Last updated: 4/16/2011
1600 Gendy St.
Fort Worth, TX 76107
The Museum is open daily, 10:00 AM to 05:00 PM. We are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Museum Exhibit Admission
Adults - $14
Child (2-12)/Senior (60+) - $10
Omni Theater Admission
Regular (1-hr) IMAX film
Adults - $7
Child (2-12)/Senior (60+) - $6
FWMSH Members - $3 off
Noble Planetarium Admission
Adults - $5
Child (2-12)/Senior (60+) - $4
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Van A Romans
phone: 817-255-9311
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Charlie Walter
phone: 817-255-9320
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Colleen Blair
phone: 817-255-9300
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Kit Goolsby
phone: 817-255-9336
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Amy M Duncan
phone: 817-255-9417
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Tammy Wallace
phone: 817-255-9504
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A LEADER IN INFORMAL SCIENCE EDUCATION
Adding to the rich architectural legacy of Fort Worth?s Cultural District, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History?s brand new $80 million facility is dazzling with its bright colors, geometric forms, and abundant natural light. Designed by internationally acclaimed architectural firm Legorreta + Legorreta, the new facility opened in November 2009. To strengthen the museum?s presentation of history, the expansion incorporates a major new center for the Cattle Raisers Museum. Exhibits also include DinoLabs; Paluxysaurus jonesi, the official dinosaur of Texas; the Noble Planetarum; the Fort Worth Children?s Museum; Innovation Studios; six glass-walled spaces near the main entrance offering hands-on demonstrations; and the Omni Imax Theater.
Dedicated to lifelong learning and anchored by our rich collections, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History engages our diverse community through creative, vibrant programs and exhibits interpreting science and the stories of Texas and the Southwest.
The museum?s history actually began in 1939 when the local council of Administrative Women in Education began a study of children?s museums, with the idea of starting one in Fort Worth. Two years later the charter was filed, but it would be almost four years before the museum would find a physical home. With the help of the city?s school board, the museum opened in early 1945 in two rooms in De Zavala Elementary School.
In 1947 the museum moved into the large R.E. Harding House at 1306 Summit, where it kept growing in size and popularity. Three years later two significant entities appeared: The Ladies Auxiliary of the Fort Worth Children?s Museum (now the Museum Guild), and ?The Frisky and Blossom Club,? the forerunner of Museum School?. Soon it became apparent that a much larger facility was needed to serve the growing needs of the community. Ground was broken for a new facility in 1952. On January 25, 1954, the museum opened the building at 1501 Montgomery Street. The following year the Charlie Mary Noble Planetarium, the first public planetarium in the region, opened.
In 1968 the name was changed to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History so that adults even without children could enjoy the Museum. It worked! Today more than half the Museum?s visitors are adults. Much of that is due to the addition of the Omni Theater in 1983. The Omni was the first IMAX? dome theater in the Southwest and continues to be one of the most successful in the world.
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History has natural history/science collections as well as historical collections. The two collections are curated and housed separately in the museum.
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History values its collections for interpretive use, first and foremost. The natural history/science collection consists of 100,000 catalogued specimens that represent the disciplines of malacology, entomology, ornithology, mineralogy, herpetology, mammalogy, meteoritic, and paleontology. The collection primarily focuses on Texas and the Southwest. The herbarium collection of native plants from Texas and the United States dates from the late 19th century to the present. The museum is involved in ongoing regional paleontological digs for dinosaur remains. The fossil collection is rich in dinosaur remains from the Fort Worth region, and includes at least six species, of which are two type specimens. The natural history/science collection is also supplemented by a live collection including mammals, reptiles, birds, and plants common to Texas.
The history/ethnographic collections consist of 30,000 catalogued artifacts representing the history of Fort Worth, Texas, Native American, pre-Columbian, African, and Asian cultures. Collections concentrate on the daily life of people in the region, including such regional industries as petroleum, agriculture, aerospace, and ranching. The museum maintains an oral history project to complement the collection.
The museum also houses a teaching collection of 20,000 items that duplicate items in the permanent collections. These items are used for hands-on activities and are loaned to area schools and teachers.
Educational programs/workshops,TV programs,Study Clubs,Pre-school classes,Summer School,Classes for older children,Museum camp-ins,Special events,Traveling trunks,Discovery carts
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is a leader in informal education. One of the museum's most successful educational programs for children is the Museum School. This program dates back to the early days of the museum, and the pre-school program was seen as a model for the new Head Start program in the 1960s. Courses are filled on a first-come, first-served registration basis. Due to the program's popularity, parents often camp out overnight at the museum to ensure their children's enrollment. Classes stress informal learning about everything from fossils to physics.
The museum has also launched Hands on Science, where university students preparing for careers in education can learn to promote informal learning in their classrooms. This collaborative project with Texas Christian University provides opportunities to experiment with and evaluate techniques for math and science learning.
Auditoriums
Lecture Halls
Performance Areas
Gift Shop
Special Event Rental
Restaurant
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