The Houston Museum of Natural Science Reviews

A really impressive natural history museum. The skeletons of the dinosaurs are beautifully depicted and it is definitely worth a visit

The HMNS is a great institution and I have no complaints with general admission and tours/exhibits. Those are amazing and especially entertaining for kiddos 5-11 or so. My complaint is with the Scout Merit Badge programs and lack of follow up/sign off after the class day is over. I have paid and my kid has now attended the Family Life Merit Badge twice. There is zero response and assistance with MB sign offs following the class. My son has both emailed and called and left vmail and instructed to obtain sign offs. It is highly disappointing and annoying to a parent who is trying to help the Scout just get it done.

I will only recommend to others if their Scout can be prepared enough to get all signed off during the class. Slackers beware!

Lots of different exhibits, might be a bit pricey at times but if you've never been, this is a great place to go visit with the family (or by yourself). Parking has gotten better, they have a garage down the road.

Butterfly, dinosaur, gemstone, and others that come through once in a while.

The museum had quite a few interesting things to see that we hadn’t seen before and are displayed better than some other museums we’ve been to. The Cabinet of Curiosities wasn’t what we expected it to be and we also weren’t aware that the parking garage would be $30 and didn’t see the price displayed prior to going into the garage. We were not aware at the time of any alternatives either, we were from out of state and not familiar with the area so it made the whole experience less enjoyable having to spend so much.

So much to see! Wonderful exhibits! The earlier you get there the better. Also there is free parking in the park and only a short 2 blocks away.

We managed to pick an extremely busy day but other than having a difficult time finding a place to park we were able to get into the museum with little wait. The general admission tickets won't allow you to see the special exhibits which was a bummer but the fossil collections are well worth the price of admission.

It is an impressively large museum, it is approximately 5 floors from different areas of the museum, the truth is worth visiting with time and is very entertaining

The area overall was very calming and beautiful. There are also iguanas, and turtles to see. The waterfall is relaxing. There isn't a lot of areas to sit and rest because it's not that long of a walking exhibit.

Very nice museum. With an exceptional enhancement of things, we were able to appreciate the Fabergé collection commissioned by the Tsar and Queen Victoria
Unique pieces
Then we saw a collection of semi-precious stones of phenomenal beauty
To finish with dinosaurs and fossils
All in a very beautiful space. Impeccable cleanliness
I love America
To consume without moderation

Beautiful museum with friendly staff. General admission tickets were great however some exhibits were closed and we were not aware until we got there. The dinosaurs and gem museums were amazing

So much to see and do with my little ones they liked everything. Only thing is I wasn’t able to get hot food since I didn’t see that the restaurant they have there closes at 4. But other then that everyone was very nice there and it was a fun evening adventure with the family.

Loved this museum - great displays - large and interesting - good interactive technology section and loved the dinosaur section and the native American sections. They have free wheelchairs you can borrow which was helpful and good accessibility
- although many of the information panels and some of the displays were too high for someone in a wheelchair to read/interact with.
We stopped for lunch during the visit and got food from the rather basic shop/cafe - wanted to sit outside in the garden but it was not wheelchair accessible - around 5 - 10 steps - which is a shame as it was a lovely wee garden. Cafe was basic - not sure if there is another better cafe in the building.
However exhibits were great and we spent at least 3 hours looking around and probably only did half of the museum. Would happily come back.

Ticket just gets you in, a couple of exhibits were included, others were closed. Special exhibits were quite pricey, $25 each. It was ok but could have been so much better. If you aren’t from out of town and have a membership maybe would be worth it

There are so many extras that are not included in the price of the tickets. Plus when you buy tickets through here the extras cost even more.

There was no parking available, too many people, but will try another time, need refund ,nice place for children

Incredible museum, highly recommended, it is a fabulous museum, you should not miss visiting it, it has many exhibitions and the dinosaur area is the best

It’s was my grandsons birthday and we went for the dinosaur exhibit, it was excellent! We throughly enjoyed the entire museum.

Museum was great! I was surprised at how interesting the gemstones exhibition was. Um… yeah that’s about it, I guess…!!

I like being able to skip the line by buying tickets ahead of time. This was not that experience. I still had to waste about 15-20 minutes standing in a line to have the tickets I already bought printed out after I explained to the girl at the counter that I had already paid, all the while showing her my tickets on my phone.
The museum itself was nice. There were a few sections that smelled like sewage or mold or something. The kids had a good time.
The cockerel butterfly exhibit was super hot and humid. You might want a heads up there. If it's triple digits or close to it, you may want to avoid that part. It was still pretty cool. Not as many butterflies as I remember seeing the last time I went, but it was still kind of cool.

Nice to visit. Museums, food were very good. We stayed at the Hilton which was very nice. If we only had more time, I would like to see more Parks and fish. Felt pretty safe.

Wish I had more more time. We saw the meg exhibit initially and it was very informative. The layout is great and the exhibit arr very well crafted.

One of the best of the best. Amazing exhibits, well laid out, and in a fantastic part of Houston. This is a must see for anyone coming to Texas.

Top notch museum, with a revolving door of new exhibits. We always end up looking over the permanent ones again and again too, especially the gorgeous gem stones and sea shells.

There are great shows too on the big screen, some really good documentaries on space and wildlife. Plan to see one while you’re there!

The Houston Natural Science Museum is a must go! Excellent collections [The Cabinet of Curiosities is ONE of my favorites]. The docents are super knowledgeable & helpful! The energy hall blows mind mind. And the newly remodeled [in 2021] Egyptian hall takes you back to ancient history at its best.

Seeing this exhibit takes me back to my trip to Egypt and visiting the Valley of the Kings in 2010. The museum's exhibit tries to take visitors back to the day in 1922, when Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered King Tut’s Tomb, and explores what Carter saw when he first entered the burial chamber. A hallway even helps create the illusion of descending into the tomb. The interactive exhibit features an exact size scale recreation of King Tut’s burial chamber and reproductions of the treasures King Tut was taking with him as he entered the afterlife. It's neat that you get to walk in the footsteps of Carter as he gets his first glimpse of the “Wonderful things!” in the tomb. For all their devotion to the gods, the ancient Egyptians loved life and wanted it to continue into eternity. Since they believed in resurrection, they filled their tombs with everyday objects that they would need later: beds, chairs, chariots, boats, weapons, game boards, cosmetics, jugs of wine, musical instruments, clothing, food, and even pets. Everything they used in life they wanted in death and the afterlife. Almost everything historians know about ancient Egypt are derived from two sources: temples and tombs. Unfortunately, nearly all the tombs of the kings were robbed of their treasures by tomb robbers over the years. Miraculously, Carter's discovery yielded artifacts that had been untouched. This produced a true time capsule of ancient Egypt and literally brought Tutankhamen back to life for the entire world to see. Had Tutankhamen's relatively-intact tomb from the late XVIII Dynasty not been discovered by Carter in 1922, we'd never know the staggering amount of luxury these ancient kings possessed. Unfortunately, all the artifacts in the museum's tomb are not actual historical relics but reproductions. Of course, this allows the museum to display the artifacts in a more accurate portrayal than using the actual relics would. It also allows the artifacts to be touchable and for the museum to incorporate multimedia and interactive elements, including a touchscreen-based video game where players dig through the site of the tomb and search for treasures. Although seeing King Tut’s Tomb Discovery Experience is a worthwhile experience and certainly worth seeing, I felt a little disappointed. While the Houston Museum of Natural Science is a great museum (one of the best in the US) and while the exhibit is very educational and interesting experience, it is expensive and not very affordable for many Houston families. It is unfortunate that going to the museum ends up costing so much (Adults $35 - Children $27) that many people, especially those that would gain from the experience, will miss the opportunity to see something like this because they simply can’t afford it.

Like most other museums in the world, it is worth visiting once. The staff wasn't super friendly. I wish there was a better flow of going through the museum so you know you have seen everything rather than trying to constantly figure out where you are and which part you haven't been yet! Overall a pleasant experience but not interesting enough for a second visit :)

Part of the city pass. $30 to park! We didn’t even go into the museum because of the price of parking. What a rip off. Can’t review the museum, it may have been amazing, but we weren’t going to pay 30 to park the car.

We went on an expedition to the museum over our thanksgiving visit to Houston.

What a fun outing! We toured the King Tut exhibit and it makes me wonder what the other Egyptian tombs must have been like since they were by fare bigger than Tut’s tomb. The cutaways of the sarcophagus was amazing and the feeling they created as if you were entering the actual tomb as one of the archaeologists did was well done.

Then we headed to the butterfly exhibit. That is a work of living wonders. We saw butterflies enclosing from there chrysalis’s. Then wandering in the butterfly enclosure room! It was warm with feeding stations for butterflies to drink out of. Thousands of butterflies were flying around and occasionally landing on us as we wandered through the tropical plants.

Well worth the visit!

It was fun, very educational and informative. Entire family had a great time, we had fun the some of the games they had for the kids and enjoyed the documentaries they were showing on the screen.

Loved it! So many beautiful butterflies flying around you! You have to be quick with your camera, some of them are camera shy or don’t want to sit still. Lol
Definitely recommend! Will visit again.

Amazing displays and posted information. Kids were 3-10yrs and were in awe of all the exhibits. I loved that the top floor has the how we do it info on oil exttaction and gas fracking.

Great price for general entry. It does not include parking or any additional exhibits. If you have never been to the museum, it's a great deal. Note that the parking garage costs $20 additional dollars.

We went with the traditional idea of seeing a science museum and it delighted us. Everything is exposed with an artistic sense that highlights the experience. The fourth floor where technological aspects related to energy and its renewable alternatives are exposed. To learn, delight and have fun

I love the amazing giant Dinosaurs, not only dinosaurs but also the stones, the history of our past. I love the interaction of the young teens showing the piece of dinosaur bones and telling the story about each. The garden of Butterflies was amazing to see. The planetarium was awesome experience as well. I would definitely recommend this place to visit if you’re in Houston, a must see!! Good for All ages.

On my bucket list forever that I thought I’d have to do alone, but on a trip I brought up the Cockrell Butterfly Center and family loved it.

General access is wrong. If you want to see the ‘special’ exhibitions in the museum, you pay an extra entrance fee. In other words, you have to; once you have bought a ticket for the museum itself, you will then be back at (a number of) ticket offices.
Museum itself is quite interesting and affordable (seniors $16 pp) but to now pay another $50 pp for all ‘specials’ is really going too far for me.

