toys such as Hasbro’s Think-A-Tron, through an early personal computer (the Altair 8800) and the marketing of the Macintosh, to today’s advanced hardware and software, the show traces the PC industry’s Albuquerque roots and subsequent growth. Additional galleries celebrate the innovative spirit of young 1970s programmers and invite visitors to speculate about the future of personal computers.
1801 Mountain Road NW
505-841-2800
www.nmnaturalhistory.org
NEW YORK
Buffalo
Buffalo Museum of Science
Ongoing: “Whem Ankh: The Cycle of Life in Ancient Egypt”
Learn about daily life as it was lived on the banks of the lower Nile River 2,200 years ago. Meet the mummies of Nes-hor and Nes-min, who were priests of the Egyptian fertility god Min. Find out how different life was then and, yet, in important ways, how similar it is to our own lives today.
1020 Humboldt Parkway
716-896-5200
www.buffalomuseumofscience.org
|
This horse and rider doll from the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation in Florida helps document the relationship between horses and people through time in the “Horse” exhibition, now at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
American Museum of Natural History/D. Finnin |
|
|
New York City
American Museum of Natural History
Through January 4: “The Horse”
From the origins of the Equidae family more than 50 million years ago to today’s Triple Crown races, this exhibition’s fossils, dioramas, cultural artifacts, and computer interactives document the magnificent animal’s evolution and relationship to humans around the world. Highlights include artworks featuring horses, from the Paleolithic to the present; horse gear and armor from 15th-century Germany; a horse-drawn fire engine from the 19th century; and numerous displays examining how horses have changed agriculture, sports, trade, transportation, warfare, and many other aspects of human life.
Central Park West
at 79th Street
212-769-5100
www.amnh.org
Visitors get an up-close, in-depth look at the aquatic environments and inhabitants of New York State’s Adirondack Park in the “Living River Trail” exhibition at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, N.Y.
Photo: The Wild Center/Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks |
|
Tupper Lake
The Wild Center, Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks
Ongoing: “The New Path”
This self-guided, outdoor exhibition gives you a behind-the-scenes view of the museum’s eco-friendly features, from the “green” roofs to the waste and water recycling systems, plus ideas for how you can apply these technologies at home. The new facility is the first museum in New York State to be certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the U.S. Green Building Council.
45 Museum Drive
518-359-7800
www.wildcenter.org
Pilot a sailboat across the pond—and see how wind helps or hinders your progress—in the “Catch the Wind” outdoor exhibition at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, N.C.
Museum of Life and Science |
|
NORTH CAROLINA
Durham
Museum of Life and Science
Ongoing: “Catch the Wind”
This new, four-acre outdoor science exhibition focuses on how wind influences our environment. Maneuver radio-controlled sailboats by harnessing the wind, ride a Leonardo da Vinci-inspired Ornithopter complete with flapping wings modeling bird flight—ten feet up into the air, launch giant “seeds” from a 30-foot tower to explore the aerodynamics of seed dispersion, and much more.
433 West Murray Avenue
919-220-5429
www.ncmls.org
Raleigh
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Through December 28: “Dead Sea Scrolls”
Telling the story of one of the 20th century’s greatest archaeological finds, this exhibition explores the history of the oldest known biblical manuscripts and related artifacts. On display are 12 original scrolls from the settlement of Qumran near the Dead Sea, representing portions of the books of Genesis, Isaiah, Deuteronomy, Exodus, and others, and graphic panels that translate and explain these ancient texts. The show also presents coins, pottery, and other historical objects from Qumran and a variety of exhibits that explain the science and technology behind the excavation, conservation, and modern interpretation of the scrolls.
11 West Jones Street
877-4NATSCI
www.naturalsciences.org
OHIO
Cincinnati
Cincinnati Museum Center
Through September 1: “Bodies”
Authentic, preserved human specimens provide a rare window to the inner workings of our bodies in this new exhibition that features more than 250 organ, partial-body, and full-body specimens. Visitors gain an understanding of the body’s muscular, respiratory, skeletal, and other systems, and can also learn about common medical conditions—such as arthritis, colon cancer, lung cancer, and obesity—by examining their effects on the human body.
