Celebrate dinosaurs and their closest living relatives—birds—with a holiday weekend of family fun at the Academy. Explore the world of the dinosaurs as you examine real fossils up close, meet live birds, and talk with dinosaur experts. Fun games and crafts are guaranteed to enlighten even the wisest (and youngest) dinosaur experts in your family. Free with museum admission.

Auditorium

Live Animals of the Academy
11 a.m.

Meet some of the live animals that call the Academy home during this live animal show.

Rad Reptile Relatives: Dandy Dinos and Bodacious Birds
11 a.m.

The most popular reptiles are actually extinct: dinosaurs! And even though they have been gone for millions of years, their legacy lives on in their closest relatives, birds. Learn about reptiles though the ages, and meet some live animals as you explore how birds are related to reptiles.

Live Animals of the Academy
3 p.m.

Meet some of the live animals that call the Academy home during this live animal show.

First Floor

Dinosaur Hall

Dinosaur Dissection

This holiday weekend, take a closer look at the bird of honor. Talk turkey with Academy experts and see if you can separate the fact from fiction about this very special dinosaur.

North American Hall

Fossil Forensics

Touch real fossils and use your dinosaur detective skills to solve prehistoric puzzles.

Special Exhibits Gallery

Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly

Get eyeball to eyeball with live deadly snakes, colorful lizards, bizarre turtles, and rugged crocodilians from around the world in Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly. “Milk” a viper, learn to speak croc in less than five minutes, and test your knowledge with Turtle Trivia and Lizard Wizard. $5; $3 Individual/Family Members; Free for Family Plus Members and Above

Second Floor

Closer Look: Shrimp and Shells

Take a closer look at live brine shrimp under a microscope and compare these animals to the fossils around the gallery. Marvel at an insect in amber, touch a fossilized oyster, and examine a trilobite’s eye. Dinosaur Crafts Make and take your own dinosaur-themed craft.

Third Floor

Story Time in Outside In
2 p.m.

Visit Outside In for an interactive dinosaur story as told by our resident storyteller Marty the Moose and featuring a live animal.