Always fun and various options for things to do. Its a tru annual pilgrimage for us. We could Not believe body worlds was on display!!! It’s the most advanced museum work in our time.

They had a section blocked off because they were hosting a wedding. Wish they would’ve told us ahead of time so we could wait for the next day instead of paying full price for entrance and parking when we didn’t get the full experience.

Excellent space for knowledge about natural sciences and the biodiversity of many places in the world, in addition to its temporary exhibitions that are very worth knowing.

King Tut exhibition was superb. Very nice collection of dinosaur bones. All artifacts were displayed in an appealing manner. We used City Pass for admission. Thoroughly enjoyed our time touring this museum.

I love the outdoors and butterflies. This was such a nice tranquil place and I wish we could have just sat there all day. The staff and space were so nice and peaceful.

The third floor not open, 3/4 of the touch screen interactive don’t work, tired and needs refreshing overall. Nickel and diming for every exhibit and show in the place and charged full admission price. Plus pay for parking.

We spent more than 2 hours just in the paleontology part and 2 more good hours to get an overview of the rest. It would take a whole day to see the essentials! The museum is very nice, the collections are well presented.

The movie was very well done. The dinosaur exhibit and evolution exhibit were very informative. The crowds were almost insufferable. My wife uses a cane for MS and there were no (not one) chairs inside or out. We planned to see more exhibits but we could not negotiate the chaos. We arrived 20 minutes after the garage opened to the public at 10:00. It was already full. I walked about 3-4 blocks to park in a handicap spot.

I love this museum. My advertising agency (Taylor Smith/TaylorSpeier) handled the original IMAX advertising. I knew it would be crowded but no provisions were made to manage the numbers. That is unforgivable.

me and my family had a great time. so cool to see all the history in one place! our favorite was the dinosaurs and the vault!

Great museum.but the lighting is awful. Made it very difficult to read the placards and when on tried to use the flashlight on my phone to read same, I was asked to turn it off even though I wasn’t using it as a flash photo of the actual exhibit. Also the height of the placards is very awkward-i guess it is set down at height for children to read, all though the information would be beyond most kids ability

Great Museum!!! The atmosphere was great , the staff was very helpful with information. It was just an all around great experience for me and my family. We will most definitely recommend this one .

The entire family enjoyed the visit. Hadn’t seen my teens light up with excitement in a while but this was great for everyone!

Spent a fascinating morning and early afternoon here. Way to much to see to rush. Great staff helped the experience. Thank you for an enjoyable conclusion to our Houston visit.

For $35 it was poor value for money. No real exhibits - all replicas. No real experience of entering the tomb - just a few vignettes of the tombs contents. Not much information on the actual discovery - there IS film available and no mention of the Tutmania that followed the discovery. I saw the 1973 tour of the REAL exhibits when I was 9 in London and that had more of an impact. NOT value for money - go see another exhibit instead1

The way the exhibits are presented is an absolute stand-out. Top of my list is the underfloor-lit periodic table, straight out of Saturday Night Fever or Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. Stand on the elements and they light up!
The Chemistry section was very imaginative. Of course the dinosaurs are what attract most but a shout out to the top floor explanations of the oil and gas industry, and the egyptian section, even if replicas, are still worth a good look. The downside? The catering is pretty poor and why did they play/show Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in the Planetarium (great idea) only once a day at 5pm?
As for parking, park free in Hermann Park and walk down the water features or via the Japanese Garden.

Best museum we have been to in Texas. We love how everything we read we were able to understand. Great for all ages.

Said there were no more availability when I purchased a ticket from trip advisor. I need a refund. Will never go back based off how they treated me and my wife.

Far better than expected! We thoroughly enjoyed the dinosaur exhibit and the butterfly garden. The gems were beautiful and interesting as well as the King Tut exhibit.

Wonderful experience loves how easy and fast it was getting our tickets !! I’ve never been to a museums so coming here was the perfect 1st time and my sons loved it :)

It was wonderful. We saved about 50% by purchasing this way. It wants me to keep saying things but I have nothing left to say.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is truly worth a visit! Specially for kids but equally enjoyable for adults. The museum itself has four floors each packed with fascinating exhibits.

On the first floor I loved the chemistry section and especially the amazing dinosaur skeletons and fossils some over 170 million years old!

The second floor is dedicated to gems, sparkling with incredible collections.

The third floor is absolutely marvelous with the Mummies and Ancient Egypt culture really interesting and full of history. Right next to it you’ll also find exhibits on the history of America.

The top floor explains everything about crude oil extraction procedures in detail which was very educational.

If you are someone who loves going deep into information this museum can easily take a whole day to explore properly. As I know, it’s also one of the most visited museums in the USA and I can clearly see why.

Highly recommended for families, students or anyone who loves history, science and culture.

Really nice museum much nicer than the Houston space museum. Would definitely recommend. If you have kids, you need to check out the butterfly house it’s pretty cool to.

Better to bring a small vehicle if you want to park in the attached garage. Using that garage is a Houston driving test!
Great museum! A membership lasts a year and is worth it to cover the cost of parking. Easy to get overloaded with the sheer range of exhibits. The gem and dinosaur exhibits were amazing. The gem exhibit contains impressive natural specimens, art pieces including gems, and costly jewelry pieces. The dinosaur exhibit really brings each dinosaur to life in its life story.

I was just looking for something to pass the early morning time. I purchased my admission ticket and went. I was very surprised at all the displays. This is perfect for families of all ages. Very impressive.

Best experience for it being the first time going to the museum.The kids loved that they got to touch and feel some of the museum displays and how the work.

Visited US in May 2023 for sons graduation ceremony.
Then decided to visit Texas state, of course Houston was on top of agenda.

Visited Museums

What a beautiful museum. In every aspect this museum excels, it's beautiful, modern, well situated, beautiful gift shop, great exhibits. It is a treat to go there and enjoy a couple of hours or more.

Museum is great as always. Great way to beat the heat in spring, summer and fall. Garage parking $30 for non members but only $2 an hour around the museum on the street. Also don’t be fooled by the King Tut Exhibit charging $35 per adult. There are no real artifacts from King Tuts Tomb here. Not sure how they can get away with charging $35 extra per adult to see replicas made in china.

This museum is outstanding!! It offers visitors an exploration of everything from dinosaurs to seashells, jewels to wild animals, sea creatures to planets. Plus, if you time your visit righr, you can see the special exhibit. We were there for King Tut's Tomb. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and definately worth the additional cost. You can easily spend 3-4 hours here just going through the galleries, and another 1-2 hours visiting the IMAX and planetarium. This is a must do attraction for anyine in the area- families with small children included. HINT: There is a cafe on site. HINT: There is a parking garage on site, but spots fill up quickly. Cost is $30.

This was such an awesome experience, and a have to do for anyone coming to Houston. The Egypt experience is so unique and they had a specialized person at the exhibit to explain the importance of the symbols. The animal exhibit was beautiful and areas you could touch the exhibit, unexplainable
Wasn't able to hit the butterfly effect exhibit but next time

We had so much fun walking around this museum! The kids absolutly loved seeing everything. The elveators were a bit confuseinfg ( some went to certain floors only) We enjoyed walking and talking with the museum staff who were well taught in their sections!
The only thing that made our day not awesome, was the staff in the food lab.
On top of SUPER high prices. Some of the staff have very bad attitudes. Arguing with customers over things. One told my sister they had no more cheese burgers so she couldn't order, the woman on the other side said they did have them. So she tried to order there. when questioned why she didn't order before she told them she was told she couldn't order one. The previous staff WENT OFF YELLING. Calling my sister out in front of everyone calling her a liar. I was shocked. They rushed and yelled if you took more than 30 sec to look at the menu. Honestly it ruined our happy attitudes. Everyone walking out was talking about there ugly they were spoken too.

Very nice experience. Egyptian exhibit was my fav. Would definitely recommend. Took about 3-4 hours.

This rating spot didn’t allow me to enter our trip as pre-Covid, so what the hell? My boyfriend at the time, included me as a plus one on his work seminars ? Fall 5 yrs ago Post Katrina. We followed a journalist friend’s list of To Do’s in Houston, where he previously resided. Hotel was recommended in the posh Medical/Museum district, hit the Museum and the Houston zoo. I will tout that this Houston museum and zoo was amongst my finest visits on Earth! Perhaps, I was also falling in love.
I’ve been impressed by the Henry Ford/Greenfield Village site Dearborn, MI as a kid, Detroit Zoo (gorillas-WOW!), NY Museum of Natural History with “Lucy”, the Vatican, Uffizi, Florence, and Paris Impressionist venues. But. I never had seen such a brilliant display of dinosaurs, and while exiting the building, considered what was on floor 3 and 4?
OMG! Egyptian mummies! The best display ever! They allowed pictures taken from my iPhone.
Do not! Miss this museum.

My husband and I took our grandsons here (ages 8 and 10). They absolutely loved this museum. Of particular interest was the pendulum, Ancient Egyptian, the butterflies and especially the dinosaurs. They also loved the butterflies and insects. We also went to the short film on dinosaurs in the Planetarium which was very well done. We arrived first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds. I highly recommend doing that.

Dinosaur exhibit was very exciting, even for a young child ( 4 yrs). Validating my voucher was easy, and there were plenty of staff members to help and answer questions.

What a wonderful adventure! My kids ages 18-10 are still talking about it. Highly recommended family adventure

So much to see, my family really enjoyed this Museum. Go before noon on a weekend to avoid the huge afternoon crowd.

Very nice experience a lot of découvert and souvenir ... At the 2013 with Houston family center...
Been long been the place was calm and interesting

The Good: I love a good natural history museum and the Houston Museum of Natural Science has many very nice exhibits. The shell and the gem and mineral exhibits are top notch and fascinating. There are many fine other exhibits as well.

The bad: There were two things about the museum I did not like. The extra costs and the crowds. First it costs $30 to park. Then $30 each to get in. Oh you want to see the King Tut exhibit? That's extra. You want to see the butter fly exhibit? That's extra. The planetarium? Extra. Movie about dinosaurs in the antarctic? Extra. There are others but you get the point. All the popular exhibits cost extra.

Then there were the crowds. I don't know how the Fire Marshall allows this many people in the building at one time. My advice is to get there early to avoid the crowds, and park on Herman Street to save $20 on parking.

