The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

I remember when going to a museum was walking through the halls with figures behind glass with a brown plaque describing what you were looking at. You then took two steps over and read the next brown plaque. If you were visiting an upscale museum, you would have the headphones to do the reading for you.

Not any more. In a recent mommy daughter trip to the newly renovated Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, I discovered my children are growing up in an incredible time. Whether you enjoy the excitement filled Imax theater, walking through a day at the cattle ranch, or you want to push those brain cells to solve the crime, this museum covers it. You approach the museum with a welcome from this blast from the past.

Once you enter the museum, you can take in a show at the Omni IMAX or go straight to the studios, exhibits, and planetarium. Do your young children like to shop? Build a train track? Or do they have the balance of a gymnast? Ages birth-8 will be drawn to the dynamic space of The Children’s Museum. You will find children constructing buildings, learning how to be a doctor, or analyzing the Galapagos turtle that has found its home under a dome.

When you leave The Children’s Museum, you can take a stroll back in time at Dino Labs. The awe inspiring display of the Paluxysaurus jonesi, the state Dinosaur of Texas, will stir excitement in any age group. You can learn a bit of archeology by measuring the bones, getting up close to the specimens, looking at fossils, putting together a bone puzzle, or use computers to reconstruct a dinosaur. If you feel you have learned enough to try it yourself in the field, go outside to the Dino Dig and put your inner archeologist to the test as you unearth dino bones.

Once you have spent some time in the past, blast right into the future of energy at Energy Blast. Explore the world of power through interactive stations, a 4D theater, examine a 30 foot drill,  and take a close look at a 50,000 pound seismic truck. 

Innovation Studios is the place to expand the horizons of imagination. With the Dreamtime exhibit floating below the ceiling, it guides you into the Tinkering Exhibit where you can see your own shadow, race sailboats, build your own tower, make sand art, or experiment with light at the Light Island. The Designer studio allows you explore color and light. They even have Lite Brites! The only limit in the Doodler Studio is your imagination. Create your own piece of art by using everyday items. Feel like just using your imagination with a little quiet? Then the Imaginer Studio is for you. If you want to be challenged by motors and generators, the Inventor Studio is your place.

Want to know a little more about the stars? Take in a show at the Noble Planetarium. Want to get your boots a little dirty by driving cattle, mosey on over to the Cattle Raisers Museum. While you are there, learn more about cattle ranches, branding, nutritions in beef, and current digital innovations in cattle raising.

Have you ever watched the show CSI and thought “I could do that!”? Well, what are you waiting for? Test those inner investigative skills and dive right into the CSI Experience. Take a tablet and walk yourself through the process of crime investigation. Can you solve “you done it?” Be careful though, if you have little ones younger than 12 years old, this may not be the experience you were hoping for. If you think your child can handle viewing a skeleton in a crime scene, you may want to go with Crime Scene Red.

 Whether you are 6 or 60, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is a wonderful tool to learn about the past and explore the future of our world. 

Mariah is a wife and mother to three. She keeps herself busy as the designer at JuLa Studio, a soccer mom, and even cleans the laundry (just forgets to fold them). You can find her writing about her life at Humphries Nation or just curling up in fetal position with tea and a good book.