The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science is established in the "museum row" of Albuquerque, which also includes the Explora Science and Albuquerque Museum. It is located in the heart of the city, just walking distance from the famous Old Town and the neighborhood shops Sawmill which consist of tourists spots like the Ponderosa Brewery.
The museum is an ideal place to visit for both kids and adults alike. Adults will have fun learning how the Microsoft company started in Albuquerque and learn about the planets and the solar system. On the other hand, kids will love the popular dinosaurs of the museum. The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science showcases with striking impact the prehistoric life of New Mexico ages ago when the area we now live in was roamed by dinosaurs.
Visitors of the museum enter the largest of lizards' Mesozoic era, welcomed by the cast in bronze, life-sized dinosaurs of New Mexico named Alberta and Spike. After this zone, visitors will have a face-to-face encounter with Stan, a Tyrannosaurus rex, in full attack style. Stan is a nearly complete skeleton replica of what was found in South Dakota and once weighed around six tons. Stan's relatives' fossils have been discovered throughout New Mexico which is dubbed as "The Tyrannosaur State".
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science offers a wide range of educational camps and programs that cover the state's natural sciences. These programs include Mineral Monday, Young Explorers Winter Camps, Science Story Time, Adult Field Trips, Sayaka Ganz Scavenger Hunts, and more.
The Sandia Mountain Natural History Center is a joined partnership between the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and Albuquerque Public Schools. SMNHC is a facility that directs ecology science programs in Albuquerque's outside mountains. The experienced educators of SMNHC educate on the local ecosystem while conducting insights by scientific research, hands-on activities, and hikes.
The museum's Planetarium is a magnificent theater that combines fun, art, and science. A full-dome theater, the 55' Sky-Skan Definiti, features entertaining and educational multimedia presentations on space science and astronomy. Whether it's watching mind-bending and unique fractal zooms, flying to our solar system and planets, or learning about the night sky's constellations, the Planetarium is a must and an unforgettable experience for the museum's visitors.
Shows at the Planetarium include Little Star that Could, Life: A Cosmic Story, Phantom of the Universe, Enchanted Skies, and First Friday Fractals. Aside from the Planetarium, the DynaTheater is also a popular zone in the museum. The five-story screen highlights digital surround sound and the first 2D/3D system in the world.
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science takes the approach of learning-and-fun to informal science education that museum's visitors enjoy and appreciate permanent exhibitions that include a moon rock, realistic Ice Age cave, replica of the Mars Rover, marine aquarium, living forest, and an active walk-through volcano.
Other permanent exhibits on the museum are Kiwanis Learning Garden, The Bisti Beast, Emergence, Time Tracks: A Walk Through Time, and the Hall of Stars. Virtual tours or online exhibits are also offered to explore some of the museum's educational content from the comfort of your own abode.
Albuquerque's New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science has more than 250,000 yearly visitors, making the museum the state's most visited cultural institution. As it appeals to all ages, the museum covers interactive discovery rooms to science-related exhibits and shows for all levels of learning. The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science guarantees something for everyone whether the interest is woolly mammoths, geology, or space.
Learn about the Best Tourist Attractions in Albuquerque, New Mexico