Be prepared to wait in line a LONG time, especially if ypu qualify for a senior or other discount whichbyou can only get by standing in line-cannot buy online. By the wsy, its hard for a senior to stand 30 min to an hour just for general admission tickets. Wull be the ladt time I bring my parents unless they can figure out a better wsy to sell tickets!

The HMNS is a fabulous museum. The exhibits are well worth the time and effort. Children and adults of all ages will surely be captivated and inspired. The HMNS offers unique learning experiences. If you are in Houston, this is a state-of-the-art facility, which benefits from professional leadership.

Had an awesome time.. and my children loved it first time at a museum loved all the dinosaurs and animal exhibit and we’re asking questions about all the things..👍👍

The Science museum was a very good experience for us. My 3 year old was able to stroller ride through our entire visit and my four year old absolutely adored the dinosaur exhibition. Very fascinating. Yes, the parking is hard to find so we just paid the $20 to park in the garage close by. I would definitely go back soon! You can also bring your own lunch or purchase food in the lobby

Lots of interesting exhibits in the museum. One of more interesting is the butterfly area (which comes with an extra charge).

I love museums of all kind, especially science museums, so visiting this one for my birthday was a no-brainer. When I got here though, I was underwhelmed by the animal exhibits and the old videos that showed with them. The pendulum was pretty cool though! I wish the Hall of Americas displayed more about early American civilizations, because I believe that’s important to see, especially in Texas. It just felt like they put stuff up with some pictures in a corner of the museum. The Weiss Energy floor seemed extremely out of place, but if they paid for it, I guess I understand why it’s there. I’ll give it another shot when new exhibits come, but I was definitely underwhelmed this time.

The museum is incredible! The gem and Faberge collection were an added delight. We'll be back to visit soon!

This could’ve been a cool exhibit if they didn’t let in thousands of ppl at once and many of them with screaming wild kids. No direction, no guidance, could barely see anything bc of the hordes of ppl. And teenagers running the place who didn’t seem to know anything. Not worth $70 for 2 ppl entrance fee.

We mostly went for the Audubon exhibit which was quite impressive and unique. And the Fabergé collection and the Texas wildlife proved to be nice extra bonuses as was the mineral vault. The movie was a pretty clear rip-off as this is far from an IMAX presentation and the film was a 1994 James Earl Jones narrated version of the Serengeti which I've seen on TV more than once and it is so dated that it should be pulled. The package was $72 for two seniors which was far more than the value!

We enjoyed it very much. My son's favorite part was the gems. He loves all the different gems and the environment was comfortable for him.

The museum needs to include more exhibits with the general admissions. I would've had more fun if there were more interactive exhibits.

Must see the butterfly habitat, planetarium and the dinosaur exhibit. The only thing was the snack/eatery closed mid-afternoon??? so no water/soda if your thirsty, maybe bring own next time. Crowded for a weekday visit. Parking was crowded so be aware. Nice parks around the museum grounds. Gift shop had a $10,000 dinosaur for sale if your interested?!otherwise knickknacks for sale.

Science museum was a great experience for my kiddos and wife. My 4 year old was able to stroller ride through our entire visit and my 12 year old absolutely loved the dinosaur exhibition. One thing, parking is hard to find so we just paid the $20 to park in the garage close by. Also you should probably bring your own lunch of eat before as the cafeteria food inside wasn’t good and very pricey.

The museum is quite varied and definitely worth going to. We purchased the CityPass, and used it here. There are extras that you have to pay for, if you want to go in, though.

Great experience! The exhibits were well displayed and exciting. The only disappointing thing was how much they charged for all the non permanent exhibits. To add on was quite expensive if you wanted to do everything there. Still much to see without and overall a great experience.

Although this was a little on the pricy side, I really think it was a well put together and worth it. I definitely recommend it. Lots of interactive content that wasn’t your old basic museum activities. Very easy to understand and some really cool history thrown in there.

Worst experience ever at a Museum, we have been to a lot of museums, this was a free event Thursday, to which they were giving out free tickets to the general admission. There was massive amounts of people inside waiting for tickets in the air conditioned space. Then the staff/crowd control has everyone go outside to stand in line in 100 degree heat for like an hour, sun and humidity to get a ticket, by at which point I was ready to go home. It was bad. The line was never ending and went all the way around the building, so I have a 13 year old I can’t leave alone in a line I can’t see and keep an eye on my aunt who is disabled in the air conditioning. The seashell exhibit was amazing, the dinosaurs were great, many items were not labeled with scientific names or explanations of what they were. I am so glad I did not pay for this, but quite upset that I wasted 6 hours of which 3 were waiting in line. If it was a weekday, paid admission would be the way to go…I haven’t seen very much yet of Houston yet, but this was at best a disappointment. It is nice they have a free day for people, but they need a better execution of the program. It would have been close to 70$ for 2 adults and 1 kid, which include general admission and a special exhibit, like butterfly garden, sharks or king tut.

The permanent exhibit was wonderful. Better collection than most museums I’ve visited. It takes you on a chronological tour of fossils, bones and artifacts dating back millions of years. In the great hall of dinosaurs, etc., they could benefit from some light on the exhibit labels. The specimens are expertly and effectively lit, but it is difficult to read many of the accompanying information because of poor placement or poor lighting. But it was well worth the effort to find and read— all in all I would recommend it as my favorite natural science museum anywhere.

The museum has a multitude of interesting exhibits that could easily eat up more than a full day. The 3+ hour designation must be based on fatigue.

Awesome 3 hours spent! The King Tut exhibit was amazing! Will definitely be back to see some of the shows. Highly recommend!

Haven’t been in a while.

My question at front desk was how much more it cost to see the King Tut exhibit vs permanent exhibit only. Instead of a direct answer to my question, I was bombarded with “do you have this???”
Asking if I was a member or military. The list went on. I ended up looking down at the chart in front of me & answeing my own question: it is $10 more for Tut & that included permanent exhibits.

I did find out we were only $10 each with my AAA card.

Just did not like the approach by the employee.

Then at the entrance where we handed an unsmiling, who seemed bored out of her mind our tickets; we proceeded into a space where a train exhibit was curtained off. We had no clue where to go & had been given no direction.

Finally after asking an employee we had to stop, we were told to go down to a second entrance.

I should have stayed outdoors. It was beautiful weather.

Only redemption was a kindly gentleman in the dinosaur section who showed my grandsons some fossils.

The boys were thrilled.

I really like how this museum has both a very cool dinosaur exhibit but also some less common items. The gems exhibit was almost worth the cost of admission all on its own.

I enjoyed the experience. It’s a place that everyone should go and take their families. Worth the visit

Went on a weekday with a general admission ticket. Could spend good amount of time seeing all the exhibits in the museum. Got discounted tickets to see the amphitheater movie "Passport to the universe". Probably still a little expensive for the 15 mins of movie but still a good experience with young kids.

Enjoyed our visit at Houston Natural Science museum. Lots to see at the museum. Recommend adding on the King Tut exhibit

Best natural history museum in the nation. The dinosaur collection is out of those world, likely best on the planet.

If you like dinosaurs this is a must see. They have a great collection.

I was visiting the King Tuts exhibition so had free admission to the natural history section. Cannot recommend enough.

King Tuts was very good as well and they have their own Egyptian collection as well!

Lot to do and see very nice place the exhibits are very nice, the staff is very helpful to guide you where you need to go and honestly you can't do everything in one day unless maybe you go very early until closing

Great way to spend in afternoon although there is no way you will be able to see everything as this museum was really Texas sized! The staff are friendly and helpful and enjoy their jobs including pointing people in right direction! There are rare rocks, precious stones, and minerals, gorgeous pieces including the Faberge collection! The Museum has an extensive Paleontology exhibit, Planetarium, and a Foucault's pendulum. There are beautiful butterflies that you can walk below, an Imax style theater that helps you transport back to the times of ancient Egypt, or virtual reality so that you can take dive on the Great Barrier Reef.
I could go on about what you will find here, but I highly recommend to come see all of these things for yourself in person!!

Enjoyed ourselves, we were there for about 2 hours. Didn't have to wait in line to get tickets and I would recommend taking stairs if you want to get to different levels quicker.

The museum was beautiful but parking was complete ripoff $30 for a couple of hours that we was there the we wonted to see couple of exhibits and wow they are very expensive for 2 adults and one child it was like $98
I mean come on its a museum and to spend a few hundred dollars just to see and learn I think its a complete ripoff one day in that museum can cost you same as one day in Disneyland a really was not expecting that from Houston

I think the main part of museum--the part included in base ticket is average. The extra exhibits that cost another fee are really nice,....but then again you are paying a lot. The Body Experience was overpriced at $19 per adult. The butterfly area was very nice and worth the extra $8 per adult.

I have mixed feelings about this experience. They have a bunch of items to look at. It was extremely busy and I felt very expensive. We had 3 children and 2 adults and it came to a little over $300.00 . We did buy the 2 additional packages - King Tut's tomb and The Shark Exhibit. King Tut's tomb was very good but I was really disappointed in the Shark Exhibit. I've been to several shark exhibits and they all had real, live, swimming sharks. This one did not. So this was a waste of money I felt. I enjoyed the dinosaurs and the gemstones.
We ate at the cafe which price wise was about normal and the food was very good but there was very limited seating and due to security measures you couldn't eat outside and come back in without walking all the way around to the front of the building to the main entrance. Not their fault but they needed to add more indoor seating. Parking was expensive. I don't think I would go back.

Ticket prices are ridiculous. We paid online general admission and when we got there we still had to pay $20/person to see the mummy exhibit. Which was just 1-2 real preserved mummies and the rest was statues and videos . The virtual reality event that is advertised is also an EXTRA additional fee

My 6 YO granddaughter and I thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon at Cockrell. Everyone, workers and visitors, were so kind and friendly.

Variety of displays gives something of interest to every age. Volunteers provided navigation assistance at every turn. Parking garage was hard to find using Siri.

It was our first visit to houston, so visiting the museum was a must for us! my toddler enjoys dinosaurs and we enjoyed all of our viewings. it was a calm environment, it was pretty cool to walk and find all exhibitions. we loved this experience and would recommend it!

