delaware museum of natural history

Delaware Museum of Natural History is a small but fun place to go. Unlike Philadelphia or New York City, our Museums are smaller and more intimate. But that does not mean they are less fun or less worth-while. There are unique exhibitions that change 2 or 3 times a year. It is always new

My husband and I took our grandsons to the museum for an outing. We were pleasantly surprised. It was just the right size for their ages, 2 1/2, and kept their interest. They really liked the animal exhibit and the dinosaurs. We will definitely return in nicer weather.

This was our first visit to the Delaware Museum of Natural History. We arrived around 1045am with our 2 toddlers. We told the ticket sales clerk that this was our first visit in hopes of receiving some tips and suggestions. He said we could get some maps off the wall IF we wanted, but that everything was on the ground floor. Then we were sent on our way.We first saw an exhibit on eggs that was pretty interesting. I loved the comparison between the hummingbird egg and the elephant bird egg. The kids liked the ostrich on display. Next we visited the dinosaur room. Here there were 2 large dinosaurs that were from China. One was discovered in the mid 70's & the other in 1985. In this room they also had exhibits with large birds and a kid's interactive computer. Our kids really enjoyed the dinosaur room after the initial fear of these large creatures wore off. The kids had fun with the "dino paint" feature on the activity computer (too bad it did not have printer capabilities). After the dinosaur room we saw some displays on various minerals & rocks and a small display with a baby alligator in it. We then ventured into the Nature Nook for kids. This room looked promising as a place for the kids to explore and have fun. The entrance was decorated like a Woodlands area, complete with a BIG tree. You could lift flaps all around the tree to learn about the woodlands. Tucked into cut outs in the tree were real stuffed animals like a fox, skunk and owls. Also, on the wall, there were magnets of various animals & birds that the kids could move around and stick to the painted magnetic wall. There was a Stream area, where the kids could move plastic fish, turtles and frogs around a table top that was designed to resemble a stream. There was a Meadow with some cut outs placed about on the floor. I did NOT see an activity in this area. In the back of the room, there was a CAVE that the kids could enter and see some "bats" hanging from the ceiling. Here there was a match the bat to it's mother game based on the sense of touch. There was also a box to "uncover fossils" with a brush. Beside the Cave, there was a small live animal display with turtles, tarantula, bearded dragon, gecko and boa snake. In the middle of the room there was a small tank with hissing cockroaches. However, there was no one there to show them to you OR explain why they were there. There were also some wooden games and toys throughout the room for little ones to play with. I did see some books on a rack, but was unsure IF the kids could play with them. I did notice (from a flyer laying on the table) that they had "Book in the Nook" story time on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11am. IF we had been informed about the story time by the ticket sales counter, we would have made it a point to make it there in time, but no such luck. Also in the Nook, they had an activity table where they had set up materials to "Make a Macaw" and some coloring pages. However, the employee (Miss Erin)at this table did NOT engage the kids, welcome them, ask them IF they wanted to make one OR anything. As a matter of fact, when we approached the table, she picked up her cell phone, put it to her ear and left the Nature Nook room completely! While she was gone, we helped ourselves to the activity. When she returned, she sat down across from us and started playing with her fingers, still not saying a word to us OR the kids. WOW! After the Nature Nook, we saw the special temporary exhibit on Titantoboa, a Monster snake. It was pretty neat to see the large snake. The kids thought it was neat! Next we saw an area on the Delaware Saltmarsh and great barrier reef walk-over area. Around this area we saw some interesting displays on shellfish, snails, and etc. My husband really liked reading the display about "Mollusk as a table delicacy". Around the corner from the shell gallery, is a small section on Darwin and then the African Watering Hole. Here there are several stuffed animals on display here. The kids liked pointing out the various animals & using the interactive screen to view information on the African wilderness. In this room there was also a small screen TV with a movie playing about dinosaurs. There was a mish-mosh of animals thrown in here including squirrels, opossum, penguin, polar bear, big brown bear, elephant, road runner, a big dung beetle and jaguar. I was a little confused as to why they were all thrown together in the room with the African Watering hole. At the end of the tour there is a small section on Delaware Streams and also an interactive display on insects. I was not quite sure what to do with the display on insects as I did not see a directive sign instructing parents or visitors as to what you should do with the wooden insect cards. Across the the gift shop is a small theater (DuPont Auditorium) that was playing a film on the Titantoboa while we were there. We did not watch the film. Also, across from the gift shop is the coat room, coral reef canteen, Nano Lab (special exhibit) and a display on Animal Adaptations. We did not use the coat room or visit the Coral Reef Canteen (snack room). However, there are several tables in there should you wish to have a snack or buy a drink from one of the vending machines (NO real food/café). I would guess that a picnic lunch in the canteen would be ok, as I did also see picnic tables just outside the building by the rear parking lot. There is also a small grassy area out back for the kids to stretch their legs, but we did not visit that area due to the snow/slush. Our kids did visit the Nano Lab before leaving & played with a few of the interactive exhibits in there. It was ok, but we were unsure how it tied into this museum exactly.Overall, I would say we had a good visit. The museum is small, so you can easily see it all in just a few hours. You could spend longer IF you read every sign and did every interactive screen/activity/movie. Most of the exhibits were nice and in good shape. My one complaint regarding the displays is that there is NOT enough signage in the displays. I would like to see tags clearly labeling each animal so that when a child asks "what is it?", the parent has the right answer at the fingertips. I saw other parents "guessing" since each display is NOT clearly marked. The answer might be found in a passage or in one of the touch screens, but it would be nice to have each animal clearly labeled. The kids LOVED the dinosaur room and the interactive computer there and so did we! It is one of the highlights of the visit! The kid's Nature Nook has such potential IF the right staff were running it! The kids enjoyed it, but could have gotten so much more out of it IF the staff was engaging them! It could easily have been the best part of the visit, but due to staff attitude, left a sour impression. Also, I feel staff should try to alert guests that have small children of a kids activity when there is one getting ready to start (such as story time). Staff interaction with guests was very minimal here. One plus is that you do NOT have to exit through a gift shop. There is a gift shop, but it is off to the side so you can skip it IF you want!! Also, restrooms were clean, but napkin dispenser was broken in the ladies room. Bottom Line: OK museum to spend a few hours with the kids on a rainy or cold winter day. I would visit once or twice, but probably not over & over again. Don't expect ANY staff interaction.Tip: IF your kids LOVE dinosaurs, you might be interested to know that you can have a kids birthday party here (for a fee).

