Education

Guided Tours

The Texas Memorial Museum is the exhibit hall of the Texas Natural Science Center, located at 2400 Trinity Street, on The University of Texas at Austin campus, in Austin, Texas.  Visitor Info

Guided tours for Fall 2009 are offered from September 14 through December 4. Three thematic guided tours are available through the Museum's exhibits:  Deep Time in Texas, Natural Wonders, and Texas Wildlife.

After you schedule a tour, you’ll receive a confirmation packet with directions, parking map, and information, current exhibit map, and additional information.

Scheduling

Guided tours are available during the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters depending on docent availability. For school groups, there is a limit of 25 students per docent. Please see specific tour descriptions for more information.

Tours are scheduled Mon.–Fri. from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. (until 3 p.m. during the summer), with the last tour of the day scheduled at 1 p.m.  Tours last 20–45 minutes, according to age.  Call 512-471-3551 to schedule your group visit;  or request a time and date online, with our tour request form. One adult chaperone is required for every ten students.

Ages/Grade levels

Tours are tailored to group educational levels, and are scheduled for Pre-K groups, K–12 classes, and community groups.  School tours are based on multiple themes from the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, or Science TEKS.

Fees

Cost is $1 per student for guided tours, with accompanying adults free.  Self-guided groups and general Museum admission are free of charge.

Parking

Bus parking is available across I-35 in The University of Texas at Austin softball stadium lots.  Cars may park in the garage north of the Museum for a fee. Print out directions and parking (PDF*, 71KB) information.

Food

Food and drink are not permitted in the Museum.  A shaded picnic area is located just outside, on Texas Memorial Museum's west lawn.

 

* Requires Adobe Reader.

 

Deep Time in Texas Tour

Texas has been pocked by meteorites and covered by oceans. It has also been home to some of the world’s strangest and most spectacular creatures.   Discover meteorites, dinosaurs, ice-age mammals and more on this guided tour of the Hall of Geology and Paleontology. Students will discover how prehistoric creatures interacted with their environments, and how species arise and go extinct. They will see and touch real fossils, and visit with a paleontologist in a working lab.

Two tour groups may run concurrently for this tour if the schedule and staffing allow.

Natural Wonders Tour

See fossils from the Texas pterosaur and steppe bison, exquisite gemstones, and amazing insects!  Learn why the Texas Natural Science Center collects these specimens, and the lessons they reveal about the natural world around us.  Students will learn about the Earth’s past and present, and will be asked to consider scientific challenges of the future.
 
This tour is limited to one tour group at a time in the schedule.

Texas Wildlife Tour

Texas has an amazing and rich natural heritage. Discover the diversity of Texas wildlife in native habitats on the Museum's third floor. Students are introduced to animal adaptations, animal classification, predator and prey relationships, and habitats. Students also learn about nocturnal animals and their special adaptations.

Two tour groups may run concurrently for this tour if the schedule and staffing allow.