Let’s Party!
Our Museum parties are a great way for children to celebrate a birthday or enjoy a fun and unique gathering with friends. Meet live animals, discover unique specimens, and enjoy a one-of-a-kind party experience at the Museum.
Celebrate with up to 11 friends. Your party package includes a private party room, 30-45 minutes of programming time including interactive activities and a live animal program led by a Museum educator, 30 minutes for your celebration, a digital invitation, and a discount in the Museum Stores for the party family.
Make your child’s day a memorable one by celebrating with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. For more information contact us by email, or call 919.707.9881.
Ready to party? Please fill out our Birthday Party Inquiry form!
Party Themes
Ocean Creatures
Ages: 4–10
Get ready to dive into our new theme — Ocean Creatures! During this party, we will adventure as young marine biologists to explore creatures from the North Carolina tidal zone to the open ocean. Your young marine biologist will make a jellyfish to take home, explore marine specimens and meet live animals that have some relatives out at sea! Participants will take home marine fossils and their jellyfish craft.
Dinosaur Discovery
Ages: 4–7
Join us as we discover two of the most beloved dinosaurs of all time: T. rex and Triceratops! Together, we will embark on our own paleontological dinosaur dig and meet some live animals to see how they compare to these magnificent dinosaurs. Each participant will receive a bag of fossil matrix to explore at home.
Ages: 8–10
Let’s dig deep into the world of dinosaurs! We’ll explore real fossils, learn about how fossils are formed, and what they can tell us about the world. We will also be joined by some live animal guests whose ancestors can be traced back to the time of the dinosaurs! Each participant will get to take home some of the fossils they discovered at the party.
Space Exploration
Take a step into outer space for an out-of-this-world birthday party!
Ages 5-8
Get ready to explore beyond planet Earth! Together we will embark on a journey to space by blasting off with our rocket ships! We will explore constellations and make our own that you can make shine at home! Meet some animals that appear to defy gravity and some you can see among the stars! Each participant will get to take home their straw rocket and constellations made during the party.
Ages 9-12
Ready to discover what the Moon is made of? Can we really see animals in the sky? We will embark on a journey to space and create our own constellations that you can make shine at home! Together we will explore what the Moon is made of and make our own fizzling Moon rocks. Meet some animals that appear to defy gravity and some you can see among the stars. Each participant will take home their constellations and Moon rock made during the party.
Weird Science
Ages 6-10
Come explore the weird and wacky side of science! Be a mad scientist for the day as we create some crazy chemistry experiments and delve into the science behind them. Party families can choose either Super Slime or Fizzling Fun as their featured activity. In Super Slime, participants will explore the chemistry behind slime as they make their own slime to take home. In Fizzling Fun, participants will create the exciting vinegar + baking soda reaction in mini-volcanoes, and make their own magic fizzing treasure rocks to take home.
Your Party Package Includes
- A 90-minute reservation in a private party room.
- 45 minutes of programming time, which includes interactive activities and a live animal program.
- 30 minutes for your celebration.
- A 15% discount off regular priced merchandise in the Museum Stores on the day of your party (applies only to the host family).
Package Price
- $300 plus tax for Museum members at the Family level and above. (Not a member? Join today!)
- $350 plus tax for non-members.
Parties must be paid in full at the time of booking.
Ready to party? Please fill out our Birthday Party Inquiry form!
Add-on Treats
Leave the pickup to us! Add on any of the tasty options below and we’ll have these treats ready and waiting for you on the day of your party.
- Howling Cow Ice Cream — $2.00/cup
A locally made favorite, 4oz. cups are available in vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry. - Customized 1/4 Sheet Cake — $60.00
Customized Harris Teeter sheet cake with the child’s name and theme of the party. Each cake serves 12-24 guests. - Cupcakes — $25/dozen
Chocolate or vanilla Harris Teeter cupcakes with icing and sprinkles.
*All add-on treats must be added to your order at least one week in advance of your party date.
Start Planning Today
- Maximum of 12 participating children, including the birthday child. A maximum of 25 individuals, including adults. Additional children can be added for $15/child, but cannot exceed 15 total children.
- Parties are offered Saturdays and Sundays at 10:15am, 1:00pm and 3:30pm.
- Parties may be reserved up to six months in advance of the current month and must be reserved at least two weeks prior to your party date.
- Only credit cards may be used to make your payment.
To schedule a party, fill out our Birthday Party Inquiry form. For more information, contact us by email or call 919.707.9881.
Cancellation Policies
- Full refund (minus a processing fee) if cancelled at least four weeks prior to party date.
- 50% refund (plus tax) if cancelled at least three weeks prior to party date.
- 25% refund (plus tax) if cancelled at least one week prior to party date.
- NO refund if canceled less than one week prior to party date. You may reschedule. Last-minute/same-day cancellations wishing to reschedule may also include a fee to cover staffing/set up.
