Museum

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Founded in 1909, the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Hermann Park holds permanent halls, a planetarium, a giant screen theatre and a butterfly centre in one building, each with its own way of letting you in.

Typical visit

Ages

Booking

Child admission

Children aged 3 to 11 pay $16 for general admission.

Re-entry

A Permanent Exhibit Hall ticket lets you exit and re-enter the permanent exhibits through the day, so you can go out for lunch and come back.

Timed entry

Tickets for timed-entry venues such as the Butterfly Center must be used at the time printed on the ticket.

Strollers

Strollers not used for a disability are not allowed in the Burke Baker Planetarium, the Wortham Giant Screen Theatre, the Cockrell Butterfly Center or occasional special exhibitions, but somewhere is always provided to store them.

Baby changing

Restrooms with changing tables are on every level, and adult changing tables are in the family restroom on the Second Level at the Morian Overlook and the unisex restroom on the Lower Level.

No storage

There are no facilities for storing belongings, so bags come with you through the exhibits.

Accessible parking

Reserved accessible spaces are on every level of the HMNS garage, plus a limited number of free reserved accessible spaces on Caroline Street and along Hermann Park Drive.

Wheelchair loan

Child-sized, adult-sized and bariatric wheelchairs can be borrowed free at Museum Services in exchange for an ID, first come, first served.

OUR FAMILY ASSESSMENT

Family Intelligence

The museum works as several venues under one roof, and that shapes the order of the day: the permanent halls are yours to wander at your own pace, while the Butterfly Center and the other timed venues expect you at the moment printed on the ticket, so those are the fixed points to build the rest of the visit around. A permanent hall ticket also lets you walk out for lunch and come back in, which turns one long stretch into two manageable ones. The thing to weigh before you set off is storage: there is nowhere to leave a bag or a coat, so whatever comes in with you gets carried through the exhibits all day. General admission is free on Tuesday evenings on a first-come, first-served basis. Apart from Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, when the museum closes, public holidays bring extended hours rather than shorter ones.

Family FAQ

How much does Houston Museum of Natural Science cost?

Children aged 3 to 11 pay $16 for general admission.

Can you bring a stroller to Houston Museum of Natural Science?

Is there baby changing at Houston Museum of Natural Science?

Restrooms with changing tables are on every level, and adult changing tables are in the family restroom on the Second Level at the Morian Overlook and the unisex restroom on the Lower Level.

Is there parking at Houston Museum of Natural Science?

Reserved accessible spaces are on every level of the HMNS garage, plus a limited number of free reserved accessible spaces on Caroline Street and along Hermann Park Drive.

Why kids will love it

Permanent halls, the Burke Baker Planetarium, the Wortham Giant Screen Theatre and the Cockrell Butterfly Center sit in one building, so an indoor day can change character several times without changing address. Wheelchairs, child-sized ones included, are lent out free at Museum Services in exchange for an ID, and every level has a restroom with a changing table.