PHILADELPHIA, July 30, 2018

This fall Philadelphia’s dinosaur museum offers unique experiences including Halloween Night in the Boo-seum, Wild Wizarding Weekend, the Philadelphia Shell Show, close encounters with extreme bugs, and the final Door 19 of 2018.

The annual Philadelphia Shell Show, the largest of its kind in the Northeast, will be held Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 27 and 28, with amazing shell displays by collectors, artists and amateurs. The international market of shell trinkets, jewelry, arts and crafts is always a hit.

Celebrate the Halloween season all October with trick-or-treating every weekend and a special overnight Saturday, Oct. 6. Explore the magical world of the Academy’s animal kingdom with spellbinding, hands-on activities at Wild Wizarding Weekend, Friday–Sunday, Nov. 23–25.

The special exhibit Xtreme Bugs, on view through Jan. 21, features giant, moving, hissing animatronic insects and insect keeper talks three days a week. Thursday, Oct. 18 is the final adults-only Door 19 science soiree of 2018. The theme is Skeletons in Our Closet and features exclusive behind-the-scenes access and unique activities.

Here’s what’s coming up this fall. For updates, additions and to purchase discounted tickets online, visit ansp.org.

Xtreme Bugs

Saturday, May 26–January 21, 2019

Experience the mind-boggling behaviors and surprisingly intricate structures of bugs through 20 giant colorful animatronic insects. From a fluttering oversized monarch butterfly to a gigantic Madagascar hissing cockroach, the exaggerated size of these creatures shines a creative spotlight on what makes them “extreme.” Xtreme Bugs blends technology, science, artistry and imagination to capture the most unusual aspects of the insect world. Visitors will get a bug’s-eye view of their world, explore critter calls, dig for ancient arthropods, and play a bug facts game. Meet the insect keeper and a live insect at 11:45 a.m. every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

Halloween Night in the Boo-seum

Saturday, October 6, 6:30 p.m.–Sunday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m.

Experience the Academy of Natural Sciences’ dinosaurs after dark at this action-packed overnight in the museum. Celebrate the start of the Halloween season with a flashlight tour of the Xtreme Bugs exhibit. Meet creepy crawlies, go on a hair-raising scavenger hunt, participate in bone-chilling lab experiments, and lots more. Then roll out a sleeping bag under T. rex and have sweet dreams. Ages 6 and up; one adult is required per three children. Members $60, non-members $65, VIP (Very Important Paleontologist) $89. Details visit ansp.org or call 215-299-1060.

Trick or Treat at the Academy

Saturdays and Sundays, October 6–7, 13–14, 20–21, 27–28, All day

Visit the Academy every weekend in October and trick-or-treat through the galleries. At the exhibits Outside In, Butterflies!, Xtreme Bugs and The Big Dig, visitors will receive a treat to take home and see special Halloween-themed specimens from the collections. All ages welcome. Wear a costume and get $2 off museum admission.

Door 19: Skeletons in Our Closet

Thursday, October 18, 6–9 p.m.

Curated for the curious, Door 19 is quirky science meets themed soiree, set against a backdrop of live performances, music, potent libations, and dinosaurs. The theme for the final adults-only Door 19 of 2018 is “Skeletons in Our Closet.” Participants will enjoy exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of the Academy’s amazing Vertebrate Zoology and Mammalogy Collections, alongside experts who will bring the coolest specimens out to play. The Mutter Museum will supply some skulls of their own and the Center for Biological Diversity will explain their Endangered Species Condoms project. Great food and drink, music, and unique activities for the adventurists. For details and to purchase a ticket, visit http://bit.ly/2rnHRTH.

Access to Science

Saturday, October 20, 9–11 a.m.

Children on the autism spectrum and their families are invited to experience Philadelphia’s dinosaur museum before it opens to the general public. Visit with the dinosaurs, meet live animals at Outside In, and wander through the dioramas without the extra visitors. Pre-registration is required; same-day registration is available at the door. To register, call Visitor Services 215-299-1060.