Wonderful museum. My family had a lovely time and I am very thankful for the experience. Thank you for the customer service and experience

Ramses exhibit was the only worthwhile experience. That will cost you an additional $25 per person. So what we thought would be an educational, interesting, and affordable day cost us an additional $100 for the interesting part. If you enjoy looking at beautiful shells and an impressive taxidermied setting by region for a nominal fee, this is the place for you.

To be fair, this was a very busy day and they did not have enough staff who even knew where to direct us. We had one staff member to direct us to the first floor, then another tell us that floor is closed, then another not even knowing which exhibit (Gunther von Hagens) what we were talking about. I still don't know if the exhibit was gone, or no one knew where we could find it.

We paid $200+ for an okay 2-3 hours for four people. Two were high school students, but there is no discount for that.

I myself enjoyed the shells and rocks, those are two of my favorite things. We did miss not getting to go upstairs to the antiquities as it was closed.

First they had all of the parking blocked off. Second they didn’t bother telling us the exhibits would be closing so they could set up for a wedding. Literally kicking people out of dinosaur exhibit. Science exhibit closed before noon. Sign says they are closing at 330. We paid $150+ to get to have one minute in dinosaur exhibit. I would not have paid for entrance. I can’t walk long distances so was in pain by the time we got there. They don’t sanitize the 3D glasses after the movie. What a waste of my money.

Could not find a free parking spot! Tried for 30 minutes with no luck. Many areas were blocked off, must of had some time of an event around there. Would have parked at Science museum but it’s a shocking $30!!!!

We were very impressed with extensive paleontology and gem collections and it was a great value! Highly recommend during your Houston stay!

My wife and I are senior citizens that enjoy going to museums that feature the Faberge Russian Imperial Easter Eggs. There are very few in the US so we were excited to learn that the Houston Museum of Natural Science had one---the Diamond Trellis Egg given to Tsarina Alexandra from Tsar Nicholas II before they, along with their children, were executed in July 1918. They also had two other Imperial Quality Eggs ( Nobel Ice Egg and a Kelch Egg). All were a part of the McFerrin Everyday Faberge permanent collection. We live in southern Missouri, so the round trip was about 1300 miles. We experienced traffic gridlock both going to the Museum and heading back home out of Houston; very stressful!
When we got to the Museum there was a 20 dollar parking fee. Oh well, such is life in the big city. There was a travelling Egyptian Exhibit "Rameses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs". Admission was 54 dollars and worth it! But remember the trip was all about the Imperial Egg that is the featured item online along with a royal diamond tiara. When we got to the exhibit the tiara showcase was empty and the Imperial Egg showcase had a cardboard photo of the Egg. No explanation of where the missing items were. I asked a security guard at the exhibit but he had no idea what I was talking about. I suppose that isn't in their job description. I asked another extremely kind security person (delightful Asian lady) if she had any information. She had a Museum employee paged. He looked and acted very knowledgeable but fumbled and poorly faked his answers. The tiara might be out for cleaning and had no answers at all about the Egg. (The Egg is so important to the Museum that it is used as the directional icon within the facility}. He was going to give me a parking voucher to use next time we came. I assured him that was never.
I called the Museum on the way home the next day and got a very nice lady who informed me the Egg was currently in London by request of the Queen as she owns the automaton elephant that was the original surprise inside the Egg. She also offered to comp a revisit but I declined. I suggested they do a better job warning potential visitors on their website when important items are out on loan. Also, put some sort of explanation on the display case beside the cardboard picture.
I can't give a rating of 0 which is my reaction to a 1300 mile trip as the Rameses Exhibit was excellent. Also the nice Security person is a real asset to the Museum, and the lady on the phone did offer a revisit. However, a 2 is the best I can do. There is another Egg in Cleveland that we are planning to visit next month. I've learned to call ahead!

Our entire visit was great. But just an FYI when you go to the counter to receive your tickets you might want to consider other attractions because they might offer you a discount based on this purchase.

The Museum is part of the City Pass so my husband, adult son and I decided to visit. Loved the various exhibits - most memorable was the King Tut/Egyptian floor, mineral/gem area and the Energy Exhibit on the 4th floor. Plan on a good 3 hours if your group wants to review most areas.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the visit. I think we experienced every square inch of the museum. Every exhibit was fascinating!!

My husband and I went to kill some time on our anniversary and chose to visit the museum and we're glad we did! We felt like kids on a field trip and we learned so much and had a great time! Highly recommend! We didn't take pics because we were in the moment.

The museum was ok. The price on TripAdvisor was great, about half the price of buying at the museum website. The museum was crowded even early in the day. There was a summer camp happening with a ton of loud, screaming kids running around. The permanent exhibits were ok but I got the feeling that the really good stuff was all extra (planetarium, shark exhibit etc.) I'll probably try again at a time when the kids are in school as to avoid the crowd and the screaming. It's hard to read everything I wanted to read with all of the background noise and activity.

These tickets are a scam. It specifically says that entry to the main museum is included (just not traveling exhibits that cost extra or butterfly). When we arrived to the museum ticket counter, it is just for the planetarium show and we had to buy tickets separately for the museum.

They should really let people know ahead of time if a specific exhibit is under construction or unavailable. I was really looking forward to seeing the King Tut exhibit but it was under construction despite their being a sign advertising it. Overall it was pretty enjoyable seeing the other exhibits.

Wonderfull! My children were stunned by all the giant dinosaurs and so was I!
Incredible and very nicely presented, with perfect light to create the best effects.
Would be nice to have the explications in Spanish als well.

The parking garage got filled QUICK so go early!
Other than that, the museum itself was beautiful🖤
There was something for everybody.
It was my husband and 12 year old son's first time and we spent about 5 or 6 hours there! Time goes by fast when you're just intrigued with everything there.
Definitely recommend!

King Tutt was an amazing experience . It was nice & clean . The dinosaur exhibit was nice also . The crodidle n turtles were my favorite

Honestly, we didn't set aside enough time to thoroughly visit this place. We didn't care for the imax movie but loved the planetarium black hole move. There are huge dinosaurs which the kids loved, a precious stone/jewel exhibit that I loved and some fun little things to do on the top floor.

The museum is large, beautiful and with an excellent collection, especially of dinosaurs.
I highly recommend it especially for children who like animals.
It has a collection of very large gems as well.

I recommend everyone with the their family to visit this museum.Wonderful place.The museum have so many amazing and educational things to offer.Trust me,you will not regret for money u spent

It was good but they had changed a lot and took away some of my favorite pieces & articles. Trip advisor was amazing though!

Absolutely amazing. I loved it. And learned a lot ! My favorite was the dinosaurs ! I will be going back. Next time I want to go see the sharks !

Great exhibits and good selection of films. Parking was very expensive, much cheaper on the street. We really enjoyed the Great Barrier Reef movie.

The museum was engaging and educational. The Cabinet of Curiosities was a wonder to behold. Opening drawers to unimaginable assortment of artifacts was delightful. The minerals collection was breathtaking. Viewing the trilobites felt like an alien encounter. Fantastic place!

Awesome place to visit here. I'm Houston city. Must be enjoyed for families all the time.
Try to visit the Museum if you ever come to Houston

Confusing... Too many exhibits not covered in ticket purchase & still had to stand in a LONG line to redeem 3rd party vendor ticket for admission. SITE should be clearer.

Perfect place to gain some knowledge on things you experience/see on a daily basis. Love the atmosphere and how friendly the employees are. Nice break from the outside heat.

A Museum full of many wonders, its paintings and art figures are spectacular I would like to come back soon and enjoy it to the fullest

There were so many cool things to see. My boyfriend and I had a fantastic time! The butterfly center was my favorite part!

The Ramses the Great special exhibit was full of Egyptian artifacts on loan and well worth seeing. However it will wrap up by May 23 so you need to go soon.

It opened with an well produced and informative video that gave a great intro to one of the longest reigning kings. Room after room showcased items from Ramses reign as well as subsequent kings. Statues, mummies (human and animal), sarcophagus, jewelry, masks and more. Learned a lot about one of his queen Nefertari who was considered his equal.

I was impressed.

After exiting the exhibit, I went through the rest of the museum and my opinion on some of the permanent exhibits noted below:

Hall of Malacology - never saw so many mollusks ever. Great collection and in depth showcase of different type, colors and sizes.

Hall of Paleontology - large collection of fossils through the ages. Check out the skeletons of humans hunting the mammoth.

Morian Overlook gave a second floor aerial view of all the dinosaur fossils.

Hall of Gems and Minerals - gems not as interesting as the minerals themselves.

McFerrin Gallery had a small display of Faberge products. I now know that Faberge created many other high end and fashionable household items than their famous eggs.

I stayed for a couple hours and admission was well worth it. Garage parking for non members was $20 but Lot A (public parking closest to the museum) in Hermann Park was free for three hours.

Amazing place to take your family and friends!! Very clean a lot of things to do and look at ! Definitely going back !

beautiful place for adults and children of all ages, people come here from all over the world and its just amazing ,,,,,,

This museum is just amazing, and I am usually not a big fan of science museums. Particularly the dinosaur/pre-historic exhibition blew me away, that is set up well with a certain sense of humor. The other exhibitions are interesting as well, so you will spend some time in this place. Schedule accordingly, preferably for Tuesday evenings when entry is free of charge.

Theres 4 floors to the musuem: dinosaurs and fossels, aboriginal origines, rocks and crystals, power and energy. One floor was completely closed when we went. The rocks and energy floor is not as interesting as the dinosaurs

My girlfriend and I, visiting from Norway, and celebrating completing our bachelors and molecular biology visited this museum. It was very interesting and many of the exhibits contained extremely valuable and exotic specimens. We were surprised multiple times that the museum was able to obtain such specimens (e.g., dinosaur fossils and fabergé eggs and jewelry) which seem invaluable.

The gift shop also contained many fun and memorable gifts and souvenirs. I find it very inspiring to see such an interest in learning the natural sciences and evolution and that so many parents and summer schools take their children/students to the museum.

Definitely, not the Smithsonian nor the MET. Shark exhibit was a joke and not worth the extra fee. Staff were a mixed bag.

Don’t buy your tickets ahead of time through TripAdvisor!!! It doesn’t do anything to save you a spot in the museum or the butterfly center. The way they stated it online it made me think that we would be able to access the butterfly center when we arrived since we had bought the tickets ahead of time which is not true. That only works if you buy the tickets ahead of time directly through the museum so do that instead of the TripAdvisor tickets!!

