About Bug-a-thon

Mark your calendars for an exciting adventure at the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary! Join us on June 21 from 5 PM to 11 PM for the much-anticipated Bug-a-thon. This family-friendly event promises an evening and night filled with exploration, discovery, and fun activities for all ages.

This seasonal, annual exhibit is open from August 31, 2024, through February 17, 2025.

Visitors to Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney, Texas, will be able to let their imagination run wild as they travel back in time along a half-mile nature trail with eleven life-size animatronic dinosaurs. During the 18th Annual Dinosaurs Live! Life-Size Animatronic Dinosaurs exhibit, these animatronic dinosaurs will move and roar, providing an experience sure to captivate visitors. This exhibit will also offer interesting facts about both herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs.

Children and the young at heart will also have the opportunity to play on stationary baby dinosaurs, a photo-op Tyrannosaurus rex and a photo op Pachyrhinosaurus. This year’s exhibit will also feature an outdoor hadrosaur fossil dig to inspire future paleontologists. The Dinosaurs Live! exhibit trail is jogging-stroller friendly (umbrella strollers are not recommended), giving families and friends a unique, exciting and educational activity to experience together. Dinosaurs Live! is sponsored by NBC5.

Dinosaurs Live! is included in general admission and free for Heard Museum Members.  This exhibit is open during our regular hours of operation.

About Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary

Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary is a private 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing nature and people together to discover, enjoy, experience, restore and preserve our priceless environment. The Heard was founded in 1967 by Bessie Heard at the age of 80. In a time when the rate of expansion of the Metroplex was slower than today, she foresaw the need to preserve a place where future generations could experience nature. Today, the Heard’s mission of bringing nature and people together is carried out through education, particularly of young people, which emphasizes an appreciation of nature and its conservation.

Join us on the second Saturday of each month during the Dinosaurs Live exhibit (February 10), from 7:30-9 a.m. for a more sensory-friendly experience along our exhibit trail. The life-size animatronic dinosaurs of this exhibit usually move and roar; however, during this time, guests will be able to experience a calmer environment featuring the same dinosaurs without sounds or movement! This event is included in general admission and free for Heard Museum members.

Join us on the second Saturday of each month during the Dinosaurs Live exhibit (January 13 and February 10), from 7:30-9 a.m. for a more sensory-friendly experience along our exhibit trail. The life-size animatronic dinosaurs of this exhibit usually move and roar; however, during this time, guests will be able to experience a calmer environment featuring the same dinosaurs without sounds or movement! This event is included in general admission and free for Heard Museum members.

Join us on the second Saturday of each month during the Dinosaurs Live exhibit (December 9, January 13, and February 10), from 7:30-9 a.m. for a more sensory-friendly experience along our exhibit trail. The life-size animatronic dinosaurs of this exhibit usually move and roar; however, during this time, guests will be able to experience a calmer environment featuring the same dinosaurs without sounds or movement! This event is included in general admission and free for Heard Museum members.

Join us on the second Saturday of each month during the Dinosaurs Live exhibit (November 11, December 9, January 13, and February 10), from 7:30-9 a.m. for a more sensory-friendly experience along our exhibit trail. The life-size animatronic dinosaurs of this exhibit usually move and roar; however, during this time, guests will be able to experience a calmer environment featuring the same dinosaurs without sounds or movement! This event is included in general admission and free for Heard Museum members.

Join us on the second Saturday of each month during the Dinosaurs Live exhibit (October 14, November 11, December 9, January 13, and February 10), from 7:30-9 a.m. for a more sensory-friendly experience along our exhibit trail. The life-size animatronic dinosaurs of this exhibit usually move and roar; however, during this time, guests will be able to experience a calmer environment featuring the same dinosaurs without sounds or movement! This event is included in general admission and free for Heard Museum members.

This seasonal, annual exhibit is open from August 31, 2024, through February 17, 2025.

Visitors to Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney, Texas, will be able to let their imagination run wild as they travel back in time along a half-mile nature trail with eleven life-size animatronic dinosaurs. During the 18th Annual Dinosaurs Live! Life-Size Animatronic Dinosaurs exhibit, these animatronic dinosaurs will move and roar, providing an experience sure to captivate visitors. This exhibit will also offer interesting facts about both herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs.

Children and the young at heart will also have the opportunity to play on stationary baby dinosaurs, a photo-op Tyrannosaurus rex and a photo op Pachyrhinosaurus. This year’s exhibit will also feature an outdoor hadrosaur fossil dig to inspire future paleontologists. The Dinosaurs Live! exhibit trail is jogging-stroller friendly (umbrella strollers are not recommended), giving families and friends a unique, exciting and educational activity to experience together. Dinosaurs Live! is sponsored by NBC5.

Dinosaurs Live! is included in general admission and free for Heard Museum Members.  This exhibit is open during our regular hours of operation.

About Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary

Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary is a private 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing nature and people together to discover, enjoy, experience, restore and preserve our priceless environment. The Heard was founded in 1967 by Bessie Heard at the age of 80. In a time when the rate of expansion of the Metroplex was slower than today, she foresaw the need to preserve a place where future generations could experience nature. Today, the Heard’s mission of bringing nature and people together is carried out through education, particularly of young people, which emphasizes an appreciation of nature and its conservation.

Walk among free-flying native butterflies and other pollinators in our Native Texas Butterfly House & Garden. This exhibit is open during our regular hours of operation during its scheduled dates.

The butterfly house includes native species, which vary by season and what is available from suppliers. Our butterfly garden is filled with host plants that naturally attract these lovely creatures.

Dates

Open June 8 – September 28, 2024