The Perot Museum of Nature & Science opened back in 2012. We really enjoyed our visit and were surprised by how family-friendly the museum was. There is a fantastic Children's Museum on the lower level but all throughout the museum, there are interactive exhibits that are highly engaging for young visitors. The Museums Instagram, Facebook and website don't emphasize enough how truly great this museum is for children and families.
The museum also has many great special programs for various ages. Check out all they have to offer here.
We hope you use this guide to know how to best plan for your trip to the museum with kids!
Here were some of our favorite attractions!
Photo Courtesy of @carrieelleblog
Lower Level
Children's Museum, Traveling Exhibit: Origins & Sport's Hall
Blue Truck Image Courtesy of @jaydenmomjane
Our favorites in the Children's Museum include the water table, digging for dinos in the sandbox and the "Discover Dallas" whimsical cityscape play area! In this area, there were areas for small crawlers and active preschoolers alike. Read more about the children's area suitable for ages 5 and under here.
In the Sports Hall included the "Put Your Feet to the Test" area where you select a dinosaur, famous athlete or a cheetah to race. The line was long but it was well worth the wait!
Level 1:
Includes the Museums Shop, Cafe, Theater and Membership Desk
Level 2:
On this level, we spent most of our time in the T.I. Engineering & Innovation Hall. We particularly enjoyed the "Amazing Airways" exhibit where kids can put balls or scarves in a series of tubes to watch them get pulled through the piping system and shot back out on the other side! We also enjoyed operating the many bots in the area.
Level 3:
We spent most of our time in the Dynamic Earth Hall! We particularly loved the earthquake simulator and the sandbox that showed elevation as you pushed sand around and dug holes. The energy hall has an exciting simulator going down into the earth's layers for ages 3 and older.
Level 4 "Life Then & Now Hall", "Expanding the Universe Hall", "Paleo Lab"
Bottom 5 photos from left to right & top to bottom courtesy of @ianstexaslife; @lizardmorrison; @peterjmike; @santiago_emiliano; @justinalicia4
We LOVED the Then & Now Hall. The "Dino Dance" area where the dinos on the screen follow your moves to a short song. There are dozens of fossils and be sure to check out their site here for a fun scavenger hunt. The Paleo Lab found within the "Then and Now Hall" frequently has a paleontologist hard at work behind the glass excavating a fossil! There is a private nursing room on this floor right next to the wall puzzles.
Level 4M
The Birds exhibit is full of interactive elements! Kids can "fly like a bird" as they use a simulator screen to fly through the forest controlling their height and angle with their arms. Another fun spot we enjoyed was the area where you learned about different kinds of bird beaks and used similar utensils to try to pick up small objects and place them in jars (as if you were a bird-eating them).
Outdoor Fun!
At the various entrances, you'll find fun colorful stairs, frogs to climb on and even some outdoor xylophones to play! The main escalator that takes you through the museum is actually external to the building (pictured above) giving you a great view of downtown as you explore the museum.
What you need to know before you go:
Website: https://www.perotmuseum.org/
Where: 2201 N Field St, Dallas, TX 75201
What: Science & Nature Museum; Children's Museum
Cost: $13 youth; $20 adults (for basic admission)
Accessibility: elevators
Family Friendly Considerations: Breastfeeding Friendly Areas: Lower Level (private room), Level 1 (benches in the restroom), Level 4 (private room)
Other Notes: On-site cafe
Full information on parking/commuting options can be found on their website here. Keep in mind this museum is right by the on/off-ramp of the freeway and it is a very busy road and it's a little bit of a walk from the parking to the museum along the sidewalk.
If you are visiting the area you can get a discount to the museum and other Dallas attractions through city pass! We are members of the Fort Worth Museum of Science & History and the membership level we have comes with the benefit of free admission to the Perot! Many levels of Perot membership gets you to access to ASTC network museums which reciprocate and includes the Fort Worth Museum of Science & History.
We did not receive any compensation for the opinions expressed in this guide.
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