It's been a while since we've been to this museum and as usual it did not disappoint!! Definitely will be back real soon!!

We loved it! We would definitely go again.. and use this app! They gave me a discount on the theater tickets as well for buying tickets with TripAdvisor.

This is a great museum! We came here for the Ramses exhibit in May 2022 while in town for a wedding and we loved our time at the museum. The exhibit was very well done and it was a joy to view these artifacts from thousands of years ago. We also had some time to view the dinosaur gallery and it was one of the best we've seen; they had so many complete skeletons and they were posed in a quite dramatic fashion, which was great. We didn't get to tour any of the remaining permanent collection as we had a flight to catch, but it was a blast coming here and we would definitely return the next time we're in Houston!

This museum had the most impressive dinosaur exhibit I've ever seen. There was even a mummified triceratops! That was amazing to see! I also loved the Egyptian display and King Tutankhamun's tomb. It was a very worthwhile and enjoyable visit!

I was disappointed that we missed out on the free Thursday admission… but the fabulous experience made the price of admission worthwhile. There was a lot to see and the dinosaur section was amazing. The Houston’s Museum of Natural History and the Houston Zoo are both incredible. IMO, they are better than the Smithsonian and San Diego Zoo. I plan on returning.

Nice place to visit if you visit Houston.
Lot of stuff to see. Dinosaur., mummy,
Sharks, arts, butterfly etc…

The exhibits were really interesting. Viator said it would take three hours, but it took us much longer. Prepare to pay $30 to park and extra for movies or other exhibits in the museum. My wife and I paid almost $80 just to walk in the door. Taking a large family would be a pretty expensive day out. However, there was a lot to learn, and the displays are very high quality and well presented. We were very glad we went. We paid a little extra for the King Tut temporary exhibit, and it was really fascinating.

It would of been nice when I purchased the tickets the night before going that they would let me know they were closing early 4pm to be specific I would of made the trip to come earlier. I drove 45 mins to visit.

Awesome experience.
Even if your not into space, it's very informative and interesting. Leaves you in awe.

Great museum. We went as part of the CityPass. The only down side was certain areas being an extra fee. Lots to see and a big variety of exhibits.

Really good experience with very friendly and knowledgable staff. Most complete stegosaurus skeleton in the world and the whole place is massive. General admission alone is definitely enough but they have excellent additional exhibitions such as “death by natural causes” which I found fascinating and had actual death certificates of people like Walt Disney and Frank Sinatra!

We could have spent the entire day here and it's pretty difficult to keep kids entertained. The dinosaur exhibit was thrilling even to the adults. Our 5 year old dinosaur expert was beyond excited, so well done and curated for everyone, not an easy feat. The only add on we did was the Butterfly exhibit which was too crowded. The gem section was beautiful and the Texas wildlife section was nice. Would go again.

This is a very good quality museum with a huge collection from the dinosaurs to the gem collection. Like most museums, however in summer it was entirely too crowded and the signage could have been better. Luckily, we were with family who go to the museum regularly so they knew where to go. The shark exhibit was in the basement and pretty underwhelming, do not pay extra for this special exhibit it is not worth the cost. The petroleum exhibit (Houston is a big oil city) was expansive, more interactive and very well done. This was also the one area that was not crawling with people. For some reason the Space exhibit was pretty dismal, maybe because Johnson Space Center is in town?
This musuem is worth a visit but avoid holidays, weekends and other peak times at all costs.

Great place to visit with family. Kids enjoyed a lot! It is very informative and educational for everyone.

My 13 yo girls enjoyed the Wiess Level on 4th floor , we enjoyed the presentations as well on the first floor and fenedal exhibits , oh as well as the egypt exhibit.

Must See especially if you have kids / family who loves travellimg and learning.

We spent a good 6 hours inside .

This was a terrific experience for our first day of winter break. We got a great deal on Trip Advisor. We were sad that the butterfly exhibit was being renovated but enjoyed all the other upgrades/additions since our last visit. Also watched Black Holes in the planetarium. It was pretty good but I think there are other, more exciting shows we'd like to see on our next visit. The dining experience was lackluster and expensive for "worse than school food" according to my kiddo. I can buy 3 times the meals of frozen burger & curly fries at HEB for less and would taste A LOT better! I hope some of that money goes back to the museum!! We'll definitely pack a lunch and eat at McGovern Gardens next time. With that said, we went Sunday and it was not crowded at all. There were some really cool train sets on display that we weren't expecting. We spent a good deal of time with the oil & gas interactive exhibit. Overall, it was fun and definitely worth it since we got such discounted tickets!

A very good learning place about TX and the oil business and other from of power, ie Wind, solar, Hydro and Nuclear. Also you can see the king tut mummies and other objects from 5000 years ago. Were you also you could see the Faberge eggs and other jewelry items on display?
$50 got use both in but there were a lot of side exhibits and shows which were all at an extra cost, some of them quite pricey. If you come as a family, you’re gonna lose an arm and a leg for the prices.

Excellent museum, a lot to see (teenage kids are happy).
Buy tickets in advance, as they are twice as much at the entrance.
Parking is pricey ($30). If on weekend day, don't even think about wasting time to find free parking around zoo. Just drive up to street and there are plenty of 5$ a day options.

Okay, this is largely on me for not researching the exhibit properly, but if like me you are expecting the actual King Tut collection you’re going to be disappointed. It’s a bunch of replicas staged so they were in the same positions as when they opened the tomb. Interesting but not the wow factor you get with the real deal.

Beautiful place with a perfect view of pretty butterflies and exotic plants. Well put together information journey before entering the butterfly center.

Must visit place . It's a world of Butterflies. Very peaceful and beautiful place. Variety of butterflies you can find there . Go and enjoy its worth it

Everything is extra - Tut, Sharks, planetarium, butterflies. There is zero comparison to Natural History in DC so just not worth it to me.

First of all 30.00 to park is absolutely ridiculous. Second of all if you buy tickets ahead if time you should not have to wait in line for 30 minutes with the people buying tickets to redeem them. (Kind of defeats the purpose of buying them ahead of time.) Third of all, there should be more things to see included with the regular ticket purchase.
The dinosaurs are the best exhibit! They need to complete all the closed areas under construction.

As a long time patron of HMNS and an on again/off again member, I can honestly say that, quite frankly, their special exhibition are typically pretty boring. I mean the artifacts are interesting; however, the presentation is typically lacking and uncreatively put together. Typically, they are heavily geared towards reading a ton. Artifact, read a chapter, artifact, read a chapter. This leads to lots of “Mommy, what does that say?” or boredom for people who aren’t heavy readers or who are short on time. Usually, the only videos consist of staring at experts’ faces while they talk about this or that with very little in the way of illustrative or reenactment type of presentation.

While I personally will just take the time to read it all, I understand how it can be boring to many other visitors.

The Ramses exhibit breaks this trend. It has a perfect blend of static and nonstatic elements both for wall readers and people who prefer audio or visual accompaniment. It’s much less of stare at this expert’s face while they talk and more visual reenactments/depictions.

I give the Ramses exhibition itself 5 stars.

HOWEVER, I have to take away 2 stars for the following: the 4D experience and the blocking off of the Hall of Egypt to the public.

HALL OF EGYPT

The Hall of Egypt is a FREE part of the museum permanent exhibit halls. Or at least it was, before this exhibit came. While I understand the desire to have the special exhibit flow into the Hall of Egypt, there is no logical reason aside from greed for taking a part of the museum that was part of your permanent exhibit hall admission and putting it behind an additional fee pay wall.

On top of that, they did it via a bizarre long hallway of MIRRORS (Yes, so Egyptian). If I were a museum visitor who expected to be able to go to the Hall of Egypt as usual and discovered that I could not unless I paid for the Ramses exhibit, I would be phissed.

4D EXPERIENCE

This was just BAD. Unless you just want to mar your experience of the Ramses exhibit or you enjoy watching terrible CGI and videos in order to laugh at them, just skip it.

SPOILER ALERT

I personally assumed this would be some kind of dignified, virtual 4d tour of the tombs and works of Ramses’ reign.

NOPE! Instead, you get a cheesy, super fakey and terrible CGI “story” where a weird looking dead Ramses’ wife, who speaks with a weird Transylvanian sounding accent, plays tour guide (a la Jackie O of her White House décor).

Then for no apparent reason, the ghost of Ramses (who was supposed to be all in love with dead wife) suddenly goes psycho and wants to kill both his beloved wife and the viewer? They even go so far as to blatantly rip off the sand head scene from Weiss/Frasier’s The Mummy.

Just as abruptly all is well and they are together again after an “exciting” flight from angry Mummy, er, Ramses.

I was left scratching my head and wondering what the heck I had just watched. I was baffled. If I hadn’t spent so much on this travesty, I might have even found it hilarious.

Just say no. You will see and learn NOTHING that you don’t see or learn in the actual Ramses exhibit. It’s a waste of time, energy and money as you’ll also probably have to wait a bit before you can go in.

A lot of really cool things to see and experience. The only comment I have is about the parking garage....$20 per car. We didn't see the price posted anywhere when we pulled in from the rain, maybe we missed it. But $20 for parking is a lot

On a road trip from Miami to Tucson we had a night stop at Houston. Looking for something cool to do with our teens. We got lucky, for summer the museum is open until 8pm and on Thursday it’s free from 5pm-8pm. That’s right FREE! It’s usually $25 pp. You can only see the permanent exhibit but there is so much to see you can’t lose. It you want to see the other exhibit you must pay. The whole family enjoyed it.

Fun and entertaining for children of all ages. Lots of great and informative information on many various dinosaurs. Overall great experience all around.

Excellent museum for kids and adults. Toured as a multi-generational family group. Egypt and Gold exhibit was a highlight, as well as the ongoing butterfly exhibit/room.

Beautiful facility with incredible exhibits. Faberge was unbelievable and also enjoyed the Texas animal and curiosity cabinets. Will return to see more of this great museum. Many other places to enjoy in the area.

This is an amazing museum. The dinosaur fossils are stunning. I loved the Faberge exhibit. This is definitely a must do for solo adults or family with kids. The King Tuts exhibit was on when I was there , and it was really cool and fantastic.

All exhibitions were pretty good; especially the minerals and the dinosaur fossils sections. There are indeed a lot of sections to visit even for the general admission. If you book your ticket at tripadvisor you get the ticket for the general admission at a discounted rate of $ 13.75.

