I am such a nerd for history and space! The Houston Museum of Natural Science is one of my most favorite museums that I have ever visited.  You can definitely find me there when a new exhibit opens up! Take a journey with me on why you should also visit HMNS!!

King Tut’s Tomb Discovery Experience

Journey back to 1922 as famed Egyptologist, Howard Carter, gazes into King Tut’s tomb for the very first time. Dark and winding tunnels lead to secret and long forgotten burial chambers filled with gold treasures.

I absolutely loved this exhibit and one day hope I can travel to Egypt to experience the mystery of the Pyramids of Giza myself.

Cockrell Butterfly Center

Now, imagine yourself being surrounded by thousands of butterflies. The Cockrell Butterfly Center and Brown Hall of Entomology provide entertainment and education for everyone. Marvel at the Rainforest Conservatory, a beautiful and stunning three-story glass structure with a 50-foot waterfall that simulates a tropical rainforest.

There are so many delicate and colorful butterflies within the exhibit -don’t forget to check yourself on the way out, you never know if one might have landed on you! And keep in mind – it’s very warm in the conservatory!

Burke Baker Planetarium

Space. What more can I say? It’s mysterious. It’s beautiful. We never stop learning. The Burke Baker Planetarium opened in 1964 and features Digistar 6, the world’s leading digital planetarium software and projection system. It allows visitors to fly through the universe and experience just how vast space is. You can also learn more about Black Holes, Cosmic Collisions, go Forward to the Moon, earn a Passport to the Universe, take a ride on the Starry Night Express, join The Great Planet Adventures and even listen to Pink Floyd’s legendary, Dark Side of the Moon.

Permanent Exhibitions

Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals

HMNS boasts more than 450 crystallized mineral specimens, including an amethyst that weighs more than 850 lbs to a crystallized gold cluster that is reported to be one of the most highly coveted objects in the mineral realm. Forget paintings, Earth herself knows how to create art!

Morian Hall of Paleontology

Dinosaurs! Need I say more? Childhood nostalgia will come right back as you walk around the Morian Hall of Paleontology. Prehistoric beasts, ancient skeletons – a true “prehistoric safari”, as the museum calls it!

For some reason, my favorite fossil is the giant ground sloth (which was also my favorite at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in DC). It’s one of the craziest looking skeletons I have ever seen and to think it’s from a sloth….

Wiess Energy Hall

This is one of the more random exhibits you would find in a museum, but this is Texas, so it’s not that random. And I am a little partial to offshore drilling as I used to work with the industry many years ago. The 30,000 square foot exhibit is on the top floor of the museum and is a powerful educational tool on how the industry works.

The exhibit also highlights renewable energy, including solar and wind!

The museum has so much more to explore besides what I have listed here. You can purchase tickets and check them out yourself here!