FAQ

Groups of fewer than 10 students may still book a field trip; however, they will be charged for 10 students plus any chaperones if they wish to receive the field trip rate. Our representatives are available to help determine the most cost-efficient method for your group to visit the Museum. For an established field trip, the person who booked the trip should call (713) 639-4659 at any time prior to the day of arrival to add or subtract people from the reservation. Groups that fall below 10 students will be charged for 10 students plus any chaperones in order to receive the field trip rate.

The Museum offers customized TEKS-based curriculum, available at hmns.org/curriculum to accompany your field trip. These free units are designed to make the field trip experience educationally sound and fun and include a TEKS-aligned knowledge hunt and extension activities for grades K-8. High school curriculum is available, with a two-week notice, upon request. For questions, email educationquestions@hmns.org.

Absolutely! Visit Special Attractions for more information about what is currently on display.

Explore science, nature, and history in our Science Labs which feature specimens, artifacts, and laboratory equipment. Each lab lasts one hour and accommodates up to 25 students. If your group is interested in scheduling a Lab, please visit hmns.org/labs or contact educationquestions@hmns.org. HMNS at Sugar Land also offers classes to enhance the field trip experience on topics such as Fossils, Fossil Fuels, Landforms, Rock Cycles, and Natural Extravaganzas, for an additional fee. Please inquire when booking for availability and pricing.

Yes, of course! Personal photography and videography is encouraged. Please contact ldavidson@hmns.org for any inquiries concerning photography/videography intended for professional use.

For various reasons, we do not accept locally found butterflies to be released in the exhibit. If you are looking for resources on monarchs, please visit our support page.

You can secure your party date and time at either our Hermann Park or Sugar Land locations through our online box office. If you have additional questions prior to booking your party, fill out the Birthday Party Interest Form. It is recommended that you book your party 4–6 weeks in advance. If you book your party within a month of the party date, spaces may be unavailable and while we will try to accommodate any additional services or amenities, we cannot guarantee availability. Changes to your party package can be made up to two weeks prior to the date of your party. Reservation Coordinators will be unable to make any changes after that time. All birthday parties must be fully paid two weeks prior to the date of the party. Failure to do so will result in the birthday party being cancelled. If it is possible to accommodate any additional services that are requested on the date of the party, or if damages are incurred by a party group, these will be invoiced no later than the following week and due within 14 days of invoice.

Due to high demand and limited availability, each sale will be considered final. Anything paid towards the birthday party is non-refundable. You may reschedule to another available day and time once at no additional charge. The party must be rescheduled within a year of the original date. Parties cannot be rescheduled within 10 days of the originally booked date. If you require more than one date change, any subsequent rescheduling will be subject to a $50 fee per change. Please contact the Birthday Party team at reservations@hmns.org for assistance to reschedule a booked party. Birthday Parties are held rain or shine, but in the case of severe weather we will contact you for alternate arrangements.

Changes to your party package can be made up to two weeks prior to the date of your party. Reservation Coordinators will be unable to make any changes after that time.

We will make every reasonable attempt to make accommodations for you and your guests. We want every birthday to be as successful as possible! We will talk to you about your concerns when we contact you, but some of the possible accommodations include lowering lights, having a sensory backpack on hand and museum visual vocabulary cards to help your kiddo prepare for your time with us. For more information on the Museum’s accessibility accommodations, click here.

The Museum does not provide food services or allow third party vendors with the birthday party programming. Please feel free to bring in whatever food or decorations that you prefer yourself. Your party facilitator can help setup and take down whatever food or decorations that you have within the time frame provided in the birthday party. This policy is in place because the Museum is quite large and party spaces can be at quite a distance to get from the car to the space. We want your party to go as smoothly as possible within the programming time frame we have to work with.

A single party room will contain 4 rectangular tables, 72” long and 30” wide, and 30 seats. A double party room will contain up to 8 rectangular tables, 72” long and 30” wide, and 75 seats. The tables will be covered in kraft paper so the party guests can decorate them with crayons between activities. Additional surfaces will be available to set up food, presents and cake. Rooms at HMNS Hermann Park may also contain an assortment of permanent, reusable, non-helium balloons. The Overlook will not include and does not allow balloons of any kind to ensure the safety of the Morian Hall of Paleontology, which is located just below the Overlook. Sugar Land rooms will be set up similarly, but unfortunately, the rooms do not have an assortment of permanent, reusable, non-helium balloons. Please note we do not allow outside vendors to decorate or provide services for our parties.

Yes, but please remember you just have the 30 minutes before your party to set-up.