I had fantastic time here, especially every Thursday between 5-8 pm is free entry. The line is long so I recommend stay here no longer than 30 minutes before they open.

To escape the summer heat we stopped at the museum. We also visited the temporary shark exhibition. The museum is well done and conveys the spirit of the city, that is, a feeling of tranquility, welcome and order. The kids liked it. I would like to point out that on Thursday evenings entry with families is free. Also not to be missed is the area where the museum is located, which is the most beautiful in Houston.

If you are in need of a peaceful setting where you can see numerous beautiful butterflies in the air and landing everywhere (including you if you are lucky) then be sure to come here. It is a separate and extra charge exhibit at the Museum of Natural Science near the zoo area. Look for Mr. Asaud on the middle level to explain what you are seeing.

We went with our kids on April 1st. It was interesting and had a lot of fun activities for everyone to enjoy. You have to pay extra for certain exhibits but overall it was a good experience for the cost.

I've been to this museum before, and I'm still in awe everytime I go. I've seen many parts of it, but never the entire museum! My favorite area is the mineral area-- just beautiful! Low lights, soft music, and brilliant lighting on the exquisite stones. The butterfly museum is great for kids-- very interactive for many levels. As is the energy floor. Drive a tug boat! A great place to go in a great city to visit!

Very awesome. Best part was all the dinosaurs. So much history. Kids loved the planetarium and all the hands on exhibits. We bought the city pass to get in. We stayed near the children’s hospital and parking was plenty and easy in and out. If you don’t want to drive you can ride the light rail to the museum district, about a 10 min ride. Very easy.

Museum was a wonderful experience. Lots of attractions to see. Learned a lot about our history. We went on a Thursday and that day it was free to get in therefore was disappointed we paid for this attraction.

horrible!! Could not open tickets would NOT accept them. Emailed to self an still it would NOT download waste of good money

I wasn’t super impressed by this museum. For Houston I expected a lot more. We didn’t even make it through the entire museum before we left. I felt it lacked slot in the permanent exhibit and they wanted you to by extra tickets for the temporary exhibits. We didn’t do that because we heard multiple people say that it wasn’t worth it. Al-in-all, as a family, we were bored and very unimpressed.

It is one of Top-rated plans I have had the opportunity to make, the museum has everything you need to sit in every grade of the school, remember and live everything learned in a unique way, it is located in the center of the city, on Thursdays it has free admission for foreigners and residents.

The museum was really nice it was very big and the exhibits were very interesting I enjoy walking around for hours looking at everything every time you turned around there was something new to look at.

90% of this museum is kind of boring for kids. A lot of bones, shells, and trinkets that they just shuffle passed quickly. There was one area with a few interactive things for kids. There is a floor where you can explore the table of elements, but the guard didn’t seem to like kids. Kids will be kids, and he kept yelling at them to stop running and stop stomping, and he was feverishly counting how many kids were on the floor constantly. The point was the search and find the element on the screen. Of course the kids were going to run to the element and bounce on it when they found it. He even yelled at my daughter for dancing (not even on the interactive floor). She was doing a celebration dance for finding the elements. He called it “rough housing” and yelled at me to make her stop. So stupid… We did the planetarium. That was kind of cool, but there were babies crying through most of what Tom Hanks was saying on the speaker so we missed a lot of it. I suggest sitting at the top of the planetarium unless you want a neck ache. We also did the butterfly exhibit. That was pretty cool, but getting to the butterflies room takes you through a bug exhibit. The interactive part was fun (if they worked), but the bugs on display were a bit “yucky” for my daughter. LOL I didn’t care for them either… We didn’t spend that much time at this museum. We were mainly waiting around for our time at the Planetarium and the butterfly exhibit.

Crafting a memorable experience, we left jaws agape on each floor, making our day truly worth cherishing. Glad I joined TripAdvisor!

Always a good time a the museum. Definitely easy to buy here and get your tickets at the front. 100% recommend

It definitely takes a day or two to see all the exhibits. We went too late and only got to see the Body World exhibit. It was amazing. We will go back to see the rest of the museum.

One of the best museums I’ve ever visited. All floors from Gems to human evolution to energy themes were unique and informative. The food and the parking was reasonable.

Pretty interesting place, we bought the tickets trough TripAdvisor and it was cheaper than anywhere else. There are a lot of permanent exhibits plus they have optional ones that require an extra payment.

The museum is big enough to spend 4-5 hours inside without rushing it. If you are limited on time, you may go through it for as less as 2 hours but it will be a lot of walking.
Important!!! Something that is not advertised on the official web site - if you are using the public transportation to get there, your ticket can be used to get a discounted price for the HMNS Permanent Exhibits. Instead of the full price, I paid only $16.00. The young lady who was selling tickets didn't know about that so she had to go and ask a supervisor, then she thanked me that she learned something new.

We arrived a bit late and only had 90 min to look round.
We initially looked round the dinosaur skeletons.
These were some of the best we had every seen and we have seen a lot.
We loved the creative poses that they had been placed in and the colour artwork illustrating what the dinosaurs could have looked like and in what setting and how they interacted with other dinosaurs, really imaginative.
we looked round the taxidermy which again was done really well.
we loved the video screen where we met a cheetah, rhino, Trex and a space man which was great fun.
We had a quick look round the gems which was unexpected.
The museum ought to reconsider a decision to put black tables with black tablecloths in the gem area as the room is nearly pitch black and the tables are invisible.
We nearly fell over them 2 or 3 times, they are a real hazard and elderly people could get hurt very easily.
All in a all it was thoroughly worth the money even though we did not have long to visit.
We did not mind that the special exhibitions cost more as the general admission felt like good value.
Well done.

The museum that was open with General Admission was alright, there was a good amount of things to see and they were all fairly interesting. My gripe is that a lot of the museum is locked behind fairly expensive extra tickets that you need to purchase beyond the initial entrance fee. Even parts that used to be general admission are now having to be paid for.

I was not able to use the tickets I purchased through this site. I was not able to retrieve them to use for my purchase when I got to the museum. I had to buy tickets when I got there.

It was thanksgiving , museum was closed tripadvisor sold us the ticket for closed center ,now waiting on refund procedure . Not a good experience.

Enjoyed the museum, I give it 4 stars only because the exhibits were hard to find and navigate. The special exhibits weren’t worth the extra price.

If you are going to see the immersive King Tut Exhibition-do not go! The worst rip-off ever. $30.00 a person? % rooms, no authentic Tut works on display, for everything is a reproduction.
The add on the $30.00 to park? -And, if you go, good luck getting access to that parking easily, for they have everything coned off. We had to make 4 U-turns to finally just enter. Do not go earlier than your ticket time.
Better yet-don't go at all!

Unerring visit if you are in Houston, excellent plan to do with the family. The museum is amazing!!!. A recommendation, the museum has a small food place and is usually full, so schedule your visit right after breakfast or lunch because the area does not have many restaurants nearby.

It was a good moment in Houston. Museum is very interesting and plenty of different subjects. I recommended it for the entire family

Well I wouldn't recommend to take children that are 8 and under but other than that it was alot of site seeing and things to do

Enjoyed it very much. Each section had very good displays.My boys and grandkids enjoyed it. They did get tired but didn't really stop them from walking to see what's next wonder that would excite them. Thank you for the experience at Houston museum. 1st time and not my last for me or my kids.💫

The museum parking was $30 so we parked elsewhere. The museum is huge, well displayed and worth the cost. You really can’t see everything in one day

The museum was great! The King Tut exhibit was amazing, and the food in the restaurant was good also. The problem I had was the parking!!

Had a great time with family, very interesting and informative things to see and learn. Recommended.

This place is amazing!!! Very clean, great service, great food! The front desk people are so helpful and friendly. You ask for anything and they will help you! Starbucks as and Bistro are top notch!!!

This is our 2nd trip to Houston and without hesitation we remade the Natural History Museum. We’re the type to take our time and a full day isn’t enough for us to go through all the exhibits. Paleontology, mineralogy, Fabergé collection, curiosity cabinet, superb shell collection, Texan fauna, butterfly greenhouse, ...
Not to mention 3D cinema and other documentaries constantly renewed
On our first trip, we had been treated to an amber exhibition, this time, Ancient Egypt was traveling.

If I lived in Houston, I'd be a member

This experience was so much more than I expected. I have too many favorites to name just one. I very highly recommend this museum. I can't wait to go back.

The museum was awesome. I would have given 5 stars but the Egyptian exhibit was closed due to renovations. You will need multiple days to get the full experience. I will definitely be going back.

Excellent museum with amazing exhibits! The dinosaur room was so well lit to highlight each ancient creature. The mummies in Egyptian room were unbelievable. The Cabinet of Curiosities was the best displayed exhibit I’ve ever seen. The motion exhibit showing how an oil drill operates up close would be awesome for little boys who love machinery. My son would’ve loved this museum when he was younger and even now. It’s hard for your eyes to take in everything in one visit. Worth seeing twice or across two days I think.

This museum is amazing!! The King Tut was exceptional and I was blown away by the size of the museum and the variety. The shows/ movies were great as well. NOTE... One thing that was very disappointing (I did not want to ding the score) is that the parking is 30 DOLLARS... it is not clearly marked when you drive in. It says $10 but that is only for members. This is excessive and put a bit of a damper on the trip. If I would have know that I would definitely not paid $30. I spend money on not just the entry, but also paid for the Tut exhibit, a planetarium show and a large screen movie. The prices on those were very fair. Again overall great museum but please change the parking price and make it clear.

This is quite the museum and the general admission exhibits are worth the money but we were a bit disappointed that we had to buy an extra ticket for the ancient Egyptian exhibit. The place was a madhouse and finding a place to park was difficult but I think that it just had to do with the day we went. There must have been an event at the zoo going on or something because they had roads blocked with traffic cops directing everyone around and several buses were unloading people at the museum ( which is across the street from the zoo). I definitely would recommend checking it out though if you're in the area.

This place has so much, even hands on areas that make it more fun. The events are always fun to add to the regular visit. Became a member it was so fun.

