Celebrate this final holiday weekend with countless activities for all ages to ring in the New Year at the Museum of Nature & Science.
For the second year, the Museum will be open the entire holiday weekend – including New Year’s Day! – with special extended hours on Friday and Sunday (holiday schedule below). Highlights include a live shark feeding Friday (Dec. 30) at 11 a.m., a new children’s area featuring underwater-themed activities within the 12,000-square-foot Planet Shark: Predator or Prey exhibition, Planet Shark family tours, daily live shows through Saturday (Dec. 31), and daily Planetarium shows and IMAX® films including Bugs! A Rainforest Adventure which returns Monday (Jan. 2). Also, The Trinity features winning photographs from the 2009 and 2010 Trinity River Corridor Project contests, plus a rotating selection of the 2011 winning photographs.
WHEN
Friday – Monday (December 30 – January 2)
Please note special holiday hours.
Friday (December 30): 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday (December 31): 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Sunday (January 1): Noon – 6 p.m.
Monday (January 2): 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
WHERE:
Museum of Nature & Science in Fair Park
Science Building, 1318 S. 2nd Ave.
PARKING:
Free parking is available in the lot across from the Science Building. Enter at Gate 5 or Gate 6 off Robert B. Cullum Blvd. TV trucks may park in the front circle drive of the Science Building.
New Year’s weekend overview Friday (Dec. 30) through Monday (Jan. 2):
Planet Shark: Predator or Prey: Perfect for all ages, the 12,000-square-foot traveling exhibition features five interactive galleries devoted to sharks. Making its second stop in the U.S., this massive exhibition will engage visitors in the murky myths and fascinating facts that have surrounded sharks for centuries. Highlights include full-scale specimen models including an 18-foot Great White, rare fossils dating as far back as 380 million years, thousands of teeth, mega-sized jaws, fascinating interview footage from shark attack survivors, plus original props and movie memorabilia from the 1975 classic Jaws.
Planet Shark: Just for Kids is a new activity area within the Planet Shark: Predator or Prey exhibition that engages children through imaginative hands-on interpretation areas, daily art murals, underwater-themed puzzles and more. A variety of activities designed for young ones will assist with making shark information accessible and non-scary.
Family exhibit tours of Planet Shark: Predator or Prey at the following times:
10 and 11 a.m., and 2 and 4 p.m. on Friday (December 30);
10 and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday (New Year’s Eve - December 31);
2 and 4 p.m. on Sunday (New Year’s Day - January 1);
11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Monday (January 2)
Family tours are available to all Planet Shark: Predator or Prey ticketholders.
Live sharks: Temporarily moved from the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park, two live sharks are housed in a 515-gallon two-tank aquarium display in the MNS Science Building lobby with feedings every Wednesday and Friday at 11 a.m. The live sharks will be on view for the duration of the Planet Shark: Predator or Prey exhibition (September 16, 2012).
Visitors can learn about the interesting anatomy of sharks while witnessing a shark dissection every Saturday at 1 p.m.
Bob the Builder: Project – Build It! (FINAL DAYS: closes January 8): The beloved TV show comes to life in this exciting, interactive exhibit that fosters creativity and coordination through open-ended, discovery-based games and activities. This charming exhibit will “build” curiosity, socialization and motor skills for preschoolers and young children. Bob the Builder is free for members and included with the cost of general admission for non-members.
Daily live shows including the popular Electric Theater and Fire & Ice through Saturday (December 31). Show times are 1 and 3 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday.
The Planetarium will be open daily with special holiday hours through January 2. Planetarium tickets are $3.50 for non-member adults, students, seniors and children 2-11; and $2.50 for member adults, students, seniors and children ages 2-11. Children under 2 are free.
IMAX® films:
Bugs! A Rainforest Adventure: Returning January 2! View the birth of hundreds of praying mantis and watch as one of them snaps up a fly for its dinner. Witness the rebirth of a butterfly as it wriggles free of its cocoon and spreads its wings for the first time. With time-lapse photography on the giant screen, every detail of this final stage of metamorphosis is clear to the naked eye. Bugs! explores a variety of tropical animals including tarantulas, scorpions, vipers and jungle nymphs and their battles against each other and their environment to thrive. Get a ringside seat for a horn-to-horn combat as rhinoceros beetles battle for the attention of a female, race against the clock with butterflies that have just days to find a mate, and dodge a million bats as they flit through the jungle on a nighttime feast. It's survival of the fittest!
SHARKS: Take a trip around the globe and deep into the oceans for a face-to-face encounter with a multitude of shark species including the Great White, the Hammerhead and the Whale shark. Audiences will witness sharks as they really are – not wicked, man-eating creatures, but wild fascinating, and endangered animals. The perfect companion to Planet Shark, visitors can save on both with the “Twin Fin” ticket bundle deal.
Sea Rex: Journey to a Prehistoric World: Travel back in time to the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods to discover creatures such as the powerful Liopleurodon, the long-necked Elasmosaurus, the “eye-lizard” Ophthalmosaurus, the ferocious Prognathodon and the massive Shonisaurus.
IMAX® shows require additional tickets: $7.50 for adults 18-61 (member adults $6); $6.50 for seniors 62+, students 12-17 and children 2-11 (member seniors, students and children $5). Children under 2 are free.
The Trinity: On the banks of the Trinity, Dallas was born. Nature and wildlife thrive amidst the pastoral peace of the Great Trinity Forest, one of the largest urban forests in the country. The wetlands echo to the rush of migratory water fowl overhead. Witness the story of the Trinity River that runs through our community and come face to face with the flora and fauna that make their home along its banks. The exhibition features winning photographs from the 2009 and 2010 Trinity River Corridor Project contests, plus a rotating selection of the 2011 winning photographs. The Trinity is free for members and included with the cost of general admission for non-members.
ADMISSION
Regular general exhibit admission is $10 for adults 18-61; $9 for seniors 62+ and students 12-17; $7 for children 2-11; children under 2 are free. MNS members of all ages are admitted for free.
Planet Shark: Predator or Prey requires a surcharge in addition to the purchase of MNS general admission for a total admission cost of $18 for adults (18-61); $16 for seniors (62+) and students (12-17); $13 for children (2-11); and $5 for MNS members of all ages. Children under 2 are free.
The Twin Fin Package includes admission to Planet Shark: Predator or Prey and any IMAX® film. The Twin Fin Package is $24 for adults 18-61, $22 for students (12-17) and seniors (62+); $18 for children 2-11; and $10 for members of all ages.
Tickets for the Museum, IMAX® and Planetarium shows, and all special exhibits are available online.