There are a few rules regarding decorations:

• No outside vendors are allowed for decorations or providing services to the party programming
• No balloons of any kind are allowed on the Overlook. Balloons are only allowed in our regular party rooms.
• Party decorations cannot be hung or taped to walls
• Helium balloons are prohibited
• Alcoholic beverages are not permitted
• Confetti/glitter are prohibited
• Traditional piñatas are not permitted. Pinatas with a pull string are allowed.
• Smash Cakes are not permitted
• Sternos, chafers, crock pots, or any other equipment that may require fire or power is not permitted

These rules are in place for the safety of you, your guests, the Museum and its collections. Please note that prohibited items will be confiscated if they are brought inside the building.

For our Hermann Park location, party guests should enter through the Museum’s main entrance or through the Museum Store to the Grand Hall. They should then head to the party via the Permanent Exhibit Hall Entrance. If they are unsure where to go, Birthday Party staff will have signage for guests to follow to their party location. Museum staff will also be able to direct them! For your guests’ convenience, all we require is that they tell us the birthday child’s name or the name of the parent who made the reservation. Parking can be difficult in the Museum District on weekends. We recommend that you tell your guests to arrive early to ensure their timeliness to your birthday party. For our Sugar Land location, please park in the surface parking lot in front of the Museum. Guests will arrive through the main entrance and proceed directly to the party space. For your guests’ convenience, all we require is that they tell us the birthday child’s name or the name of the parent who made the reservation. 

Yes! We take care of the clean-up for you! The Museum will provide a cart to assist with transporting your items out of the party room and then the Museum staff will take care of cleaning up the room after your room time ends.

Because other parties may be booked after your allotted time, we are unable to extend your reserved time if you are late. Birthday Party staff will do their best to adjust your schedule accordingly.

We have contracted with a variety of vendors to ensure your birthday experience is an easy, efficient one-stop shop for parents. These vendors are familiar with Museum protocols and safety procedures and are trained to provide an entertaining and easy addition to your party experience. As such, we do not allow outside vendors for services we offer. 

We unfortunately can no longer extend our parties over the 2 hour period. If you have any questions or concerns over the time frame of your party, please let your booking coordinator know to help you better strategize your party.

View our Birthday Party Upgrades for package information.

Birthday party activities are age and theme appropriate. To see what is offered by theme and age, click here.

Fire code restrictions prevent the Museum from making exceptions. For parties with more than 30 guests, we require renting a second room. A second room rental will more than double the included guests, from 30 to 75, and include a second facilitator to help manage your experience. For parties larger than 75 guests, we can speak to you about your options. Contact us at reservations@hmns.org to see what option is right for you!

If space is available, your party will be moved to a room large enough to accommodate all of your guests and you will be invoiced for the additional fee. If space is not available, up to 30 guests may remain in the booked space. Every child must have at least one caregiver. Additional guests will be free to tour the permanent exhibit halls, and you will be invoiced for their admission.

There are several free lots as well as other parking garages surrounding the Museum. Please refer to the Parking Map for more information on parking in the area. Please note: we can only offer a discount at our parking garage.

Your birthday party deposit secures your desired birthday date and time slot for a basic party package at either the Sugar Land or Hermann Park location.

Please note that this fee is a deposit only and will be deducted from your final invoice. Birthday parties at HMNS start at $350 for Members; you can review all pricing here.  

When the details have been confirmed, HMNS will send you your final invoice, including the total cost of your party, any additional upgrades, and the remaining balance (after deducting your $200 deposit). This invoice must be paid in full two weeks prior to the date of your party.  

Scout classes are taught by HMNS staff and volunteers, scouters and school teachers who bring their professional knowledge of the Badge, Adventure or Journey to enhance the scout’s experience. All teachers have gone through a background check and have taken Youth Protection Training with BSA and/or the Museum’s Youth Education Department. Scout BSA classes are taught by Merit Badge counselors who are registered with Sam Houston Area Council.

HMNS offers scout classes for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scout programs following the requirements set for each Badge, Adventure or Journey HMNS offers. These classes can be purchased for your scout, den or a troop. Any child not in scouting can sign up for scout classes as long as you meet the following age requirements for that level:

Girl Scouts
Daisies: Grades K-1
Brownies: Grades 2-3
Juniors: Grades 4-5
Cadettes: Grades 6-8
Seniors: Grades 9-10

Boy Scouts:
Tiger: Grade 1
Wolf: Grade 2
Bear: Grade 3
Webelos: Grades 4-5
Scouts BSA: Grades 6-12

For school year classes, only Scout BSA or Girl Scout journeys will need to bring a sack lunch or snacks. Summer classes will require all scouts to bring a sack lunch with them or order from the Museum’s restaurants. Scouts will not be allowed to go upstairs to purchase a lunch from the Museum’s restaurants for any scout class.

Classes can be purchased here.

