Located in the heart of Dallas, the Perot Museum is an extraordinary display of science and nature to inspire your child’s inner scientist. The Perot Museum promotes science learning through hands-on activities, interactive stations and educational games. Stand in a star galaxy, walk beside towering dinosaurs, view rare fossils, exotic gems and minerals, give a live weather report, dig for fossils, design and play with robots, wear a lab coat to look at DNA. This top-ranked museum has five floors with 11 permanent exhibit halls, and each one has guaranteed wow-factor.

Before you even enter the Perot Museum, the kids will be crawling on outdoor play spaces to climb on giant frogs or play the outdoor xylophone. The best way to explore the museum is to begin at the top floor and work your way down. The Perot Museum has 11 outstanding permanent exhibit halls, in addition to special traveling exhibits. Each floor takes approximately 45 minutes, so plan to stay most of the day.

Level 4
Walk among ancient giants such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Alamosaurus, wooly mammoth and a colossal sea turtle. View rare fossils from both local and worldwide locations, and view massive dinosaur footprints. If you ever wanted to see a real fossil excavation, the new Dino Lab lets visitors watch through the glass to see new fossils discovered! Some of the fossils at the Perot Museum were actually discovered by kids! This Hall also has modern day animals and habitats.   Visit the Hall of Birds to discover the surprising similarities between birds and dinosaurs.   Journey through the galaxy to explore the solar system in an interactive star exhibit, and learn how scientists discovered our stars, planets and galaxies. Experience the amazing exhibit surrounded by stars and experience speeding through the galaxy. Find out why icy Pluto isn’t considered a planet anymore, and the future of space exploration.

Level 3
Turn a wheel to crank open a massive 5-feet-tall geode to view glistening purple crystals.   The Gems and Mineral Hall is filled with stunning exhibits of rich colors and unique shapes. Find out which ones glow in the dark under UV lights!   Find gems and minerals from all over the world and how they are unique in formation.   Just around the corner, find the Dynamic Earth Hall to experience what an earthquake feels like under you feet and what a tornado feels like in the tornado simulator. See Ellie May the mammoth discovered in Texas and learn how scientists studied the skeleton to discover signs of the past. This exhibits lets visitors touch a cloud and become a meteorologist to a deliver a weather report.   In the Energy Hall, experience turning valves of a giant wellhead and take a virtual trip as a drilling rig goes deep underground.  

Level 2
In the Discovering Life Hall, learn all about ecosystems and living things. Discover fossils, preserved animals, and interactive games to discover the how plants and animals have changed over time. Learn how pollution and climate change can change organisms and how they adapt to survive. In the Being Human Hall, put on a lab coat to explore bone models and rocks to discover the first humans. Discover how unique you are with a interactive self-portrait, and try out the microphone as you visualize your voice on a screen.   Go head-to-head virtually with legendary athletes as you try to outsprint them on a live screen.   Learn the uniqueness of each human body and what makes each one so special. Around the corner find the Engineering and Innovation Hall to get hands-on with robotics and engineering. Try different ways to construct a building, play games with robots, make music on the music sequencer and learn the future of engineering.

Level 1
Just in time for lunch, the Perot Museum Café offers pizzas, salads, sandwiches, soups burgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, grilled cheese, and mac and cheese. You can eat outdoors or indoors at the tables provided. The great museum shop has books, shirts, toys, science kits, and interesting collectibles.   The Theater is also on this level, and you can purchase those tickets online or at the front desk. The small theaters show short films and 3D movies that are nature or science-based. The theater size and short films are great for kids that aren’t ready for a regular movie at the movie theater yet.

Lower Level
Kids ages 5 and under can have a chance at digging in a giant sand box to reveal dinosaur replica fossils in the Children’s Museum area. Pretend to be a farmer, produce truck driver, or shopper at the Farmers Market. Explore the wildlife biology area to get close to animals in terrariums. In the adjacent Sports Hall, challenge your inner athlete as you try throwing a football or shooting a hockey puck as the computer analyzes your form.  See if you can outrun a T. rex or cheetach, or NFL players in a virtual race!

Check out special exhibits such as traveling fossils that will likely never be seen here again. Immerse into a 2D or 3D film as you explore volcanoes, underwater oceans, tornadoes, and forests. Tickets for additional exhibits and films can be purchased at the ticket counter.

Special events such as a sleepover at the museum, summer camps, school break camps, classes, discovery camps, scouting adventures, and junior master naturalist programs.

Know Before You Go:

• Food and drinks are not allowed within the museum. Bottled water in a reusable bottle is permitted.
• It was so cold indoors in the summertime that we had to buy sweatshirts in the gift shop. Consider bringing a light jacket.
• Expect to be standing and walking a lot due to the size of this museum. There are benches to sit at along the way.
• Strollers and wagons allowed, with designated parking outside the children’s area.

Special needs: Handicap parking available, and all museum levels are wheelchair accessible and have elevators. All restrooms are full-accessible stalls. Free wheelchair rentals available on first-come, first-served basis at concierge. Devices for closed captioning and descriptive audio are available for certain exhibits and films.

Discounts: educators, active military, Dallas CityPass

Perot Museum of Nature and Science
2201 N. Field Street
Dallas, TX 75201
www.perotmuseum.com