Thank you for your visit and most recent review! We hope you and your family visit us again soon and see what's new here at the Museum!

We visited this museum on a cloudy Saturday morning. It was very easy to find just outside of Wilmington in Greenville. The adult admission id $9.00, but if you have a Delaware area Entertainment book there's a bogo coupon. This is a relatively small museum, which is great for smaller children, or if you have limited time. We spent about an hour here, and that's only because I'm one who likes to read a lot of the captions and notations at the displays and exhibits. There are several interactive exhibits that kids and adults both seemed to be enjoying. I did learn several interesting facts, like a paragon falcon can achieve speeds up to 275mph when in a dive, and the bull African elephant can weigh as much as 32,000 lbs. WOW! I would recommend this museum if you like animal facts , or have young children ,or are just looking for a inside activity on a cloudy day.

A little bit out of the way is a gem of a museum, Delaware Museum of Natural History. It is a good place to spend a couple of hours looking at the exhibits and learning about various plants and animals. Our seven year old grandson enjoyed doing the scavenger hunt and answering the questions. There are places for hands on experiences, and beautiful walking path outside when inside becomes "boring". It is well maintained and the people that work there are very education oriented. We really enjoyed it, even with a three year old running around, it was still fun for all.

We took our two children (3 and 4) on Father's day for our third trip in two years. We decided to become members because we all enjoy it so much. The museum is small but makes good use of the space they do have. I'm a big fan of the egg and mineral collections, the kids, of course, love the dinosaur room and the room where they get to do a craft and hands-on activities. This was the first trip where we took advantage of the nature walk out back. Appropriately, we found a giant beetle to go along with the giant bug exhibit we had just seen. Three out of three times we've all had a great time here. I wish we live closer so my kids could do their summer camps.

This is a small natural history museum but is well organized and quite diverse. We took our 5 year old grandson and he loved it though some of it was over his head. The activity room was great for hands on activities. There was also an exhibit on Darwin when we went which was very informative. This too had some hands on activities as well as a movie which was geared toward middle and elementary aged kids.There are some outdoor activities which looked to be great for the warmer weather although we were there in the winter and couldn't enjoy them. You can easily spend a few hours here if you take advantage of all the exhibits.

PLEASE disregard any TA reviews saying that this museum is for children!!!!!!!!!! We are in our 60's and TOTALLY enjoyed this fine museum. We're sure that many people just drive past it, even though it is just a bit down Kennett Pike a short distance from the main entrance to Winterthur. That was confirmed when we left the museum............we chatted with the staff & told them how much we enjoyed our visit. When I said that many people might not even know about this great attraction, one staff member told us that he had driven by it for 17 years ................NEVER knew about it until he applied for a position there & was hired. Now he knows..................and so do we!Everything is done top-notch!!!!!!!!! A great dinosaur exhibit, plus wonderful mineral displays ............add to that a Coral Reef Walkover & shell display and an African Watering Hole Exhibit. With the small admission prices here, this museum CAN'T be missed.............by young or old!!!!!!!!!

This is a small museum, but if you go when they have special hands on and craft activities, it makes the day more enjoyable. It's more for elementary school aged kids, but the middle schoolers will find enough to do to keep them amused for a few hours. There's a small area with tables and snack machines, so you can bring something to eat and sit inside if you need a break. The staff was pleasant.

It is a nice place to take younger children (<10 years old). My niece enjoyed herself for the most part, but a lot of the activities were geared toward younger children.

For the diminutive size of this museum it has quite a lot to offer. My greatest interest was in the minerals area. I stop at natural history museums all over to see the mineral displays for each area of the country. Delaware museum had a very complete display of local minerals...some of which I did not realize were is that area.. Well worth he stop.

The museum is smaller but certainly not tiny. I would suggest this museum for people with young children. Anyone over the age of 12 may not be as interested. There are several areas for interaction with a small "cave" and an "under-the-sea" exhibit that is a short maze. Overall an enjoyable experience.

We made a quick tour of this museum with young children, and we visited using the Brandywine Treasure Trail passport which was of great value if visiting several local sites. The kids enjoyed the dinosaur exhibits, the current water exhibit, and the nature galleries. It was a great way to spend a couple of hours on our journey south...

A definite "must see" when you are visiting the Brandywine attractions. Three generations of Wyeth's paintings. The museum is small but have excellent exhibits.This should not be missed. Sunday's offer free admission.