Dinos After Dark and Parkway 100 Soiree

Friday, October 26, 4-10 p.m.

Philadelphia’s dinosaur museum is open late tonight with pay-as you-wish admission, Dino Drafts: The Academy Beer Garden, live animals, and fun activities. To celebrate with the Parkway 100 Soiree, the Academy will display 100 hand-picked specimens from the collections. Encounter live animals, take selfies with the famous T. rex skull, and meet an Academy scientist. The Academy welcomes adults and also families to enjoy the museum after regular hours. Suggested donation: $10. Save time at check-in and preregister online: https://bit.ly/2JBlz6c.

Philadelphia Shell Show

Saturday and Sunday, October 27 and 28, All day

Thousands of shells will be on display and for sale at the annual Philadelphia Shell Show. The largest of its kind in the Northeast, the show features beautiful, competitive displays of mollusks by collectors, amateur scientists, and artists. Visitors can shop at an international shell market packed with jewelry, shells, books and more. Members of the Academy’s Malacology Department and the Philadelphia Shell Club will be on hand to answer questions and identify shells you’ve collected during your travels. Free with general museum admission.

Halloween at the Academy

Wednesday, October 31

Trick-or-treat and parade in a costume at the dinosaur museum during the daytime on Halloween. At the exhibits Outside In, Butterflies!, Xtreme Bugs and The Big Dig, visitors will receive a treat to take home and see special Halloween-themed specimens from the collections. Enjoy story time with Marty the Moose at 11 a.m., then join in a costume parade in Dinosaur Hall directly afterward. Outside In will feature Halloween-themed enrichment for the live animals and another story time at 2:30 p.m. All ages welcome. Wear a costume and get $2 off museum admission.

Academy Town Square

Presidential Hair: A Close Shave With History

Wednesday, Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m.

In the early 19th century, a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences assembled an extraordinary collection of wool, fur and hair, hoping, in a pre-Darwinian world, to discover how animals were related to each other, and what practical purposes their hair might serve. Academy Curator of Art and Artifacts and Senior Fellow Robert Peck will discuss his new book on the subject, Specimens of Hair, at an Academy Town Square. The collector, Peter A. Browne, was a self-taught expert on hair, with a network of associates around the world from whom he sought out examples of what he called “pile” from animals and people alike. Brown was also eager to understand the relationship between people as revealed by their hair. The most famous highlights of his collection include hair from well-known artists, writers, scientists, and 13 of the first 14 U.S. presidents. Following the talk, Peck will sign copies of Specimens of Hair, which features photographs by Rosamond Purcell. The talk is free. Registration is required to ensure a seat. Visit Ansp.org.

Wild Wizarding Weekend

Friday through Sunday, November 23–25, All day

Explore the magical world of the Academy’s phenomenal beasts with a weekend of spellbinding, hands-on activities! Meet the museum’s live animals and learn about the actual animals that inspire your favorite wizarding stories. Play a Bunny and Broomsticks game, make a magic wand, and take home a dragon’s egg during this wild weekend where all wizards are welcome. Wear a costume and get a $2 discount at the door or save when you purchase online.

Dinos After Dark

Friday, November 23, 4-8 p.m.

Philadelphia’s dinosaur museum is open late tonight with pay-as you-wish admission, Dino Drafts: The Academy Beer Garden, live animals, and fun activities. The Academy welcomes adults and also families to enjoy the museum after regular hours. Suggested donation: $10. Save time at check-in and preregister online: https://bit.ly/2JBlz6c.

Access to Science

Friday, December 28, 9–11 a.m.

Children on the autism spectrum and their families are invited to experience Philadelphia’s dinosaur museum before it opens to the general public. Visit with the dinosaurs, meet live animals at Outside In, and wander through the dioramas without the extra visitors. Pre-registration is required; same-day registration is available at the door. To register, call Visitor Services 215-299-1060.