Wondering what to do at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science? You will not be disappointed with this museum. There is something for every age. Lots of hands-on activities for the kids and enough interesting information for the adults to love, too.
In this guided tour of the Perot Museum, you can find the highlights of every level to help you plan the best itinerary for your day at the Museum. And maybe even help you get in for a great price!
Getting to the Perot Museum
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science in downtown Dallas. The exact address is 2201 N Field St, Dallas, TX 75201. Despite going 5 times now, I still got miserably lost and turned around, so have that GPS ready! It is right by a bunch of freeways, so supposedly easy access, but it is hard to follow! The parking lot is well marked. It costs $10 to park (1/2 price if you are a member)
There are 4 ½ levels of fun and learning in this museum. The docents recommend starting from the top and working your way down. From level 1, you can hop on an elevator and ride all the way to the top in a glass encasing where you can see over the city of Dallas. You can only access the escalator going up from level 1. All of the levels can be reached via stairs or elevators, which can be very slow on busy days.
Outside the Museum
As you approach the museum, you’ll find musical instruments to play with hammers. There are chimes and xylophones.
Walk closer to the museum and I’m sure your kids will want to stop at the brightly colored giant frogs. Most likely a frolic in the shallow water feature will follow.
My recommendation is to leave the outdoor play until the end of your museum stay or maybe during a lunch break. Let’s get into the museum to find out what to do at the Perot Museum. I’m starting at the top and working down (although my young kids personal favorites were at the lower level, so you may want to start a the bottom).
Level 4 ½ Birds
Even though its a small level, this left the biggest impact on my oldest daughter. She loved the 7 kiosks where you ‘create’ a bird. The kids create a simple password and then move around the room to 6 other kiosks entering the passcode and adding an element to the bird (body, beak, song, feathers, etc). Having a ‘password’ to their own creations was so exhilarating for my daughter!
Also on this level, my baby picked up puff balls with different style ‘beaks’ (utensils).
The coolest part of this area was the virtual flying. You stand with a huge screen in front of you, lift up your arms like wings and then control the direction and speed based on the direction you lean your body.
Level 4 Dinosaurs
Here you will see dinosaur bones and displays of models. They had some hands-on models the kids could touch and play a matching game with, but mostly this was a look and learn.
Level 3 Geology and Rocks
This level was so fascinating for me and my daughter who is a rock-lover. Here you will find displays of rocks and gems from around the world. The variety, the formations, and the colors were fascinating. However, there isn’t much to touch as all the rocks are behind glass to display.
Along with the rocks and gems, there is an area teaching about fracking and getting oils and minerals out of the earth. There is a 4D simulator that takes you ‘inside the earth’. My kids were too young to understand it (Let’s be honest, I was pretty confused, too) but they liked the ride.
There is another section that has an earthquake shaking platform. More information about geology and water cycles are interesting for an older child or adult, but nothing much for young kids to do.
Level 2 Animals, STEM and Human DNA
A display of stuffed animals highlights different regions. Specifically, Texas animals are shown. There are a few things to do or touch, but mostly it is a looking area.
The other half of Level 2 is a STEM room. This room has so many hands-on activities, you won’t know where to start! The back tables have rotating manipulatives such as pattern puzzles, magnaforms, tangrams and origami. Even the littlest learner can enjoy this area.
There is a music room where kids can experiment with keyboards, drums, and other musical instruments and technology. My favorite area was the table with robots you could control. I loved learning to program robots with codes and watch them perform your program. We could’ve spent all day in the STEM room.
Level 1 Ticketing, Cafe, Gift Shop and 3-D Movies
The main level is just the café, ticket area, gift shop and 3D movie Theaters. We took a lunch break just outside the cafe. There were tons of food options if needed. There are temporary exhibits as well as rotating films to see. These cost extra (members get a discount). We’ve been so busy in the rest of the museum that we haven’t tried the films yet. If you tried it out, please let me know, what did you think of them?
Lower Level Children’s Museum and Sports area
The basement is where the 5-and-under children’s area is. My toddler and 4-year-old could spend hours in this space!
How cute is this camping area? Complete with fireplace and tent.
There are dress up for explorers and stuffed animals to check off your scavenger hunt guide.
The water table has aprons to minimize the wetness as the kid use PVC pipe to channel water in different directions.
The miniature downtown city of Dallas is a maze of climbing fun for the little ones. There are walkways on different levels, tunnels, and slides. 
The toddler and baby area is perfect for the climbing, rolling, crawling little one. It is central to the rest of the room, so baby can play and be watched while you also keep an eye on an older child.
The arts and craft area has rotating craft ideas and times.
No children’s museum is complete without a shopping area. This one is more of a farmers market, only selling fruits and veggies and flowers. There are shopping lists that kids can complete.
The children’s area is enclosed in glass walls, making it bright and lovely for the kids. Just on the other side of the glass wall is an enclosed sand area for even more fun and play. 
There is also a museum worker at the door making sure only kids under 5 (and their siblings) come in and no child goes out unattended! Perfectly safe space to play and explore for hours. Just a day in this area would be worth the trip for me!
Lower Level Sports
Here you’ll find a partitioned-off-track to sprint down with an opponent for 3-4 seconds. You can race against a cheetah, dinosaur, or athletes. Upon crossing the finish line. you get an immediate view of your time in milliseconds. I’m pretty sure my daughter ran a mile doing this over and over again.
Another section you record yourself doing a sports move (kicking, shooting or hitting a ball, twirling,etc) then analyze it in slow-slow motion against a professionals movement.
My personal favorite was the reaction time game. There are 16 different buttons and when one lights up, you press it as fast as you can. How many can you get in 30 seconds? My high is 57!
Museum Membership & Reciprocity
The Perot Museum costs $20 for adults and $13 for kids. That adds up quickly for a family of 6.
Our family pass to the Perot Museum was $60. I bought the Family Plus Pass with 2 other moms (so $180 total). Every time I go to the museum, I get any 3 adults and all the children with me in. I also get 50% off parking, making my trip only $5.
Also, my membership to the Perot museum grants me access to hundreds of museums across the United States. Typically, other museums within 90 miles are restricted, but within the DFW Metroplex, my membership also grants access to the Fort Worth Science Museum. I have used my pass to get into different science and children’s museums while we are vacationing in other locations. This is well worth the cost of membership. Especially if you can go in with a couple other moms and get all the perks of Family Plus Membership.
What’s on your agenda?
With all this information, I’m sure you’ve formulated the perfect plan for your family at the Perot Museum.
As I know that every family and interests are different I’d love to hear what your family loved at the Perot Museum. Leave me a comment with your favorites!
Pin for your next trip to downtown Dallas
Find other DFW metroplex activities here. {Coming Soon}
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