The Museum of Life and Science in Durham is a wonderful place for children and families.  The Museum features both outdoor and indoor fun, including a large playground area (Loblolly Park), train ride (Elerby Creek Railway), farmyard animals, Carolina wildlife nature park, aerospace, geology, discovery rooms, small science, and the Magic Wings Butterfly House, a glass-enclosed tropical garden with butterflies from Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.

Admission charge; free for ages under 3.  Train rides require separate tickets - (purchase your train tickets when you arrive at the Museum; some time slots do sell out.) 

Update:  The Museum will be CLOSED ON MONDAYS beginning Sept. 14, 2009, through Dec. 21, 2009. 
Museum of Life + Science Hours

Museum of Life + Science Highlights:

Editor's Note:  There are so many wonderful, fun things to do at the Museum of Life + Science, both inside and outside.  On nice days we often spend the entire day doing outdoor activities at the Museum, along with a visit to the Museum's Magic Wings Butterfly House.  We could also spend the entire day inside the Museum doing scientific experiments and learning about astronauts and ants, currents and weather, nocturnal creatures and snakes and so much more!  Our Museum of Life + Science membership is by far our best family outing value every year; we love to visit frequently!  We have highlighted below just a few of the fun exhibits at the Museum.

* New!   The much-anticipated, Dinosaur Trail is now open at the Museum of Life + Science!  Learn more about the amazing Museum of Life & Science Dinosaur Trail.

* Don't miss the cool soundSpace exhibit!  The soundSpace exhibit is an interactive music installation where movement is transformed into sound as people dance, walk, sway, and jump to the beat on a grid of multi-color squares on the floor.  As you move from one space to the next, a different musical percussion instrument and beat plays.

* Become the Captain of your own sail boat as you steer your boat and harness the wind's power to take your boat where you want it to go, skimming across the water to the other side and back again.  Kids and adults alike are captivated by this wonderful exhibit.  It would be easy to stay and play there all day long!  (But there are too many other wonderful things to do at the Museum of Life & Science to stop there.)

* Children enjoy visiting the Museum's farm yard animals after playing, jumping and running in the playground, and before heading on to the Butterfly House or the other outdoor exhibits.

* The Magic Wings Butterfly House is a magical, wonderful world filled with beautiful butterflies and exotic plants, running streams, and exotic birds.  Butterflies sometimes take a rest on your shoulder or your finger, and you can meander down the pathway to see butterflies emerging from their cocoons (behind a glass-fronted case.)  On the other side of the Butterfly House there is an amazing exhibit featuring all sorts of BUGS; you can zoom in to view a caterpillar crunching on a leaf and magnify the sound of the crunching too, so that you are watching the tiny caterpillar crunching on a leaf right in front of you, and you can also view the zoom video camera image of the caterpillar crunching on the video screen that you control, while listening to the caterpillar munching loudly on a leaf.  How fun!

The Museum also features special exhibits throughout the year.  Check the Museum of Life + Science website for special exhibits and events.

Visit the Museum of Life + Science online at:

www.lifeandscience.org

www.ncmls.org

^ Back to Top