Explore over 500 million years of history and science

Let your inner scientist come out to play™

Discover over 360,000 specimens from the natural world in North Museum’s carefully curated exhibits. Engage and explore! Live animals, interactive displays, beautifully displayed birds, mammals, fossils, and minerals. Learn how scientists and inventors are using their knowledge of the natural world to create new, amazing, and life-changing advances in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

Nature Reimagined — March 20 through July 5

This exhibit explores the wild world around us through three smaller exhibits: Insects Reimagined, Journaling Nature, and Poisonous Plants.

Insects Reimagined is a classic open-call show featuring insect themed art from around the US and Canada. This show features a variety of art forms featuring more traditional fine art media, fiber arts, and actual insects. Journaling Nature explores the practice of nature journaling and how visitors can incorporate this practice into their lives. It features art created at a Nature Journaling Workshop held by the museum in the past. Poisonous Plants explores the often maligned and feared plants we find in our world and the surprising history and science of these poisons. Featuring 12 photographed pressed plant specimens from our herbarium. Too delicate to display in their natural state, we photographed the plants to bring the herbarium into public view. Plants featured: Poison Hemlock, Mountain Laurel, Rhododendron, Deadly Nightshade, Potato (the only edible part of the plant is the tuber, all green parts are toxic), and many more. Poisonous Plants also displays portions of our Materia Medica cabinet from the late 1800s. This cabinet of over 200 medical and not so medical (as we know now) plants. This cabinet was used in medical training to teach new doctors various remedies.

The exhibit is located on the 2nd floor, and is included with general admission.

Read more about Nature Reimagined from Collections and Exhibits Manager, Molly Wolanski, in this Home & Garden article from LNP. 

Imagining Insects

The world premiere of an original exhibition curated and designed by North Museum of Nature and Science.

In our lifetimes, we will only ever observe a small portion of what we might wish to see of all insects. They come in so many diverse forms, and are so widespread across the Earth. However, if we use our imaginations, alongside scientific discoveries, we can explore the lives of insects, their roles in nature, and their importance in the world. It may seem ideal at first, no stinging wasps or biting ants, no mosquitoes and ticks. But a world without insects is anything but ideal. In fact, were insects to disappear tomorrow, we would be looking at widespread ecosystem collapse!

We need these creatures—the most numerous and diverse animal group on Earth! Discover why insects deserve our admiration and appreciation for the multitudes of tasks they perform every day. Come bee inspired!

Ornithology Gallery

See how it all got started. The museum’s original collections trace their existence back to the 19th century and an active group of amateur naturalists in Lancaster County. They collected specimens to document the flora and fauna of this region, and in time, their combined collections found a home here at North. Guests will find a wide variety of fowl presented in beautiful, antique cases. This prized collection of both rare and local specimens wonderfully represents the amazing world of birds. There are examples of both present day and pre-20th century taxidermy. View extinct species that can only be seen here. The Heath Hen, Carolina Parakeet, and Passenger Pigeon all represent species that have been lost to extinction in North America.

Live Animal Room

Get to know more than twenty different species of animals in the North Museum’s Live Animal Room. Say hello to snakes, lizards, degus, turtles, toads, tarantulas, and more on your next visit.

Paleontology Gallery

Explore the past. What did Pennsylvania look like 200 million years ago? With an in-depth look at T. Rex, and the opportunity to get up close to the fossils, minerals, and plant species in prehistoric life, this exhibit is sure to please dinosaur lovers young and old. Get hands-on! Visitors can handle real fossils and bones in this interactive Paleontology Gallery.

Nature Gallery

This family-friendly space incorporates science and nature in a fun, hands-on area. Includes a live, glass-walled observation bee hive, interactive tree model, digital microscope, and ever-changing informative displays. Be sure to check out the amazing floor tile that helps illustrate the topography of our Susquehanna River Basin. Come play with nature!

Geology Room

A tectonic dilettante’s paradise, the Geology Room offers a tantalizing look at Earth’s many rocks and minerals. Our antique display cases show off original geological finds, while the newer cases are filled with multi-dimensional displays. Look for “Mineral Mysteries,” developed by our STEM Sisters, which demonstrates how various minerals play a role in our everyday life. These exhibits and a special scavenger hunt encourage you to discover and learn more about Geology.

The Art Gallery at North Museum

The Art Gallery promotes regional artwork that is inspired by science and nature. Currently on display, Paleoart Exploration & Posters from the Collection. When art and science work together to create an image of prehistoric life, it’s called paleoart. It involves using fossil evidence, geological data, and scientific understanding to recreate scenes of the past, bridging the gap between scientific findings and public understanding.

Find The Art Gallery on the third floor. Open to the public when the museum is operating, Wednesday–Sunday at 400 College Ave. Part of North Museum’s A.L.E. (Adult Learning and Engagement) program, works of art from Lancaster county and the region will be on display and available for purchase through the end of September. Contact Sheri Hansen, Art Gallery and Visual Arts Program Coordinator at SHansen@NorthMuseum.org.