Union Terminal
1301 Western Avenue
800-733-2077
www.cincymuseum.org
The world’s first museum display of a mounted dinosaur, at Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences, is commemorated in the Academy's new exhibition, “Hadrosaurus foulkii: The Dinosaur That Changed the World.”
The Academy of Natural Sciences |
|
PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia
The Academy of Natural Sciences
Through April 19: “Hadrosaurus foulkii: The Dinosaur That Changed the World”
One hundred fifty years after the academy's curator Joseph Leidy first described the unusually complete dinosaur skeleton found in New Jersey, a new exhibit recreates the towering hadrosaur for the 21st century—cast from digital scans of its bones—and explores its significance to vertebrate paleontology. In addition, the show features recreations of Leidy’s office (including a desk he used); the studio of Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, the British artist-naturalist who helped create the original mount; and the New Jersey dig site, showcasing the real fossil bones of one of the world's most renowned dinosaurs.
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
215-299-1000
www.ansp.org
TEXAS
Fort Worth
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
Through January 5: “Top Secret: Mission Toy”
Play toy detective and investigate playthings from around the world in this exhibition of items that help children develop cognitive, social, and motor skills. Put on a lab coat and use your investigative skills to inquire into balls, dolls, puzzles, robots, secret codes, tops, and even string.
1501 Montgomery Street
817-255-9300
www.fwmuseum.org
Houston
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Through February 22: “Body Worlds 2 & The Brain—Our
Three Pound Gem: The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies”
Visitors can learn about anatomy, physiology, and health by examining real human bodies that have been preserved through a process called plastination. The exhibition includes more than 200 authentic human specimens—entire bodies illustrating neurological, circulatory, and other systems, as well as individual organs and body slices. The show also includes new research findings on the brain’s development and function, diseases and disorders, and performance and improvement.
One Hermann
Circle Drive
713-639-4629
www.hmns.org
|
The “Tusks!” exhibition, now at the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville, explores the history of proboscideans and includes a mastodon tusk visitors can touch.
Florida Museum of Natural History |
|
VIRGINIA
Martinsville
Virginia Museum of Natural History
Through January 4: “Tusks! Ice Age Mammoths and Mastodons”
This comprehensive show about the extinct relatives of modern elephants examines how they lived in North America until 10,000 years ago. It features 80 fossil specimens, replicas, and artifacts, and several interactive stations that help explain what scientists have learned about mammoths, mastodons, their ancient relatives, and the environments in which they lived.
21 Starling Avenue
276-634-4141
www.vmnh.net
A vessel made from an ibex horn is one of the many artifacts that illustrate the scientific and cultural heritage of Ethiopia in the “Lucy’s Legacy” exhibition, now at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle.
Houston Museum of Natural Science |
|
|
WASHINGTON
Seattle
Pacific Science Center
Through March 8: “Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia”
The 3.2-million-year-old fossilized hominid discovered in Ethiopia and nicknamed Lucy—one of the world’s most famous fossils—forms the centerpiece of this spectacular exhibition tracing that country’s rich heritage. Describing the region as the cradle of mankind, the show includes other paleoanthropological discoveries explaining human evolution over time. More than 100 artifacts also illustrate the more recent past, the 3,000 years of recorded human civilization in Ethiopia, including ancient coins and manuscripts; historic Judaic, Christian, and Islamic items; and objects from the Ethiopian dynasty of emperors (said to have been founded by the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba).
200 Second Avenue North
206-443-2001
www.pacsci.org
The “Titanic” exhibition, now at the Milwaukee Public Museum, features many artifacts recovered from the seafloor wreckage of the doomed ship, such as these cuff links that were perhaps owned by a gentleman traveling in the first-class section.
RMS Titanic, Inc. |
|
WISCONSIN
Milwaukee
Milwaukee Public Museum
Through May 25: “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition”
A felt bowler hat, cut crystal decanters, wine bottles, playing cards, and more than 250 other artifacts recovered from Titanic’s final resting place help tell the story of the ship and its tragic end nearly 100 years ago. The exhibition also highlights the science and technology of recovering and preserving the objects, which were found in varying states of disintegration, and encrusted with salt and bacteria, at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
800 West Wells Street
414-278-2702
www.mpm.edu
|
|
|
See also Natural History Magazine’s Guide to Musuems and Institutions.
Copyright © Natural History Magazine, Inc., 2008
|
Institutions marked with