The popular movie franchise ‘A Night at the Museum’ is getting a whole lot more personal.
Iconic museums and aquariums across the country are offering sleepover programs for kids and adults. The late-night adventures let curious participants experience the wonder of science and history in the silence of an empty museum.
We’ve decided to compile a list of five awesome museum sleepovers:
Camp Boo and Goo: La Brea Tar Pits’ Museum Sleepover
The Los Angeles County Natural History Museum is ready to scare the tar out of kids this Halloween with an overnight family program Oct. 24-25. The Camp Boo and Goo adventure includes a nighttime flashlight tour of the tar pits and a Trick-or-Treat scavenger hunt. Kids are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes. All participants will receive a special Natural History Museum badge for their participation in the program. For more info, call (213) 763-3499. Reservations can only be made by phone.
Tusk-or-treat…a fossil at the La Brea Tar Pits museum (photo courtesy of tarpits.org)
Ocean Lights and Ocean Odyssey: Georgia Aquarium’s Museum Sleepover
The largest aquarium in the United States (6.3 million gallons, in case you’re wondering) offers kids the chance to explore its thousands of square feet of exhibit space while at the same time becoming little experts on oceanic life. Participants in their Ocean Lights and Ocean Odyssey programs get guided tours of the aquarium’s exhibits as well as admission into the GA’s AT&T Dolphin Tales and Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow. Kids are treated to a pizza dinner to kick off the evening. For more information, call 404-979-8053.
Nothing says ‘sleepover’ like a night with the dolphins at Georgia Aquarium (photo courtesy of the Georgia Aquarium Facebook page)
Roar & Snore: San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Museum Sleepover
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park brings the plains of Africa to the foot of the tent you’ll be sleeping in when you join one of their Roar & Snore sleepover programs. Participants will fall asleep to the sounds of all sorts of animals roaming the park’s 65-acre African Plains enclosure. Each safari sleepover includes guided tours, wildlife observation, dinner, an evening snack, a campfire program and other great benefits. Glampers have the option of booking nicer tents with premium views of African Plains. For more information, call 619-718-3000.
Shack up in a safari-style tent as you scan the savannah for lions, gazelles and more.
COSI Camp-In: Center of Science and Industry’s Museum Sleepover
The kids of Columbus are in luck. The Center of Science and Industry’s COSI Camp-In offers a host of perks for its participants. Kids get to enjoy the center’s Launch Into Space hands-on exhibits, access to the center’s new Planetarium and Adventure exhibition, a campfire, a late-night snack in addition to dinner and breakfast and a free return visit to the museum. Not bad, eh? Plus, NASA-inspired simulation activities let kids land a space shuttle and drive a Mars rover. The center claims its COSI Sleep-In was the first of its kind in the country. For more information, call 614-228-2674.
The COSI Camp-In helps kids reach for the stars
Overnight Program: Titan Missile Museum’s Museum Sleepover
The Titan Missile Museum is an offbeat exploration into the remnants of the height of the Cold War. The retired missile facility is the only one of its kind still open to the public. The Titan was capable of unleashing a 9-megaton explosion and could travel 6,300 miles in around 30 minutes. The missile still remains in its silo, safely retired from its Cold War duties. The museum’s overnight program is an exclusive affair — it’s only offered four times a year and allows kids and their parents to sleep in the facility’s crew control room. The museum is a titan of praise, receiving 4.5 out of 5 stars on Google, Yelp! and TripAdvisor. For more information, call 520-625-7736.
Launch yourself into Cold War history at the Titan Missile Museum overnight program.