With a purchase of a scout class, one parent or chaperone is admitted with their scout into the Museum and can visit the permanent exhibit halls before or after their class. HMNS asks for parents of scouts in 2nd grade and younger to stay with their scout in the classroom for school year classes. Younger siblings and extra parents will need to purchase a general admission ticket for the Museum. Depending on the number of scouts and parents, extra parents and siblings may be asked to tour the Museum during class time. For summer scout classes, parents are not allowed to stay in the room. Each class will have a teacher and teaching assistants to work with the scouts.

If HMNS needs to cancel a class because minimum enrollment requirements have not been met, parents will be contacted either to switch the scout to another class or to process a refund. We do not issue refunds if the scout cancels or misses a class. Scouts can reschedule their class for another date if HMNS receives a 10 business days’ notice and the minimum enrollment for the class is not affected by the change. If a scout is sick and cannot make it to their scheduled class, please email scouts@hmns.org as soon as possible. The Scout Program Manager will contact you with available options. Summer Scout programs refund policy can be found in the HMNS Summer Programs catalog found here.

We are happy to accommodate scouts with disabilities and special needs. Please notify the Scout Program Manager of your child’s disabilities and special needs PRIOR to your scout’s class. We’ll work with our Accessibility Programs Manager to provide the resources and accommodations your scout needs to participate in the program.

If you have a scout who may need assistance to complete activities, a parent or caregiver should expect to stay in the room to assist. The individual that accompanies the scout must pass a background check and have done Youth Protection Training. Please contact the Scout Program Manager at 713-639-4631 to discuss any special needs to help your scout be successful at the museum.

If your scout is a Scout BSA and needs modified workbooks, please give the Scout Program Manager one to two weeks’ notice. Not all the merit badge workbooks have been modified. Email scouts@hmns.org for more information.

Prerequisites are requirements that cannot be completed in the class. These should be completed before the class, but can be done after the class. A list of prerequisite requirements by Merit Badge and their downloadable worksheets can be found on the Scouts BSA Prerequisite Workbooks page. Outside work is work that is assigned by the Merit Badge counselor for two-day and five day classes. This is work that cannot be done in the classroom or work that the scout needs to finish for a requirement. At the end of class, any incomplete work (partials) will need to be completed by the Scout afterwards and verified by the Scout Program Manager and HMNS staff merit badge counselors. 

Please send a scan PDF of your missing requirements to scouts@hmns.org. After the work has been verified to show that the scout has met the requirements, a Merit Badge card will be sent. 

Please note that this procedure is in compliance with the requirements dictated by the Boy Scouts of America and Sam Houston Area Council. We are unable to issue Merit Badge cards without verifying that all requirements have been met.

For Scouts BSA classes, HMNS issues pre-printed Merit Badge Cards detailing the requirements completed by the Scout during class and verified by the Merit Badge counselor. For Eagle-required Merit Badges, a Merit Badge Card signed by the Scoutmaster is required for the Scout to take the class. If the Scout does not have a Merit Badge Card signed by their Scoutmaster for an Eagle-required Merit Badge, the Scout may not be permitted by their troop to receive credit for the class. HMNS will not issue a refund in this instance. Scouts are responsible for submitting the completed Merit Badge Card to their troop after completion of the class. For Virtual Scouts BSA classes, scouts will need to send a pdf of their completed work to scouts@hmns.org. The workbook will be checked by a HMNS staff merit badge counselor for meeting the requirements as required by Boy Scouts of America and Sam Houston Area Council. A HMNS merit badge counselor will then send a scanned merit badge card by email.

HMNS only offers week-long camps over the summer break.

Our age policy for summer camps is that a student in the 6-7 age range must be at least 6 years old by September 1st or entering into Grades 1-2. For our 8-9 age range, students must be at least 8 years old by September 1st or entering into Grades 3-4. For our 10-12 age range, students must be at least 10 years old by September 1st or entering into Grades 5-7. If your student has a summer birthday and is between age ranges, they can choose to attend either age range that can apply.

Online registration for both in-person and virtual summer camps and scout classes is available at hmns.org/education. Online registration is required for all camps and Scout classes. We are unable to accept registrations over the telephone.

HMNS membership must be current at FAMILY LEVEL OR ABOVE to take advantage of early-registration dates. Please upgrade or renew your membership at least two weeks prior to your registration date.

Priority membership registration begins:

• H.P. Attwater Society level members Nov. 25, 2024
• Family Flex and above Nov. 26, 2024
• All other family-level members  Dec. 3, 2024
• General public Mar. 3, 2025

Please note: Online registration begins at 12:01 a.m. on the date indicated.

HMNS at Hermann Park is open 9:00-5:00, Monday through Thursday and 9:00-6:00 Friday through Sunday. Hours are extended during holidays and summer. Please check here for any changes or early closures.

HMNS at Hermann Park has extended hours for all holidays, except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. HMNS is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

General admission into the Permanent Exhibits is $25 for adults, or $16 for children between the ages of 3-11 and seniors over the age of 62.

