by Lori Kaye

Created on: August 11, 2009

At Buffalo Museum of Science, your child can experience a Night at the Museum. There won't be any dinosaurs chasing remote control cars, or tiny cowboys and Romans engaged in battle. But kids can sleep at the feet of dinosaurs as part of a special Camp-In program offered by the museum.

The museum provides a multitude of opportunities for people to learn about natural and cultural history, with a particular emphasis on the Greater Niagara Region. Family friendly, many exhibits are interactive, and hands-on, so children and adults can actually touch and handle real objects.

With over 667,000 specimens, the museum has the most comprehensive record of the Greater Niagara Region's natural history. These include collections in anthropology, botany, entomology, mycology, paleontology, and zoology.

The world-class teaching and research museum first opened in 1929, when it was located on the east side. Its history goes back to 1836 when the Young Men's Association was given a number of fossils, minerals, and natural specimens. As the collection grew, they formed the Natural History Society in 1861, with the intent to create a fabulous museum of science.

You don't need a night in the museum to see that they succeeded. Simply explore the many galleries in the museum.

Explorations Gallery

If you have small children you'll need to stop by the Explorations Gallery. It's filled with interactive, hands-on exhibits, including insects, seashells, and every kid's favorite - dinosaur bones.

Dinosaurs & Co

The dinosaur gallery is brimming with fossils. Included in the collection are Triceratops, Allosaurus, Deinoychus (a relative of Velociraptor unique to North America), and a 20 foot long Dunkleosteus, an armored fish that swam in the sea waters that covered New York some 370 million years ago.

Vertebrate Evolution

Displays in the vertebrate gallery include egg laying reptiles, crocodiles and alligators, and modern birds and mammals. The displays trace the development of evolution from examples of animals that lived over 400 million years ago, to creatures of today.

Gems and Minerals

Exhibits include over 1,000 mineral and gem specimens, many from the Ontario and New York regions. Visitors learn how to identify different varieties, and how each was formed.

Western New York Woodlands

Forests are the focus of this gallery, which includes many dioramas of meadows, wetlands, and forest margins. Included are the many different types of plants and animals living in the region. One of the highlights of the gallery is the focus on fungi, which are present throughout the region, but so rarely seen above ground.

Our Place in Space

The space gallery focuses on our galaxy, and on star formation. Displays include information about meteorites and the possibilities of space travel.

Whem Ankh: the circle of Life in Ancient Egypt

The Egypt gallery is one of the most innovative displays. Dioramas take you to life in Egypt about 2330 years ago. You can see how objects were made, and learn about their art and creativity. In addition to Egyptian artifacts, you will see the mummies, including the beautiful coffin of Djed-hor-ef-ankh.

Tibetan Sand Mandala

The mandala gallery is a representation of a Tibetan Buddhist deity's temple. Visitors learn about the slow, spiritual process used in making a mandala. The mandala is one of the few ritual mandalas on permanent display in North America.

Located at 1020 Humboldt Parkway, the museum is open Wednesday to Sunday.

Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for children 3-18, $6 for seniors, and $5 for students and military with valid ID. Children under 3 are free.

To plan your trip, you can find more information online at www.sciencebuff.org, or call (716)896-5200.

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