Dallas' Perot Museum Of Nature And Science Marks 2nd Birthday With Month-Long Holiday Celebration

DALLAS, Dec. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It's a winter wonderland of discovery as the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas celebrates its second birthday with extreme sports, an expanded robot arena, awe-inspiring 3D films, 11 halls packed with everything from dinosaurs to DNA, out-of-the-ordinary gift ideas and extended hours for more time to explore. To avoid waiting in lines, visitors are encouraged to buy timed tickets online in advance at perotmuseum.org.

The Perot Museum's 2^nd birthday, which falls today (Dec. 1), includes the kid-friendly, must-see traveling exhibition 2theXtreme: MathAlive! and spectacular 3D films including the world premiere of Robots 3D, Galapagos 3D: Nature's Wonderland featuring Jeff Corwin and Pandas: The Journey Home 3D in The Hoglund Foundation Theater, a National Geographic Experience. Also planned are wintry-themed science demonstrations plus weekends packed with special programming and activities for all ages.

Since opening two years ago, the Perot Museum has generated buzz across the globe attracting over 2 million visitors and inspiring people of all ages to explore the many exciting worlds of science offered within the stunning 180,000-square-foot Museum. Designed by 2005 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate Thom Mayne and his firm Morphosis Architects, the highly interactive Museum is named in honor of Margot and Ross Perot, the result of a $50 million gift made by their adult children.

Highlights of the birthday month include the traveling exhibition 2theXtreme: MathAlive!, which features 40 interactive experiences bringing to life the real math behind what kids love most – video games, sports, fashion, music, robotics and more. The bilingual exhibition gives visitors a chance to snowboard through a mountain pass, design a video game, attempt an Ollie on a virtual skateboard, master engineer a modern city and capture a snapshot in 360-degrees. Presented nationally by Raytheon, the popular exhibit offers up mountain bike and snowboard races, a 'binary dance party' and even an opportunity to program and control Curiosity, NASA's next Mars rover. The exhibition closes Jan. 4, 2015.

"Math is the foundation for many incredible careers that are edgy, thrilling and innovative," said Colleen Walker, the Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer of the Perot Museum. "We think kids are going to love this exhibition, and we hope that they walk away with a whole new passion and respect for math with a birds-eye view of the very cool career opportunities that have math at their core."

New this month is the expanded robot arena in the Texas Instruments Engineering and Innovation Hall, which debuts Dec. 6. The robotic stations will increase from 4 to 16, allowing more visitors, young and old, to "play and learn" a wider variety of activities including challenges and competitions. The Museum also is introducing new robot types with wheels, tank tracks and grippers.

Adding to the festivities are daily science demonstrations beginning Dec. 20 that include live shows with cold habitat animals from the Dallas Zoo and experiments involving super-cold liquid nitrogen and DNA extraction. Also offered are special holiday story times and a Jan. 3 "doze with the dinosaurs" sleepover.

Other don't-miss attractions at the Museum include the musical forest and cascading stream in the outdoor plaza, dancing snowflakes in the main lobby, 54-foot glass-encased escalator with a stunning view of the Dallas skyline, the 3D-animated Journey through the Solar System, and the world's first-ever installation of the 85-foot Alamosaurus . Visitors delight in the chance to race a Tyrannosaurus rex or a cheetah, "fly like a bird," experience an earthquake,  touch a tornado and use their brain waves to launch a Ping-Pong ball.  Also popular is the giant "grape jelly" geode and stunning displays of rarely-seen mineral masterpieces. And the younger set finds a home in the Moody Family Children's Museum with its child-size, climbable Dallas skyline, baby and toddler park, and dino dig.

Closed on Christmas day, the Museum will be open extended hours on select days through Jan. 4. Check perotmuseum.org for details.

Museum general admission ticket prices are $15 for adults (18-64), $12 for youth (12-17) and seniors (65+), $10 for children (2-11), and free for children under 2. General exhibit hall admission is always free for members. Admission to the theater is $5 for a short film (20 minutes) and $8 for a long film (40 minutes) for adults, students, seniors and children. For members, admission to the theater is $5 (short film) and $6 (long film). All children under 2 are free. 2theXtreme: MathAlive! is free for members. Non-members pay a surcharge (adults $6 and students, children and seniors $5).

The Perot Museum is located at 2201 N. Field Street in Dallas, Texas. For details and to buy tickets, visit perotmuseum.org or call 214-428-5555.

CONTACT:
Becky Mayad 214-697-7745
[email protected]

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SOURCE Perot Museum of Nature and Science

Related Links

http://www.perotmuseum.org/