Special exhibits may vary. For the most updated prices, please check here.

There is no single ticket that covers the entire museum. A Permanent Exhibit ticket covers more than a dozen exhibits in our collection, which you can find detailed here. The purchase of a special exhibit ticket (King Tut’s Tomb Discovery Experience, Sharks! The Meg, The Monsters, & The Myths or Death by Natural Causes) will also grant access into the Permanent Exhibit Halls.

HMNS operates two locations: HMNS at Hermann Park, located at 5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77030 and HMNS at Sugar Land, located at 13016 University Blvd, Sugar Land, TX 77479.

For the safety of our guests, shoes are required for entry into the Museum. Any guests who will be walking or transferring, including infants, toddlers, and guests using mobility devices, are required to wear footwear.

Of course, HMNS's bathrooms are fully handicap accessible.

HMNS at Hermann Park has manual wheelchairs available to borrow on a first-come first-served basis. Wheelchairs may be checked out at the Museum Services desk in exchange for a photo ID.

Unfortunately, HMNS does not have any motorized wheelchairs or scooters available.

We welcome service animals, identified by the ADA as any breed of dog or miniature horse, that are trained to work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability unless the animal poses a direct threat, is not housebroken or is not under control. Emotional support/comfort/therapy animals and pets are not permitted anywhere in the building. Service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls. Service animal relief areas are located outdoors on any of the grassy areas surrounding the Museum.

At our Hermann Park location, in addition to the family bathrooms, we have a designated nursing room. It is located on the 2nd floor, near the bathrooms on the Paleo Overlook.

Yes, we have several wonderful venues to choose from. You can view the available venues on our Event Spaces page, or contact us at specialevents@hmns.org to discuss the location which will best suit your wedding needs.

Our Cockrell Butterfly Center, Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals, Burke Baker Planetarium, Morian Hall of Paleontology and Sun Dial are all wonderful venues for wedding ceremonies.

The Museum can accommodate up to 5,000 guests for a cocktail reception. Please contact us at specialevents@hmns.org to discuss the spaces that would work best for you and your guest count.

The first step is to relax – planning a wedding at the Museum is an easy process! Here at the Museum, we have everything down to a science – including wedding planning. The second step is to decide which Museum venue would be the best fit for your wedding. Please contact us to discuss which location would be the best fit for your wedding needs. The third step is to consider catering – the biggest component in planning a wedding at the Museum. The Museum has several exclusive caterers that are contracted to provide food for any wedding. For more information, please visit our Catering page. The final step is to contact us at specialevents@hmns.org to secure your desired date. With any wedding, once you have your venue, everything else falls into place.

Let the caterer know your anticipated date, guest count, and budget. Budget is one of the most important pieces of information, as it assists the caterer in providing you a more accurate proposal. Also, have an idea of whether you want a seated dinner, a buffet, food stations or a cocktail reception. Please visit our Catering page for definitions of each wedding type and catering contact information. The more details you can provide, the better.

Two hours prior to your scheduled wedding.

We often have weddings and events occurring simultaneously on any given evening and take all the necessary steps to keep each wedding private—including separate entrances, security and support staff. However, we do offer full Museum usage based on needs and availability. Please contact us to discuss that option.

Please contact us to schedule an appointment for a site visit. Site visits are available with the Museum Monday-Friday from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

The first step is to relax – planning an event at the Museum is an easy process! Here at the Museum, we have everything down to a science – including event planning. The second step is to decide which Museum venue would be the best fit for your event. Please contact the Special Events department to discuss which location would be the best fit for your event needs. The third step is to consider catering – the biggest component in planning an event at the Museum. The Museum has several exclusive caterers that are contracted to provide food for any event. For more information, please visit our Catering page. The final step is to contact the Special Events department to secure your date. Typically with any event, once you have your venue everything else falls into place.

Yes, each of the Museum’s exclusive caterers will provide your alcohol service as well.

Let the caterer know your anticipated date, guest count, and budget. Budget is one of the most important pieces of information, as it assists the caterer in providing you a more accurate proposal. Also, have an idea of whether you want a seated dinner, a buffet, food stations or a cocktail reception. Please access the Catering information page for definitions of each event type and catering contact information. The more details you can provide, the better.

Please keep in mind that we often have events occurring simultaneously on any given evening and take all the necessary steps to keep each event private – including separate entrances, security and support staff. However, we do offer full Museum usage based on needs and availability. Please contact us to discuss that option.

The Museum has a limited amount of A/V equipment that can be provided. Please contact us to discuss your needs.

The Museum offers a 20% discount off the rental of exhibit halls, conference rooms and classrooms for non-profits. For information on corporate sponsorship discounts, please contact the Museum’s development department at development@hmns.org.

Site visits are available with the Museum Monday-Friday from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 pm. Please contact us to schedule an appointment.