Houston Museum of Natural Science — Attraction in Houston

We love the museum and we are members but this last trip was our most disappointing. The two features we paid extra money for were just not a good value for the money.

First, we did the "extreme animals alive" exhibit. We totally understand that it is more expensive to maintain live animals and a touch tanks for the rays, sharks and other water life but we just didn't see anything that unique.

Then we saw the holographic "Dinosaur Discovery" show in the big screen theater (not planetarium)... rip-off. The content was so boring that I fell asleep first of all. They try to tell little story about a paleontologists life experience during the time they learned that birds were dinosaurs. Cool in theory but it's just terrible dialogue and acting...just not engaging. Second of all, the holographic 3d effect was completely ruined by the fact that they don't hang the screen properly, so the holographs are like half off the screen. They just didn't make it work for the screen setup they have. Then, instead of making it look realistic at all, they have the dinosaur's dance to dopey music. If this was a cheap show I probably accepted the price of admission, but these were the only show tickets that don't offer a member discount because they were "so premium". What a joke, even my 10-year-old saw through the weirdness of this setup.

On the plus side, it does appear that the museum is reinvesting in some of their exhibits that are included in our membership such as the physics and chemistry area. That's actually where our daughter had the most fun and didn't want to leave even though we were just there a...

We were actually asked to leave with our autistic children. There was a mix of areas where you could interact in the elements , but as soon as my son went over to the dinosaurs he touched one of displays. He did not climb over there was no casing. We went on for an additional 20 minutes he did not touch anything else and suddenly we were surrounded by security. We explained to them our kids on the spectrum , but specifically our son was who touched the item. My daughter thought we were being arrested before them moving us to a freight elevator and walking us out. We were told this is only for today. However after reading the reviews and seeing a pattern of removal of Autistic children should be investigated. Clear signage of exhibit changes what kids can touch. We understand damages are a serious thing but that did not happen . Especially after paying 84.00. Inclusion is important for people with disabilities and it seems security is regularly missing the mark. Ohhhh lets not forget they were setting up table and chairs during this time as well. Had food table items spilled on floor ......they were opening as a club I am assuming later . Maybe focus better on keeping it...

I’m a member of the Houston Museum of Natural Science and usually love visiting, it’s one of my favorite places in the city. The permanent exhibits are always fascinating, well-maintained, and beautifully presented. The Hall of Paleontology and the “Death by Natural Causes” exhibition (I think that’s what it’s called) are absolutely amazing, educational, creative, and worth every visit.

However, the current Extreme Animals Alive expo was really disappointing. I was expecting something exciting, with live exotic animals and interactive experiences, but most of what’s on display are taxidermy specimens or models. There were very few live animals, and nothing that could really be described as “extreme.” For the price of the special ticket, which is quite high even with a membership discount, it honestly feels like a waste of money.

Some areas of the museum were also closed today, which made the experience feel a bit incomplete. That said, the museum staff is always kind and helpful, and there’s still so much to see and enjoy in the main halls. I’ll definitely keep visiting because the museum itself is fantastic, just hoping future special exhibits live up to the title...