The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is AMAZING and has some wonderful new exhibits this Summer! Check out my Mommy Tips for making the most of your visit.
Know Before You Go
Be sure and purchase your tickets online before getting to the museum to save LOTS of time! The museum has timed entry, and on busy holidays and weekends often sells out during prime hours.
Educators, First Responders, Military active and veterans and active health workers receive FREE admission, but on a walk-up only basis. If the exhibit is sold out, you must wait for the next available time.
Parking The Museum Parking lot is $10, and paid at the museum, or upon leaving the lot.
Thirsty Thursdays While we love our kids, it’s nice to have a grown-up date night. Every Thursday, the museum offers live music, cocktails and a chance to roam the museum child-free!
The Perot’s newest exhibit is Becoming Jane, is an exhibit on the life of Jane Goodall. The exhibit is extraordinary, as is fitting for such an astounding woman! The exhibit runs now through September 5th, 2022.
In the Lamar Hunt Family Sports Hall you can test your running speed against a cheetah or a T-Rex, but now you can also run against Texas Tech alum and NFL Star Patrick Mahomes! We also really enjoyed testing our reflexes, which are not surprisingly at their peak in your 20’s, and go down from there.
The museum offers 11 exhibit halls, with some amazing interactive activities for kids and adults! I really suggest allowing for PLENTY of time to see all 5 floors!
T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall
Dinosaurs are on the 4th floor, and that’s ALWAYS our first stop! In addition to models and displays, there are plenty of hands on activities for learning more about these incredible beast!
Don’t miss the new Paleo-Lab, where you can watch as paleontologist prepare fossils.
Ellie Mae – An Ellis County Resident
In 2014, the almost intact remains of a mammoth were found in Ellis County! The mammoth, named Ellie Mae, was relocated to the Perot Museum!
For more information about Mammoths in Texas, consider a road trip to the Waco Mammoth National Monument, where an entire nursery of Mammoths was discovered buried by a flood!
Birds
My youngest has been fascinated with the 5th floor since he was very little! He loves the Build Your Own Bird exhibit and would spend the entire day there if I would let him! Visitors can create a bird, while learning about different vocal sounds, diets and even flying!
Bio Lab
My daughter LOVES the Bio Lab, which allows older children, when accompanied by an adult, to do some pretty amazing observations! They can collect and view their own cheek cells under a microscope, test how household cleaners kill microbes (which totally changed the way I clean my house), isolate and stain DNA from a fruit fly larva, and more! Warning though, gathering the DNA from the fruit fly larva involves some nasty things with a live larva, and sent my youngest out in tears, which is why they have age restrictions on many of the experiments.
Don’t miss the Tom Hunt Energy Hall, and the Earthquake Simulator.
On the 2nd Floor, Kids young and old will love the Robot Arena!
A beautiful, perpetual motion exhibit, with the Dallas Skyline just outside the window!
Moody Family Childrens Museum
A special place for younger children, ages 0-5 and their families. In addition to the Dallas Skyline play structure, there is the Dallas Farmers Market in miniature, allowing children to pick out fruit and vegetables, and pretend camping in the Great Trinity Forest!
Mom Tip – After a morning at the Perot, head over to the Dallas Farmers Market where kids can see and taste farm- fresh fruits and veggies, as well as meet the farmers who grow it! The Dallas Farmers Market limits their produce to only that grown in a 150 mile radius of Dallas. Click HERE to read more about it!
The Art-Lab, a structured painting area where preschoolers are guided by early-childhood professionals! To read more about the Art Lab and hours, click HERE.
When the shade is working in your favor, head outside to dig in the sand searching for dinosaur bones in the dino-dig!
3D Films in the Hoglund Foundation Theater
Located on the first floor, between the gift shop and the cafe. Arrive early for the best seats.
Live Science Shows
The Live Shows are only offered on select weekends, so check with the museum before planning your visit! They are included in the price of admission, and do not take reservations, but they are really wonderful!
A fun water feature, leap frogs and musical instruments all await you outside, which is also a great place for a picnic!
A heads up about the water feature, which is a great place to cool off on a warm day, but the museum WILL NOT allow you back inside if anyone is wet. Not a problem during the summer in Texas, as you’ll dry pretty quickly in the sun!
The outside exhibits are FREE to the public.
Field Trips
The Perot is a terrific place for a field trip!
Schools can eat lunch outside, or in the museum lobby on the floor during inclement weather. Bring hand sanitizer and wipes, there is not a really close restroom for those who forgot to wash their hands.
All chaperones and additional adults are allowed to purchase discounted tickets.
The Perot has a short video for field trips, click HERE to view it.
Trinity River Express
The museum has a nice cafe, operated by Wolfgang Puck, near the entrance, or you can take your picnic lunches outside. I suggest at the very least bringing a snack.
Skip the drive into Dallas and take the TRE, with just a short walk to the Perot Museum from Victory Station!
Things To Do in Dallas (near the Perot Museum)
Play
Klyde Warren Park and the Dallas Museum of Art are just a short walk down from the Perot Museum! Click HERE for more information on the DMA, one of our favorite FREE activities!
The Dallas World Aquarium is the home to thousands of tropical birds and fish, as well as a jaguar, crocodiles and even manatees!
Eat
Klyde Warren Park always has an assortment of food trucks and is just a short walk away.
Take a short drive over the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge to Trinity Groves, a fun collection of new restaurants in Dallas’ most up and coming area. Click HERE to visit their website.
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
2201 N Field St, Dallas
Click HERE to visit their website.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
Having Fun in the TEXAS Sun is on PINTEREST! Use it as a quick resource to find activities in different Texas towns! Click HERE!
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