Downtown Dallas has a cool new building with a box hanging off the side of it. Know what it is?? It's the new Perot Museum of Nature and Science and it is one of the best new museums for kids in the entire state of Texas!
Perot Museum of Nature and Science opened in December 2012 and saw an overwhelming response from the community. This hands-on museum excels at helping kids learn in the most unique ways. Children like to touch things, experiment, see themselves in different ways, use all 5 senses and laugh. They call it fun, we call it learning. No matter what you call it, this museum does it well.
Word has gotten out how great of a museum it is, so much so that admission is selling out each day. Your best bet is to buy your tickets online in advance. Tickets are sold in timed increments, so as the museum-goer can have a pleasant experience and get to try all the hands-on experiments without having to wait too long.
As I have mentioned, the museum is full of hands-on experiments, many of which are easy to follow and understand what you are doing for most ages. What I liked the most was that there were several wandering "educators" on each floor, that would just right in and explain to the kids what they were doing (i.e. lifting a bowling ball on each planet) and why it was important.
There are 5 levels to the museum, each full of fun. We especially enjoyed the third level, where we were able to feel an earthquake, touch a funnel cloud, and forecast the weather. There are loads of interactive exhibits for all ages, from traveling through the Solar System, to donning a pair of 3D glasses and flying like a bird (my little guy's favorite).
As it's a new museum, everything is so bright and colorful. You find each exhibit incredibly engaging. On Level 2, your senses are taken to a new level as you walk through the Discovering Life Hall. Fully sense the Texas Blackland Prairie by hearing the prairie dog call, feeling the prickly pear cactus and smelling the desert marigold (or coyote urine, if you dare!).
My little engineer spent a good 30 minutes on programming a robot to go through a maze. He worked diligently on one of two stations and was successful on his first try. The other kids roamed around the Texas Instruments Engineering and Innovation Hall making music, learning how to dace, playing in front of a geo-thermal wall, and more while he plugged away. I was able to sit on a set of steps and relax a bit, able to see them taking their time to master whatever they were trying.
For little ones (5 and under) the museum offers the Moody Family Children's Museum on the Lower Level. This area has a giant Dallas skyline to climb, slide, and play on that really caught my 3-year old's fancy. He also donned a Dallas Farmer's Market apron and organized fruit for a while. There is also a water play station, craft area, and camping site to capture all interests. It is a great place to allow your little guys to run and play.
My kids loved every bit of the museum, but the one place they enjoyed most and stayed the longest was in the Sports Hall. Here, you can race against a professional athlete, a cheetah or a T-Rex. The line for this was the longest we encountered all day yet it only took less than 10 minutes to go through. It's fascinating to watch person after person sprint it out to beat a football player or a gymnast. Another really cool exhibit here involves you comparing a kick, twirl, or throw to a professional athlete. My little soccer gal enjoyed seeing how she measured up to a FC Dallas player.
