PHILADELPHIA, October 4, 2016

This winter frogs take over the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University with the opening of Frogs: A Chorus of Colors and a “Froguary” of fun-filled weekend activities for the whole family.

Frogs leaps into action Saturday, Feb. 4, with an amazing variety of colorful frogs from around world. This exhibit invites visitors to learn more about their amphibian habitats and to view them up close.

This season the Academy is also offering visitors the chance to spend the night in the museum and experience T. rex after hours. Catch the Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibit one last time with a special Dinosaurs Unearthed After Dark sleepover before the exhibit closes, or stop by in March and roll out your sleeping bag next to the fossil displays in Dinosaur Hall.

On the weekend of March 4 and 5, gear up for all things prehistoric with the annual Paleopalooza festival of fossils, and help ring in spring with pay-as-you-wish admission for Founders Day.

Here is the schedule of events and exhibits for the winter. For more details, updates and discounted tickets online, visit ansp.org.

New Year’s Day

Sunday, January 1

This year, the Academy will be open on New Year’s Day. Kick off 2017 with naturalist presentations, a stroll through the Butterflies! exhibit and a chance to catch the moving, roaring animatronic dinosaurs of Dinosaurs Unearthed before the exhibit closes after Monday, Jan. 16.

Night in the Museum: Dinosaurs Unearthed After Dark

Saturday, January 7, 6:30 p.m.–Sunday, January 8, 9 a.m.

Go on an ancient adventure during this special Night in the Museum sleepover. See the special exhibit Dinosaurs Unearthed like you’ve never seen it before—on a flashlight tour! Show off your paleo-skills during fun games and hands-on activities and make a jacket for your own fossil to take home. After an action-packed night, roll out your sleeping bag under T. rex and his dinosaur pals and get some shut-eye before breakfast. Fee: $50 for members, $55 for nonmembers, $80 for VIP (Very Important Paleontologist). More information: 215-299-1060 and ansp.org.

Dinosaurs Unearthed

Special Exhibits Gallery

Through Monday, January 16

Roaring, moving, life-size dinosaurs invade the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University for a multi-sensory experience for the whole family. State-of-the-art and scientifically accurate—down to the feathers on T. rex—Dinosaurs Unearthed features realistic, life-size animatronic dinosaurs, fossil dinosaur skeletons, skulls, claws and horns, mosasaur and Spinosaurus teeth, an Oviraptor egg, and the ever-popular coprolite (dino poop). Visitors will experience interactive activities where they can compare their weight to different dinosaurs, control the movements of dinos, and explore predator-prey relationships through a touch table.

Dinosaurs Unearthed Closing Weekend

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, January 14–16, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Say goodbye to the dinosaurs of the Academy’s popular Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibit with a weekend full of dino-rific activities. Enjoy live animal presentations at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.; hear from dinosaur experts; touch real fossils; make dino-themed crafts; and take a selfie with Eddie the T. rex mascot.

Frogs: A Chorus of Colors

Special Exhibits Gallery

Saturday, February 4–Sunday, May 14

From radiant blue to fiery red, living frogs offer a glimpse of the vast palette of frog diversity. Frogs are found on nearly every environment on Earth, and they have strange, shocking and interesting survival strategies. Check out live frogs of many hues, listen to their colorful chorus, and admire the many ways they swim, hop, glide and soar. Hop into a frog’s world as you inspect frog habitats complete with rock ledges, live plants and waterfalls. See live frogs in action, search for hidden frogs, create a nighttime frog chorus, spin a zoetrope to see how a frog jumps, and conduct a virtual frog dissection.

Froguary Weekends

Saturdays and Sundays, February 4–5, 11–12, 18–20, 25–26, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Hop on over to the Academy for a whole month of ribbiting weekend programming during “Froguary” and view dozens of beautiful frogs up close as part of the new exhibit, Frogs: A Chorus of Colors. Participate in weird frog activity stations, listen in on fascinating keeper talks, see real specimens, and conduct a virtual frog dissection. Join Marty the Moose and pals for story time and make a fun froggy craft to bring home.

Scout Day: Reptiles and Amphibians

Saturday, February 25, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Boy and Girl Scouts are invited to join the Academy during Scouting for Science Days, a series of fun-filled activity days that help scouts work toward badge and journey requirements. Scouts who visit on Feb. 25 can touch specimens, meet live reptiles from around the world, and learn about the amazing adaptations reptiles past and present have made to survive. Fee: $17.95 for scouts, $15.95 for adults. Includes access to Frogs: A Chorus of Colors and a unique participation patch.

Paleopalooza

Saturday and Sunday, March 4–5, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

 Celebrate dinosaurs and other fossils at this fun family festival of gigantic proportions. Explore the world of dinosaurs as you examine rare fossils up close that were pulled from the Academy’s world-famous collection just for this festival. Watch as celebrated Alaska artist Ray Troll recreates the dinosaur Hadrosaurus foulkii on a giant chalkboard. Talk with Academy paleontologists, meet live birds, take guided tours of Dinosaur Hall, and enjoy games, crafts and other activities that are guaranteed to enlighten even the wisest (and youngest) dinosaur experts in the family.

Night in the Museum

Saturday, March 11, 6:30 p.m.–Sunday, March 12, 9 a.m.

Experience the Academy’s towering dinosaurs after dark! Go on a scavenger hunt, meet live animals up close, conduct a science experiment, and uncover new facts about your favorite exhibits. After an action-packed night with family and friends, roll out your sleeping bag under T. rex and his dinosaur pals and get some shut-eye before breakfast. Fee: $50 for members, $55 for nonmembers, $80 for VIP (Very Important Paleontologist). More information: 215-299-1060 and ansp.org.

Founders Day

Monday, March 20

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is offering pay-what-you-wish admission to celebrate the founding of the nation’s oldest natural history museum. The Academy officially was founded March 21, 1812 for “the encouragement and cultivation of the sciences and the advancement of useful learning.” Today the Academy is a leading natural history museum and the place to discover towering dinosaurs, experience a working fossil preparation lab, stroll among live butterflies, see live animal shows, participate in hands-on activities, see special exhibits, and more. There is a fee to enter the special exhibit Frogs: A Chorus of Colors.

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