The hall of paleontology was superb! So many trilobites! And so much information. And great skeletons and dioramas. And the final section on evolution of hominids was also great. We spent nearly 2 hours in that one hall and then just had energy to walk briefly through the Texas hall of wildlife. My husband loves dinosaurs more than I do, but even I found it very interesting. And we were relieved it wasn’t too crowded on a Sunday afternoon in January.
Parking is $30 and so it’s worth trying for free parking —the website has a good map and we got lucky to park in closest free lot A. Also saved by getting senior tickets (only available in person).

Very interesting and very large museum where it is worth to have seen. Is very nice and recommended. One day is enough

Unforgettable tour! I loved everything I saw! It has an impressive wealth of details. The part about Egypt was the one I liked the most.

Very exciting and user friendly, took the kids out to the museum to look at the dinosaurs and they loved it as well as the regular animals and technology

The building is well maintained and laid out. Overall, the staff was friendly and helpful. There was a fair amount to see. However, I was expecting to spend 2-3 hours looking around and I ended up spending a little over an hour.

When I went, there was limited free parking. The parking ramp was closed off to the public. I had to circle around a few times for someone to leave so I could park. It could be difficult for those with mobility limitations.

Our flight was canceled so we decided to try the museum on a rainy day. What an amazing way to spend 3 + hours anyone interested in science-especially with interest in paleontology. We also bought tickets to the butterfly exhibit-well worth it m. There is a good exhibit on insects before you get into the multilevel live butterfly experience. This museum had something for everyone with the variety of exhibits. Highly recommend for science interested teens!

This was very underwhelming. The exhibit is in a small area and everything is a replica. There was not one item that was original. The information was interesting, but I could have read that online. There is a lot of hype - it doesn’t deliver. $60 for 2 tickets and $30 to park. Not what I was expecting.

Have been several times and nothing has changed! Great exhibits. Great atmosphere. Lots of great things to see. LOTS of walking, so be prepared. Abit hard to get to. Small parking garage for size of building.
Less than impressive employees. Lots of examples of “phone watching” noted. Misinformation given for entering with”Oh that’s a Third party ticket “ , complete with turned up nose and eye roll” . Would have been just as easy to purchase it at the site.

I paid about 150 for 3 people including the body works exhibit. 3rd floor was closed and no one mentioned it but was still charged full price

So much fun! We love this museum! We come here often and love it every time! Not just fun for kids but adults too!

Worth a visit for a few hours - especially to see the dinosaurs and the rocks and gems. Pretty reasonable cost for food and drinks in the museum too!

I wonder if we in Italy will ever have such a museum. Great, interactive for adults and children, interesting, complete from prehistoric times to today. With very organized 3D shows, etc..etc... unmissable visit

I bought the voucher the night before and arrived at the museum at the time it opened to ensure the tickets were available. It was a great and quick service, really good buy if you arrive early to ensure there are tickets available, especially keeping in mind that this is a very very affordable option, compared to the price of a single ticket at the museum ($25 per adult compared to the voucher which is $27 for two adults!).

A must-go place if you're visiting Houston. Main, second and third floor, with GREAT things. Wild life of Texas, dinosaurs, pre-history, history, Egypt, metals, etc... it's such an amazing place that is difficult to express, only by experiencing.

I went on weekend and there were a lot of people, a little difficult to find a parking spot, just need to move to a public free parking and walk 5-6 blocks, nothing hard though.

It will worth every penny.

My 4 year old was not too interested, but my 11 and 14 year olds loved it!
A gentleman who worked there walked with us for a while explaining some things to us about each exhibit, we learned some cool facts from him.
It took about 2.5 hours to go thru.

Great price with great experience! My kids learned a lit from this visit! It will be one of my families summer must go place in the future.

I took my teen son and a couple friends to the museum for his noir they. They all had a great time there is a good variety of things to see and do. I will say a lot of the museum is really dark. The dinosaur exhibit especially. They had up lighting to see the skeletons but I think it wasn’t enough. I would have liked to see more details and had a little more light. Some of the sign and information about the exhibits were hard to read in the dark.
We got good discounts for them being students and myself as a healthcare worker. Just be sure to take student ID and work badges as prof to get these discounts.
Garage parking is very convenient but expensive at $20
We went in the middle of the week and it was busy but not overly crowded

Interesting exhibits for all the family. Something for all ages. Well laid out with
ExhIbits clearly labeled.

The museum appeared as open on Thursday, November 24, I bought 2 tickets, I went, and it was closed. I'm waiting for my money back.

Really enjoyed the King Tut exhibit BUT $30 for parking! I had already paid $60 for my daughter and myself to walk around the King Tut exhibit. It only took an hour to do so. That's of course after we were able to find the exhibit. The signage was nonexistent to indicate where the exhibit was. The first museum staffer sent us in the wrong direction. The second one luckily knew where the exhibit was.

Excellent! We're definitely going to come back and bring our kids!
We got there at 4 o'clock the museum close at 5 so get there super super early.

We were in Houston for space camp at Space Center Houston, but hurricane Beryl interrupted the first two days of the week. On Tuesday, with camp still cancelled, we discovered that the Museum of Natural Science had power and was open!

Not really knowing what to expect, I packed a bag for the day and loaded the boys! The funny thing is that upon arrival, we discovered it was cheaper for us to join - so now we are members - ha!

The museum is HUGE and has a lot to offer - way more than I anticipated. From dinosaur bones, to a vast gem display, to science, nature and everything in between, there is literally something for everyone!

If back in Houston we will definitely return at some point!

Our visit was 9 June 2023. Three adults, one senior, teenager. We started on 4th floor and came downward to the bottom. The Museum is excellent and there is much to do and see. You can spend a whole day there and be oblivious of the time. We went on a Friday but maybe during the week might have been better. There were many people and of course school is out. Overall, we learned, enjoyed ourselves, and are glad we visited. There was a couple of other events there we did not get the attend and would probably come back for them. Parking was okay, but you just have to determine where to park. Nice and cool on inside, that was why everyone was probably there also. You could eat there but there are other close by options outside around area. Felt safe in the area. You really have to go to see this place.

There is so much to see here and great for every age. Plan on walking a lot! Dinosaur bones, gemstones, seashells, Texas wildlife, coastal conservation, Indiginous exhibits, Egyptian exhibits and more.

Great measum with tons of exhibits. We purchased tickets to see the Ramses exhibit and it was incredible, we'll worth price of admission. My only issue was it didn't cover admission to the body exhibit even though we paid extra for Ramses.

Beautiful butterflies, great exhibit. Recommend buying tickets online and then joining the member line.

On our Houston trip, this was where we spent our morning! It is a wonderful museum. The dinosaur area is, hands down, one of the best that we have seen! We have a Dino loving kiddo, so we've seen quite a few dinosaur exhibits! The museum is fairly well laid out, but we did get turned around once or twice. You could easily spend the whole day here and there is enough diversity in the exhibits that there should be something for everyone to enjoy! We'll definitely come again if we are in the Houston area!

This museum is very beautifully maintained. The only problem we had was there were so many children on field trips being improperly chaperoned. We should have been warned in reviews as to stay away from Wednesday to Fridays! If you want to soak in this museum go on Mondays or Tuesdays or fight the field trips the other days!

When we entered we just saw an area which contained all kinds of experiments for kids. There was a summer camp running around and for a moment I regretted coming here thinking it would be just all like this. But once we got past that initial area it got much better. We really enjoyed the dinosaur exhibition and the exhibition explaining all the different areas in Texas. The ancient Egypt exhibit was also very as well as the mineral exhibit. Keep in mind that there are some exhibits you have to pay an additional fee for. Consider wisely if that is what you need because there is already a lot to look at. There is a free parking lot 5-10 minutes walk away. The cafeteria is very small and provides no sitting area.

Loved the Houston Museum! Displays were phenomenal and information was extensive. Organized very well. Interesting the fossil fuel sponsored energy exhibits didn’t cover much about pollution and climate change..but there was a small section I suppose

It was challenging to find parking empty space, so we gave up and returned by Uber. One visit is not enough to see everything in it. Energy exhibit was an amazing experience. A thought provoking place. King Tutt displays were the best. Highly recommend.

The large dinosaur seals the deal at hello. The gift shop alone is incredible for young and old. The planetarium served as endless enjoyment for our son as he was first introduced to this museum when he was 11 months old. We've visited the theatre and watched movies about Snow Dogs and about Black Holes. The immersive type experience is one to be replicated for children and adults.

This is a fantastic museum. The gems and the butterflies are definitely a favorite. I loved the atmosphere in the butterfly center and the lead up to the live butterflies was really interesting. Thanks

Fun and educational. I love butterflies and to learn. This is an inexpensive place for families. The staff was helpful and plentiful. The store was very expensive. There is a park with a train right outside. All the other museums and the zoo are in the vicinity so you can park and have a busy day.

Excellent displays on multiple levels- something for everyone- go on a Thursday afternoon and admission is free

Houston Museum of Natural Science Is a mind blowing experience. I would definitely become a member if I didn’t live on the other side of the world. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 10/10. Thank you to all those involved.

Totally amazing dinosaur space and exhibit. Truly incredible.
Tut egypt exhibit and colletion is totally mind blowing. Very extensive collectuon.
This is a must see for adulta and kids. Best in U.S.A. really a gem.
PLan 8 hours to take it in and check out the massive park next door.
TIp - Seek on street parking for free rather than 25$.
SUCH A GEM 5 STARS.

The museum was beautiful, particularly the butterfly exhibit, but I was surprised to discover that our general admission tickets purchased through trip advisor did not allow us to enter the museum directly. We had to go back through the lines at the box office to have our electronic tickets converted to paper. Apparently the only electronic tickets that are trouble free have to be purchased from the Museum's website.
Also, be aware that the most convenient parking is in the museum garage and costs $30.00 as a flat rate for nonmembers. Otherwise, a great experience for all ages of visitors.

Parking is very expensive ($30) and there is no place map. For certain moments you get lost in there. You have to have well-defined routes

Great museum with lots to see with the exhibits, large screen theatre and planetarium. A little pricey as you needed tickets for every show in the the theatre and planetarium plus tickets to the museum itself.
It all adds up making it an expensive experience.
Museums like this should be priced for everyone…
Friendly staff who and well maintained facility.

The exhibits are informative and educational, and the museum entrance fee is reasonable except for any of the extra exhibits, like King Tut, the planetarium and others, which were VERY overpriced for a family of four. Also, the parking garage charges $30 per car, unless you are a museum “member.” Be ready to spend quite a bit of money if you take a family.

