Press Room
About Our Exhibits at the Texas Memorial Museum
- The Museum offers free admission seven days a week.
- All exhibits are based on the 5.7 million collected specimens from research conducted at the Texas Natural Science Center.
- Exhibits focus on three areas of Texas' natural history: prehistoric life, rocks and minerals, and Texas wildlife.
- More than 75,000 people visit the exhibit hall each year, including 40,000 schoolchildren, most participating in guided tours.
Floor One: Encounter dinosaurs and fossil animals at every turn in the new Hall of Geology, including the 30-foot Mosasaur that swam in the shallow seas of Texas in prehistoric times. The Hall features 550 specimens of dinosaurs, fossils, gems and minerals. One alcove displays a wide variety of gems and minerals; another features drawer upon drawer of museum specimens to help visitors identify fossil finds from their own back yards. Highlighting the exhibit is the Paleo Lab where working paleontologists answer questions from visitors while preparing fossils for display.
Floor Two: Thrill to the Texas Pterosaur, the largest flying creature ever found, with a wingspan of 40 feet, unearthed in Texas by The University of Texas at Austin scientists. Showcasing the Museum’s most valuable specimens – many never before seen by the public – the exhibit entitled Natural Wonders: Treasures of the Texas Natural Science Center draws directly from the research of The University of Texas at Austin scientists. Specimens are rotated into the exhibit from the collections several times during the year, allowing visitors access to as many important specimens as possible.
Floor Three: Wildlife exhibits feature mounted specimens of Texas birds, animals, reptiles and amphibians. A section highlighting Fishes of Texas includes interactive multimedia displays, underwater photographs, and collected specimens, helping visitors gain an appreciation of the diversity and value of Texas fishes.
Floor Four: Highlighting the new fourth-floor Biodiversity Discovery Hall is a new virtual reality exhibit featuring the first immersive 3-D museum display in the country, with images of fossils and other specimens. Currently, the main exhibit area includes colorful and unusual collected specimens of insects, microscopic cave fauna, fish and amphibians, as well as live-animal exhibits and hands-on educational tools to help visitors learn more about the living world around them. Coming in January 2007: Exploring Evolution exhibit offering visitors engaging opportunities to learn about recent contributions to our understanding of biological evolution.
Off-site temporary exhibits: Periodically, window displays are on view at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, The University of Texas at Austin Faculty Center and other public buildings; a special display in the office building at 301 Congress Avenue celebrates the accomplishments of The University of Texas at Austin geologist, archeologist, and naturalist Glen Evans.
