Cook Museum of Natural Science

May 25 - August 8: Mondays - Saturdays from 10 am – 2 pm* Cost varies by mining bag size ($6 – $50 +tax) Located outdoors in the Museum’s Courtyard, visitors can purchase mining bags to try their hand at sluicing. Wash the dirt away to see what gemstones are revealed. Use the included ID card to learn more about the gemstones you get to take home. *Weather Dependent: Closed when there is rain or temperatures below 48°Click here for more information and pricing.Mining Bags a

Fridays in June & JulyFREE for Members or with General Admission Which one will it be? Explore the Museum Exhibits with a different scavenger hunt each week this summer. Complete the scavenger hunt and earn a small prize to take home from the Museum Store. Want a different scavenger hunt? Visit Discovery Hub on the Museum's website. There, you can download one to use digitally or to print at home and bring it to the Museum whenever you like. cookmuseum.org/discovery

Saturday, June 6 from 10 am - 2 pm FREE for Members or with General Admission Have you ever wondered what it would be like to stand inside a hot air balloon? Come do just that at the Soar & Explore Fun Day, as we cold-inflate a hot air balloon inside! Learn how hot air balloons work, explore buoyancy, complete a craft, and search for hidden hot air balloons in the Exhibits. At 1 pm, join us for a unique experience as you watch the Museum’s Animal Care staff dive into the Oceans Tan

May 25 - August 8: Mondays - Saturdays from 10 am – 2 pm* Cost varies by mining bag size ($6 – $50 +tax) Located outdoors in the Museum’s Courtyard, visitors can purchase mining bags to try their hand at sluicing. Wash the dirt away to see what gemstones are revealed. Use the included ID card to learn more about the gemstones you get to take home. *Weather Dependent: Closed when there is rain or temperatures below 48°Click here for more information and pricing.Mining Bags a

Saturdays at 12:30 pmFREE for Members or with General Admission Visit the Cook Museum of Natural Science on Saturdays at 12:30 pm to learn how nature is diverse and amazing! Each week’s brief presentation will discuss different natural science topics.

FREE for Members or with General AdmissionJoin us for a unique experience as you watch the Museum’s Animal Care staff dive into the Oceans Tank to feed some of your favorite animals. You’ll witness both broadcast and direct feeding methods used for different species in the Tank.

Mondays in June & July from 8:30 am - 11: 30 amFor participants in rising Grades 1 - 5$49 (+ tax) per participant, per session; $10 Member Discount Register Online! Limited spots available; advance registration required at least one week in advance. During Museum Mondays, participants will receive early access for guided exploration in one of the Exhibits before it opens to the general public. Participants will then head to the classroom for fun hands-on activities and learning s

May 25 - August 8: Mondays - Saturdays from 10 am – 2 pm* Cost varies by mining bag size ($6 – $50 +tax) Located outdoors in the Museum’s Courtyard, visitors can purchase mining bags to try their hand at sluicing. Wash the dirt away to see what gemstones are revealed. Use the included ID card to learn more about the gemstones you get to take home. *Weather Dependent: Closed when there is rain or temperatures below 48°Click here for more information and pricing.Mining Bags a

May 25 - August 8: Mondays - Saturdays from 10 am – 2 pm* Cost varies by mining bag size ($6 – $50 +tax) Located outdoors in the Museum’s Courtyard, visitors can purchase mining bags to try their hand at sluicing. Wash the dirt away to see what gemstones are revealed. Use the included ID card to learn more about the gemstones you get to take home. *Weather Dependent: Closed when there is rain or temperatures below 48°Click here for more information and pricing.Mining Bags a

Tuesdays in June & July at 10:30 amFREE Join us for Stories in the Store where we will read a couple of stories and invite children to take an active role in the storytelling. Come early to choose your favorite stool! Story time begins at 10:30 am outside the Museum Store. New stories will be read each week. Admissions to the Exhibits is not included.

Tuesdays in June & July at 1 pm*FREE for Members or with General Admission Join some of the Museum’s Live Animal Ambassadors and staff for a little outdoor time! Many of the animals in the Museum’s care enjoy going outside and soaking up the sun. Here, you can watch them bask and roam while learning from their caretakers about what makes them so AMAZING! The animals included will depend on availability, but could be a lizard, turtle, snake or other Live Animal Ambassador. Please note tha

Tuesdays in June & July from 1:30 - 3:30 pmFREE for Members or with General Admission The Cook Museum will have a children’s craft and coloring activity available on Tuesdays in June & July from 1:30 - 3:30 pm.

