The Museum of Life and Sciences in Durham, North Carolina was one of the most amazing museums that we absolutely must go back to. It was like an epic STEM museum and a great zoo had a baby. The kids and Mom spent most of the day, and still barely saw a tiny fraction of what was available.
One of our focus points along our travels has been to make the most of our memberships with reciprocal benefits. Since The Boy got his EAA membership that comes with ASTC reciprocal benefits, we have been enjoying a lot of science museums.
This one is a member of both ASTC and AZA, however, their ASTC benefits are better, as they offer free admission. They only offer 50% off admission for AZA members, so if you haven’t yet, make sure you sign up for a free Young Eagles Flight to get that EAA membership.
Indoor Exhibits at the Museum of Life and Sciences
Inside, there was a weather exhibit going over a lot of different types of weather. A walk-through space with small animal exhibits of native Carolina wildlife on either side with a lot of information on habitats, behavior, ecology, and conservation. At this point in our stay, the weather cleared up, so we went outside.
Wow, there is so much to see here! There is a super-fun play station with obstacle courses, an area dedicated to the exploration of sound, and a digging spot. Mom was especially impressed that they had a wheelchair-accessible spot for operating one of the digging toys.
Dinosaurs Galore!
Both kids were really excited to see the dinosaurs. They had reproduction fossils and full-sized models, including one you could climb on. There was even a spot you could dig for fossils, and kids were encouraged to bring them home.
Past the dinos is an epic play space for rocks, sand, and water. The kids were able to experiment on a large scale with how water erosion impacts the land. This wasn’t some dinky little water table like you usually see, but a giant space the kids could walk and play inside. We could easily spend the entire day in just this space alone.
The large butterfly house was also beautiful. Finally, we made our way back inside to explore the indoor exhibits a little more. Aerospace, with real Apollo artifacts. More interactive exhibits on physics and engineering.
Definitely a Must-See
We missed entire swathes of this amazing place. We didn’t get to see any of the outdoor animal exhibits or their exhibits on wind and mist. We also missed the Hideaway Woods.
The Museum of Life and Sciences was so amazing. If you’re in the area, you definitely need to check it out. If you’re not, then plan a trip to Raleigh, NC, so you can! We definitely need to plan a return trip so Dad can experience this amazing place, too.
