Where: 900 Las Vegas Blvd. N.
Las Vegas, NV 89101
702-384-3466
Website: www.lvnhm.org
About the Las Vegas Natural History Museum: The slogan of the museum is "Where learning is an adventure!" Although it doesn't disappoint, it feels more like a field trip in a small town and less like an adventure-packed metropolitan museum. Still, it's a great spot for a family outing (particularly for families with kids of elementary age and younger), with displays ranging from the giant moving dinosaurs to slithering snakes and live sharks. And we're not talking about a scene on one of the Strip's casino floors!
Eight exhibits and galleries take you on a walk through time. The museum is larger than it appears from the outside, but you'll be fine if you allow an hour or two. Begin with the Animal Families Gallery, a taxidermist's dream with the mounted pelts of many animals. Primates, wolves, bears, oxen and caribou stand posed so you can see up close the kind of presence they have in the wild. The polar bear is intimidating, despite the fact that it's stuffed.
Next, take a walk under the ocean. Reflections of waves swirl around the marine room. A "whale song" machine plays the music that the great creatures make, and replicas of whales, dolphins and sharks line the walls. But the main attraction here is the 3,000-gallon tank, where live sharks, stingrays and eels swim. A curator feeds the sharks and answers shark-related questions at 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
Nearby, aquariums of frogs, lobsters and turtles are available for up-close viewing. On your way out, you can't miss the giant tank holding Bonnie and Clyde, a pair of Burmese pythons who could grow to be 25 feet long.
The Wild Nevada Gallery spotlights the life found in the Mojave Desert. See pocket mice and catclaws, bighorn sheep, kit foxes, snakes and more. This interactive display includes buttons that illuminate different plants and animals or play the sounds that the creatures make. Headsets give more in-depth details about the scenery. Plus, there are smelling and touching options. Ever smell the scent of a badger?
The Prehistoric Life Gallery is one of the favorite spots. Here, a moving, roaring tyrannosaurus imposes on visitors. Nearby a deinonychus and triceratops lurk, and baby dinosaurs hatch from eggs. The room is dark and gets loud when visitors press the buttons that awaken the dinos. Small children may be frightened, but not-so-small children revel in the sounds.
The Young Scientist Center is the other favorite; this is the museum's educational playroom. Sandy pits hide fossils, such as amphibian skeletons, shark teeth and more, for kids to uncover. Nearby, a scorpion crawls around its cage, its exoskeleton glowing in a spooky black light. Visitors can stick their heads into a fish tank "bubble" to look like they're inside the tank. The educational items are fun enough to easily pass as play.
Downstairs is the Early Man Gallery, also known as the "Out of Africa" exhibit, which follows man (once known as an African primate) from his more hunched-over and hairy days, featuring models of Australopithecus afarensis, Homo habilis and Homo erectus. A drum-filled African-themed room next door has a hut and tools used by early man; this is the foyer into the African Savanna Gallery. The grassland is broken up by hippos, lions, hyenas and more. On one side of the room is a calm scene of animals gathering at a water hole; the other side is quite a contrast, showing the brutal reality of nature's predator-prey relationships.
Follow the dark passageway into the next gallery: the African rain forest. The dark, lush forest is a refreshing contrast to the desert scenes. Push the buttons to hear about the birds and other animals living in the rain forest. And prepare for the storm! An actual rainstorm, complete with thunder and lightning, dampens the scene.
Hours: Open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Cost: $8 adults; $7 seniors, military and students; $4 children ages 3 to 11; free for children age 2 and younger and for members.
Tip: For a buy-one-get-one-free coupon, visit the museum's website.
If you enjoy history you should be very intrigued with the re-creation of portions of the ship as well as the story of a majestic ocean liner that was crippled on a calm evening in 1912.
The Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is housed in a large 25,000 square foot exhibition space and is a fun and informative Las Vegas attraction. Search the coupon books around town for a discounted ticket. Location: The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is about 6 miles from the Strip, near Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington, next to Cashman Field. It's across from the Lied Discovery Children's Museum.