Texas Science & Natural History Museum - Austin, Texas

Dmitriy M.

Texas Science & Natural History Museum is a fairly compact museum for a name that implies something much larger. The entire experience is spread over four levels, beginning with a lower-level floor you descend into after entering. This is where the main dinosaur exhibit is located—skeletons of species that once roamed the land now known as Texas. The space is tightly packed, and the number of visitors makes it feel even more crowded. It might have made more sense to distribute the dinosaur displays across the first and lower floors, as the first level features a spacious atrium with only two dinosaur skeletons and little else.

Also on the first floor, you’ll find a museum store and a small theater showing a video about the shifting geography of Texas—how it was once underwater and moved across the globe over millions of years due to continental drift. The exhibit gives a decent idea of what kinds of creatures could have lived in the region through time.

The third floor is dedicated to the animal life of Texas, though again, the space is quite limited. It’s essentially a hallway with a few side rooms where you’ll see local mammals, a small insect corner, and a separate bird room. The fourth floor appears to be more of a temporary exhibit space, which during our visit featured mannequins dressed in themed clothing—possibly part of a fashion exhibit.

While it’s informative and makes the most of its space, Austin clearly deserves a more spacious, modern, and technologically advanced natural history museum. This one feels more like an introduction than a destination.

Nunia B.

Very nice museum! It's rather small, but it's got a scavenger hunt you can do to earn a free sticker which makes the experience a bit more fun. My favorite level is probably the taxidermy animals, they are very well done and are great if you want to do some sketchbook drawing. Each biome has a well thought out scene, and beautiful painted backgrounds which extend the physical foliage into the distance. The museum also hosts different events throughout the year. And has an enjoyable gift shop.

Joe C.

We really enjoyed coming here for a Saturday afternoon, not busy at all, which was surprising. There is a parking garage right next to the museum and it's pretty cheap. Total of 4 floors of great exhibits and tons of fossils. There were some cool interactive ones too and it would be great for small kids to check out. Highly recommended!

Britt M.

The paleontology tour was fun! A quick and curated introduction to multiple fields of study by a UT student. Smaller than I expected but there is a new exhibit being built so it makes sense.

The only complaint is the acoustics, without drop panels from the ceiling it was nearly impossible to hear the guide in several rooms if anyone else (or their child) was speaking loudly.

gordon D.

Super cool museum on UT campus. T-Rex and Quetzlcoatlus skeleton on display, crazy amount of cool 'fossils' in the basement, and a weird mix of taxedermied animals on 3rd and fashion on 4th floors.

The building is super cool, the marble on the interior is off the chart. Very fun experience for the kids.

Mark P.

This is a nice little natural history museum that's located in a very unfortunate place. The parking situation is horrendous, but hey, it's UT. The exhibits are well-thought-out and informative, though some displays appear a tad dated. Still, it's a relaxing way to spend a few hours.

Ashlee M.

This museum is packed full of fossils, space rocks, and native Texas wildlife, and it’s not all locked behind glass either. At check in you can take a flyer with a fun scavenger hunt with choice things to find on every floor and you’re even encouraged to touch some things!

MANY things to see, but this museum is not huge and overwhelming. You can easily see every exhibit in just a couple of hours, which makes it ideal for small children. We felt it was the perfect size without being overwhelming or feeling like we were missing out

Kira M.

Took my kids (ages 12, 8, and 4) while we were visiting Austin from out of state. All of my kids had a great time, they enjoyed the scavenger hunt the front desk handed out. I loved that there were opportunities for them to touch and interact with some areas. It is always impressive when a place can appeal to all the different ages, I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something fun, educational, and inside (to get a break from the Texas heat!) Also, I felt like the entry fees were very reasonable, which was greatly appreciated!