Summer Fun at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science

If you are looking for something to do in the Dallas area this summer, look no further than one of my favorite local destinations: The Perot Museum of Nature and Science. There is so much to explore there this summer that I wanted to share all the goings on!

At @PerotMuseum this summer: the largest Maya exhibition to tour the U.S., cool 3D films, camps, a new architecture tour & summer discounts! Click To Tweet

I was recently invited to Family Media Day at the Perot Museum, where they kicked off the morning with a film in The Hoglund Foundation Theater with DREAM BIG 3D. Narrated by Jeff Bridges, the film is a celebration of human ingenuity behind engineering marvels big and small. I will warn you – I cried, several times.

Yes, in a movie about engineering.

It was THAT inspirational and moving, and will hopefully inspire your child to look differently, or more closely, at all the opportunities available in the field.

In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we ran to the membership desk (we have a family membership) and snagged tickets to another really cool 3D film, Walking With Dinosaurs.

Confession time: these 3D movies are a bit of a guilty pleasure and I never miss a chance to squeeze in one or two — although they shouldn’t be because they are so educational and/or eye-opening while they entertain.

Definitely make time during your visit (and purchase the needed timed tickets ahead of your visit if you can) for the spectacular MAYA: HIDDEN WORLDS REVEALED exhibit running now through September 4. This is the largest traveling exhibition about the Maya to ever tour the U.S. and seriously, there is SO much here to take in! The Perot kindly gave me a sneak peek back in February, and quite honestly my daughter and I spent well over 90 minutes going through all the exhibits, and we still missed a lot.

(You can read all about our opening day visit by clicking here.)

The Perot also tickled our curiosity with a sneak peek at their brand new Perot Museum Architecture tour. There is no denying it – the building is spectacular to look at, and while I knew that there were some pretty unique aspects of it, the extent of it blew my mind! Did you know that 20 percent of the museum is made from recycled materials, or that the pieces cladding the outside were cut so precisely that they fit together like a puzzle and there was no waste? Tours run 1-1.5 hours on Saturdays and Sundays, via advance purchase in addition to museum tickets, and are only $5 apiece.

My goalkeeper will have a new challenge on our next visit as well as today the Perot welcomed FC Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz and Dallas Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen to unveil the new “reaction time” exhibit in the Lamar Hunt Family Sports Hall!

We thought we’d save trying out the new exhibit until he could return with us next week during Member Appreciation night where we’ll also check out “Chat with an Expert: Digging those Dinos”!

We’re still hoping to fit in a SLEEPOVER this summer – they will be hosting them on June 9, July 21, August 11 and September 2. The sleepovers include behind the scenes access to the exhibit halls, demonstrations and hands-on discovery, a 3D film, plus a late night snack and a light breakfast! These are perfect from kids aged 6-14 (and their chaperones).

There is plenty of special programming going on, from family-fun-filled Discovery Days on the second Saturday of each month and First Thursday Late Night events (on, obviously, the first Thursday of the month) that offer special programing in extended hours from 7-9pm, to the adult only Social Science events. These events for the over-21 visitor sound like a unique date night idea with fun experiments, craft beers & cocktails, fascinating discussions and experiments, and more! Tickets to these events always go fast and upcoming dates are June 23 (Patterns) and August 4 (Conundrum). I’ve got my eye on that August 4th date for us!

Rounding out summer activities on offer are their Discovery Camps for kids in pre-K through 6th grade, offered both in the museum proper or at The Hockaday School. For more information on their camps or any of the above museum programs, check out the Perot Museum website.

This summer, the Perot is making a visit to the museum more accessible. There is complimentary general admission for active duty military, veterans, law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMTs as well as educators in Texas and surrounding states, and $1 tickets for families enrolled in qualified state/federal assistance programs. For discounted ticket information, check out the website.

Better yet – snag a membership to the Perot and explore all it has to offer! We appreciate that with our membership, we don’t HAVE to fit everything into one visit, and it makes each visit a lot more low-key. Today we spent a lot of time in the Being Human hall – we had time to do an experiment in the BIO LAB, check out our EKGs, shoot ping-pong balls with our minds (so cool!) and so much more! Membership details are available here.

For more information on tickets, open hours and all the cool goings on, head over to the Perot Museum website by clicking here! For a limited time, save $2 by buying your tickets online!