May 25 - August 8: Mondays - Saturdays from 10 am – 2 pm* Cost varies by mining bag size ($6 – $50 +tax) Located outdoors in the Museum’s Courtyard, visitors can purchase mining bags to try their hand at sluicing. Wash the dirt away to see what gemstones are revealed. Use the included ID card to learn more about the gemstones you get to take home. *Weather Dependent: Closed when there is rain or temperatures below 48°Click here for more information and pricing.Mining Bags a

Wednesdays in June & July at 11 amFREE for Members or with General Admission Join us for a Jellyfish Tank Feeding! Be sure to bring any questions you may have for a brief Q&A time with Animal Care following the feed.

Wednesdays in June & July at 2 pmFREE for Members or with General Admission Join us for this 20-minute presentation featuring some of the Museum’s Live Animal Ambassadors. The animals included will depend on availability, but could be a chuckwalla, an eastern indigo snake, a blue-tongued skink, a rose hair tarantula, or one of the other live animals from the Museum. Guests will have the opportunity to ask Museum staff questions. Please note that guests will not be able to

May 25 - August 8: Mondays - Saturdays from 10 am – 2 pm* Cost varies by mining bag size ($6 – $50 +tax) Located outdoors in the Museum’s Courtyard, visitors can purchase mining bags to try their hand at sluicing. Wash the dirt away to see what gemstones are revealed. Use the included ID card to learn more about the gemstones you get to take home. *Weather Dependent: Closed when there is rain or temperatures below 48°Click here for more information and pricing.Mining Bags a

FREE for Members or with General AdmissionIt takes work to look this good! Each week, a pair of divers are in the Oceans Tank as part of the routine cleaning schedule. How do they communicate with each other while underwater? Join us as they demonstrate different hand signals showcasing this critical safety method used in the Tank’s underwater maintenance!

Thursdays, June 11, July 2, & July 23 at 10 am and NoonFor ages 11 - Adult$14 (+ tax) per participant, per session Register Online! Limited spots available; advance registration recommended. Join us for VR Thursdays to take part in a virtual reality (VR) dissection! The VR dissections, developed by Victory XR and Carolina Biological, utilize Meta VR headsets to provide an individually paced and fully interactive dissection experience. Each dissection experien

May 25 - August 8: Mondays - Saturdays from 10 am – 2 pm* Cost varies by mining bag size ($6 – $50 +tax) Located outdoors in the Museum’s Courtyard, visitors can purchase mining bags to try their hand at sluicing. Wash the dirt away to see what gemstones are revealed. Use the included ID card to learn more about the gemstones you get to take home. *Weather Dependent: Closed when there is rain or temperatures below 48°Click here for more information and pricing.Mining Bags a

Fridays in June & JulyFREE for Members or with General Admission Which one will it be? Explore the Museum Exhibits with a different scavenger hunt each week this summer. Complete the scavenger hunt and earn a small prize to take home from the Museum Store. Want a different scavenger hunt? Visit Discovery Hub on the Museum's website. There, you can download one to use digitally or to print at home and bring it to the Museum whenever you like. cookmuseum.org/discovery

May 25 - August 8: Mondays - Saturdays from 10 am – 2 pm* Cost varies by mining bag size ($6 – $50 +tax) Located outdoors in the Museum’s Courtyard, visitors can purchase mining bags to try their hand at sluicing. Wash the dirt away to see what gemstones are revealed. Use the included ID card to learn more about the gemstones you get to take home. *Weather Dependent: Closed when there is rain or temperatures below 48°Click here for more information and pricing.Mining Bags a

Saturdays at 12:30 pmFREE for Members or with General Admission Visit the Cook Museum of Natural Science on Saturdays at 12:30 pm to learn how nature is diverse and amazing! Each week’s brief presentation will discuss different natural science topics.

Sundays, June 14 & July 12Noon - 5 pmFREE for Members or with General Admission Visitors can explore the Cook Museum at their own pace, with additional sensory-based activities available in the Exhibits. For this event, the Museum aims to provide a relaxed environment for individuals with autism and other sensory or communication needs. In addition to the Quiet Room and noise-reduction headphones that are always available, sounds will be lowered, crowds will be limited, and a designat

Mondays in June & July from 8:30 am - 11: 30 amFor participants in rising Grades 1 - 5$49 (+ tax) per participant, per session; $10 Member Discount Register Online! Limited spots available; advance registration required at least one week in advance. During Museum Mondays, participants will receive early access for guided exploration in one of the Exhibits before it opens to the general public. Participants will then head to the classroom for fun hands-on activities and learning s

May 25 - August 8: Mondays - Saturdays from 10 am – 2 pm* Cost varies by mining bag size ($6 – $50 +tax) Located outdoors in the Museum’s Courtyard, visitors can purchase mining bags to try their hand at sluicing. Wash the dirt away to see what gemstones are revealed. Use the included ID card to learn more about the gemstones you get to take home. *Weather Dependent: Closed when there is rain or temperatures below 48°Click here for more information and pricing.Mining Bags a