The museum is informative and comes with many exhibitions, from creatures to gems to industries to history. Notice that the butterfly center needs extra tickets. The movie Boyhood was filmed here for one scene

Parking $30, and the tickets cheaper at the museum. Had to pay extra to see other parts of the museum; of course the lines are long even with tickets you have to go to the booth.

A lot of interesting artifacts. Great learning for teenagers. The kids really liked the dinosaur exhibits. Paid extra for the shark exhibit and really wasn’t that impressed for the extra cost. The rest of the museum was great.

Very beautiful interesting clean only do not speak Spanish.
By far the most interesting fossils and dinosaurs explain and show you the eras.

This is museum is spectacular! The exhibits are amazing and the gem section is stunning! The guides are interesting and informative especially in the Egyptian section . All of the museum is worth seeing and do not miss anything…from dinosaurs on level 1 to energy/oil on top level . A great way to spend the day in Houston!

It was not worth the money and what is the point of buying tickets online when you still have to wait in line to get tickets. The buttfly exhibit was closed and the Egypt on 4 was closed which didn't matter anyway because the elevators didn't work so handycable people can't enjoy .

I’ve been to many natural science museums across the country, including the ones in Denver and Philadelphia, but truthfully, I’ve never been more impressed than I was at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The exhibits were engaging and interesting on so many levels.

The dinosaur hall is by far one of the largest and most comprehensive I’ve ever seen, with an incredible variety and depth that kept me exploring much longer than I expected. I was equally blown away by the gemstone collection, which is both extensive and beautifully curated. One highlight for me was the series of gemstone animals created by the artist Dreher—stunning works of craftsmanship that I’ll never forget.

This museum sets a very high bar for what a natural science museum can be, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Houston.

One downside is the cost of parking. If you are not a member and you park in the museum garage, expect a sticker shock of $30 to park.

Best museum in Texas, which puts it pretty high in the running for the entire southern and central US. ideally the dinosaur fossil main room would be even bigger - i'm sure they have more statues than they can display. don't miss the butterfly aviary. love the iguana they put in there too. the whole place is a hit, except the expensive add-on exhibits that can't be found in the basement. no thanks.

Amazing . Went here to pass time before having to head to airport. Wish I had more time. Definitely going back again when I can stay longer

We and both kids enjoyed a lot with dinosaurs and got information about all the life science about animals and species.

So much fun! I really enjoyed it. The museum was huge and took about 3 ish hours to get through. I would 10/10 recommend this to anyone visiting Houston. Parking is hard to find, had to walk about 10 minutes to get there. The museum itself was amazing!

The attractions are nice but book early or first thing in the morning. This place is always crowded. Tram tour sells out fast.

Try not to get lost in the expansive exhibits offered. The Butterfly Center is a must. Make sure you slow down while inside. Take a moment to sit. After you've completed your visit, wander across the street to Hermann Park for a stroll.

Quick, fast, reliable. Last minute find so I wasn’t sure at first. I asked the clerk for confirmation and I took the chance. BOOM! Got secured.

For the entrance ticket of $25 per adult you only get to see a limited number of permanent exhibits (e.g. dinosaurs, gemstones). You have to pay for everything else and it's quite expensive.
Given that probably half of permanent exhibits were closed on the day - the museum should have at least lowered the general entrance fee.

The galleries we did see were OK, but I wouldn't be in a rush to return - not very interactive and less engaging for the younger audiences.

My babies had so much fun! Everything they have is so interesting, definitely recommend for all ages!

100% worth every penny. Spacious, great for kids and curious adults. Lots of great variety and you dont need to do anything extra for a full 2-3 hours worth of awesomeness. The gemstones, the artifacts, the Egyptian displays. Plus a holiday train set up...so awesome!!

Wonderful museum experience,
No lines to enter, everything detailed and in case of more information I just found someone to guide me.
A success to attend the museum! An excellent experience in Houston.

Really let down by this museum. I think we are very spoiled living in the UK, first off all museums in the UK are free, we paid $35 dollars each, we were particularly looking forward to the Egyptian exhibition. It was a complete waste of money as everything was fake and replicas. Not even good replicas but very obvious plastic. I'm unsure why a museum that advertises itself as "World Class" could not have applied to other museums for loans to stage an Egyptian exhibit. Even my local museum in Bristol UK has a massive amount of Egyptian artifacts including 4 mummies. They also loan these. I think its fraud to charge for this and then let people find out its all fake. We were very very disappointed.

Excellent display of nature. We saw the butterflies place and it is very nice. There are exhibits that must be paid extra on entry. Highly recommended.

It is a Museum with a lot of information, so, take your time and enjoy the walk. They have lots to see. We went to the Egyptian Exhibition and spent most of the time there.

If you have more time, buy the Houston Pass, because you do need more than 1 day to see everything.

Everything was fantastic. Very impressed with the interactive stuff in the energy wing. And as always the dinosaurs were great!!

Irnos On my way! Of the besa museums in the USA. Full of interesting activities, great for teenagers and older ones too. Thus, great for family visits.

Great place to spend the day, so many interesting exhibits. Bought our tickets through trip advisor and saved a little money on the trip. The place is huge and if you spend the time to look at all the little details of things, it blows your mind even more. I didn’t think I would be too interested in the room with all the gems, but spent a lot of time in there amazed. I visited with my husband and as 2 mid-20s adults, we enjoyed it a lot. I also appreciated that there was staff around to talk about the pieces and seemed like they enjoyed themselves while doing so

I guess there was an educational tour so the place was packed with students. It was a bit chaotic at the entrance and ticketing section but when I went to the museum, it was quiet and was really able to appreciate the displays.

Best dinosaur exhibits I've ever seen Including the Smithsonian. All the exhibits were very good. My suggestions are to advise busy time when schools are having field trips. So many kids and they were to young to appear to be learning. A lot of running and giggles, but I think only the older student should be booked. Saw none of them asking questions etc. I think they would have enjoyer the childrens museum better and we would have been able to enjoy our visit more also. I worked in the elementary schools for 12 years and teacher are required to do so many field trips so not sure if there no options for the younger guys, but if you observe some day they are not learning.
Second if you have large groups and they eat lunch there could there by more tables that are adults wanting to grab an expensive snack. We asked when it was no as busy and noisy and were told the kids all leave after 1 and weekends. So we loved the exhibits only saw half and will go back next time after 1 if on a school day at the end of the year.

I couldn’t use it. Tried to cut cancel in the bookings and it did not show up. Since you can not call anyone, $42.00 down the drain. Will never use again.

It was an amazing visit! So beautiful, the Tut Tomb was incredible, the gem exhibit breathtaking, and altogether wonderful! I highly recommend it!!! 👍🏻👍🏻

It was a very good museum! I would highly recommend. The dinosaur exhibit is awesome. The animal section was very well done. The precious stones and gems were amazing. The oil and gas exhibit was very informative. There were also parts we were not able to get to enjoy on one visit. Great location!

It is quite knowledgeable and exciting…They have an amazing collection of art ,History and Civilisations …The Dinosaur exhibit and the gem collection is a must watch …Three hours are not enough so plan a full day visit otherwise you wouldn’t have time to explore all the amazing collection they have ….

Great place to explore many historical things. I personally liked the oil & rig museum a lot. Explored and learned many other historical things in the other museums too. Worth visiting this place.

Very beautiful and peaceful experience. The butterflies are quite friendly and unbothered by people staring and taking pics. I would definitely go again!

We totally loved it, you can do the whole museum in about 3-4 hours. I think the museum is best for young kids, teens and adults. We will go back for sure!

So this place was a welcome oasis of AC in a place with over heating and over sunning. I mean, Houston I get everything is bigger in Texas but even the sun and heat? MADON.

Anyhoo this place has free Thursday after hours. I was happy about that, to stretch my legs indoors and be in AC.

The elevators sucked and kept breaking down.

Parking nearby, and there are lots within walking distance that are cheaper. In the museum and arts district.

The Paleontology Hall is one of the two best paleontology displays in Texas. And I think I like it better than the Perot because of its amazing collection of trilobites. But not just trilobites, plenty of well displayed big stuff. The mineral display is also amazing. Take your dinosaur loving kids.

Two notes. 1. If you got your ticket through TripAdvisor just get in a normal line. Any of they ticket windows can handle it. 2. We got there around 10 and it was easy to get our tickets. When we left at 1pm the lines were pretty long.

Wonderful place to take your kids and family very interesting and informative I had a great time I fully recommended!!

Overpriced with little to offer. A third of the place is closed for construction and a third of the place are “special” exhibits that require additional expensive tickets in addition to the general admission. Parking in $20 in addition as well. Taking your time and reading all the cards for the exhibits you can easily see everything the general admission ticket gets you in one hour. As expected the food available is mediocre for an exorbitant price but what really gets me is three kiosks to order from with only a single one working. The packets of ketchup are covered with an unknown sticky substance overall its just a waste of money and a horrible experience. Having lived in Houston over 40 years I’m embarrassed at this not even third rate museum.

We planned a visit to HMNS on a vacation to Houston. I wasn't too excited at first because we have been to a bunch of science museums and I usually find them boring but this one was awesome! My daughter and I spent the entire afternoon at HMNS while my husband and son went to an Astros game, I could have stayed longer! Seashells, Gems and Minerals, Butterflies, Planetarium, the animal exhibits, curiosities...there was so much to see and learn! We were there until they closed and still didn't see everything. We did not go through the dinosaur part but looked down from the overlook. We also did not do the special exhibits or the movie. If you want to see it all, plan the entire day!! We loved it!!!! The gal at the ticket window actually recommended that we get a membership, it saved us about $25 on our admissions, it also saved us money on snacks and in the gift shop. So I now have a membership and would love to go back but we live in Delaware so unfortunately it's a little too far. I highly recommend this museum to anyone in/around Houston and to anyone vacationing there!!!!

This is an excellent museum.

But beware: parking is $30. I asked the ticket guy whether anyone ever complains about the high price and he said, "All the time."

This should not discourage you from visiting the museum; just don't park there. There are other lots nearby. I wish I'd used one. While exiting I noticed that the $30 price is posted at the entrance but I missed it. My bad.

I'm posting this review because the high parking price kinda left a bad taste in our mouths. Seemed a bit too greedy.

Love this museum for the paleontology and gems. I have taken my children for years. Now they are teens and they still find something new every time.