Mississippi Museum of Natural Science
73,000 Sq Ft of Animal and Outdoors
2148 Riverside Drive
Jackson, Mississippi 39202
- Phone: (601) 576-6000
![Two young boys on the left point at the bones of a dinosaur displayed in a museum.](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Science-Museum-Dino-and-kids.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=180&q=80&w=320&s=776897885d124a5ffa920792e28e4879 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Science-Museum-Dino-and-kids.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=304&q=80&w=540&s=0e50ba1d0cef64cf429eb4cef19ce7df 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Science-Museum-Dino-and-kids.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=432&q=80&w=768&s=e5d310e874855965447507087285f291 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Science-Museum-Dino-and-kids.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=576&q=80&w=1024&s=02976480a2a3d53e8142af25d1ba0aeb 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Science-Museum-Dino-and-kids.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=675&q=80&w=1200&s=3ba92f3e8f94c537d543bf1bbe010e7a 1200w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Science-Museum-Dino-and-kids.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=810&q=80&w=1440&s=6305b5c40fa1f36aa34062bdb1653446 1440w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Science-Museum-Dino-and-kids.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1080&q=80&w=1920&s=dd85a6d8c969f6ff37c6a44e59974e20 1920w)
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science
2148 Riverside Drive
Jackson, Mississippi 39202
- Phone: (601) 576-6000
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science2148 Riverside Drive
Jackson, Mississippi 39202
Mississippi's Travel Attraction of the Year, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science offers an intimate way for visitors from all fifty states and foreign countries to become acquainted with the inhabitants of Mississippi's forests, rivers, skies, and soils. The 73,000-square foot facility is nestled against a 300-acre natural area showcasing the state's rich natural heritage through life-like displays and living, breathing species. White-tailed deer to waterfowl, catfish to snapping turtles-each incredible exhibit captivates as it educates. See 200 species of fish and their aquatic neighbors in a 100,000-gallon network of giant aquariums. Catch an alligator snoozing in "The Swamp", a 1,700-square-foot greenhouse with lush plants and its own 20,000-gallon aquarium.
One of the best ways to interact with the material curated in the museum is actually to go outside, walking the two and a half miles of trails, which cross through several habitats. Hikers can see ecological diversity firsthand as they make their way from the bluff to the swamp and the Pearl River.
Founded in the mid-1930s, the museum began at the behest of Fannye Cook, a biologist who returned to Mississippi after working at the Smithsonian. At that time, Mississippi had no laws protecting the environment or wildlife.
A pioneer in conservation biology, Cooke started a campaign to create and implement laws protecting Mississippi’s ecology, securing funding from the Works Progress Administration to survey the state’s flora and fauna. The museum followed, housed under the Game and Fish Commission, now the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
![children walking the Dinosaur trail with a large scale dinosaur model off to the left side](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/DinoTrail-credit-MS-Museum-of-Nat-Science.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=ed62468b8e82ab6f3835f58af9569e73 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/DinoTrail-credit-MS-Museum-of-Nat-Science.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=99ff5ff226f3bc7a416d640af1ba9aa9 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/DinoTrail-credit-MS-Museum-of-Nat-Science.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=5f1d3e8c4c0eed98c48de5ef628fe066 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/DinoTrail-credit-MS-Museum-of-Nat-Science.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=e80b59a0681ab3f36e3bf3b1628fb7ec 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/DinoTrail-credit-MS-Museum-of-Nat-Science.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=e5a5bc564abc0ff86ea195c6acc76896 1200w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/DinoTrail-credit-MS-Museum-of-Nat-Science.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=fc4b42718568061ef6d70d0831c171bb 1440w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/DinoTrail-credit-MS-Museum-of-Nat-Science.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=0a39755dca0819aa9d2362be82b01482 1920w)
A new, outdoor Dinosaur Trail permanent exhibit is now open at MDWFP’s Mississippi Museum of Natural Science.
Nestled along one of the museum’s nature trails, you can see six large-scale, 3-D dinosaur models, including a Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Chasmosaurus, Nodosaurus, Appalachiosaurus, and an Eotrachodon with nest and newly hatched babies.
Along the way, learn a fascinating fact about each dinosaur as well as its height, length, weight, diet, and time period.
The Dinosaur Trail Project also includes several electric ride-on dinosaurs and “Blue” - a “dino-mite” large dinosaur costume that appears occasionally at the museum during special events.
The new trail officially opened on July 1, 2022, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony honoring the memory of the project’s benefactor, Gerard “Jerry” Case, a long-time friend of the museum.
Museum Tour Time:
1 hour (2 hours including Nature Trail tour)
Hours:
Monday-Friday 8 am-5 pm, Saturday 9 am-5 pm, Sunday 1 pm-5 pm.
Admission:
Adults: $8 Youth (Ages 3-18): $6 | Senior Citizens 60 and Over: $7 | Children Under 3: FREE | School Teachers with Classes: $3 per student
Amenities
Amenities
- Wheelchair Accessible
- Family Friendly
- Good for Groups
- Meeting/Event Space
- Outdoors
- Retail
Reviews
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Events
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