Group Visits

Field Trips 

Schedule a  field trip below! Please note -- your trip is not scheduled until you have received a confirmation e-mail from our office. Please note that tours are self-guided as there are informational plaques and iPads next to exhibits.

Reserving a Time Frame

  • If you are planning to bring a group (schools, childcare center, camps, etc.), we ask that you schedule your visit at least one week prior to arrival.
  • Group Size and Chaperones: Groups have a maximum of 30 children at one time and a minimum of one chaperone per 10 children under the age of 17.
  • Please be on time for your visit. Due to other groups and commitments, we may not be able to accommodate late groups. If you will be more than 10 minutes late, please call and let us know you are still coming so we can make arrangements, if possible.
  • Canceling: If your plans change, please call us to cancel your visit as soon as possible. This will enable us to accommodate other groups or work on other projects.

What is there to do at the Museum of Natural Science?

Self-guided Visits

  • Browse the public exhibits without a museum guide. Exhibit descriptions and self-guided activities are available on our website. (Note: All tours are self-guided unless requested otherwise.)
  • Scavenger Hunt

            Use clues to learn about the animals at the museum. Each answer corresponds to a letter of the alphabet and can be found                somewhere in the museum exhibits. Best for upper elementary and middle school students.

Download Scavenger Hunt

Download Answers

*If you schedule a self-guided visit, you do not need to check in in the main office. Your group can just walk in when you arrive. 

Guided Visits* (not currently available)

  • Education Programs
    Short talks based around a particular topic involving our exhibits or specimens from our research collections.
    Examples: Biodiversity (all ages), Mammals (all ages), Amphibians & Reptiles (all ages), Fish (all ages), Birds (all ages), Food Webs (upper elementary), Research & Discoveries at the LSUMNS (middle & high school), LSU Indian Mounds (all ages), or a customized program.

*If you schedule a guided visit, please leave your group outside and come into the main office (119 Foster) to tell us when you arrive. The guide will then give the group instructions prior to entering the Museum.

Rules

Please be on your best behavior while visiting the Museum. This means:

  • Speak and move quietly. Respect other patrons, and remember, faculty, staff, and students are working here every day.
  • Teachers, no whistles, please!
  • No food, chewing gum, or drinks are allowed in the Museum.
  • No running or horseplay in the Museum. If you must, please take it outside.
  • Don’t lean on the ropes or touch the diorama glass.
  • Please don’t touch the animals (except the big Brown Bear). The oils and hard-to-see dirt on your hands can damage them.
  • Chaperones must remain with the students the entire length of the visit.

Resources

Education Office Staff
Exhibit Descriptions
What Can You Find Activity (download here)
For more activities, check out our Self-Guided Tour
Grade Pk-3 Curriculum Handout
Grade 4-8 Curriculum Handout

Other Information

  • Handicapped Access: Please let us know in advance if you will need access through our handicapped entrance.
  • Lunch: Groups may eat lunch in the courtyard between Foster Hall and Middleton Library or in the Greek Theater across Dalrymple Drive from Foster Hall. Please don’t leave any litter (remember to bring a garbage bag).
  • Restrooms: The Museum restroom facilities are not suitable for large groups. If your group needs to make a restroom stop, it would be best to make arrangements at another location prior to arriving on campus.

Parking

Visitor Parking:

The closest visitor parking lots to the Museum are the Thomas Boyd Lot and the Welcome Center (see map), located off of Dalrymple Dr. Parking in these lots are *metered.

Visitors can also park in the other metered parking spaces located throughout campus, including the Parking Garage (2nd, 3rd, & 4th floors) on East Campus Drive.

*Metered parking is $1.50/hour on weekdays from 7AM-10PM (7AM-8PM in Parking Garage).

 

Group Visit Parking/Busses: 

Please organize parking and drop off with LSU Parking & Transportation Services:

Phone: (225) 578-5004

e-mail: [email protected]

 

Any group that has not arranged parking will not be allowed in the museum.

  

 

LSU