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Supporting Experiences for Visitors with Disabilities
Sensory Backpacks
Check out our Sensory Backpacks, created and given to HMNS by Boy Scout Alex Hightower, at Museum Services! Just exchange a photo ID with the Team Member at the Museum Services desk in order to check out a backpack for your visit. When you are finished, you can drop the backpack off at the Museum Services desk and receive your photo ID back. Our Sensory Backpacks include fidgets, stuffed animals, ear defenders, and sunglasses, among other things, to ensure that you have a comfortable, sensory-friendly visit with us.
Sensory Room
The Sensory Room is available in the Lower Level elevator lobby of the Duncan Wing. There are beanbag chairs, fidgets, headphones, a weighted lap blanket, and a bubble tube. The Museum can feel overwhelming at times. This Sensory Room is a quiet space created to help HMNS visitors who are neurodivergent and their families or groups de-escalate and transition comfortably back into their visit or program. This room is not staffed and can be accessed on a first-come, first-serve basis. There may be times that the room is unavailable for use. Please keep all sensory items within the Sensory Room, respect the items as well as the space, and leave the room as you found it.
Certified Autism Center
All HMNS locations have worked with The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), a global leader in online training and certification programs, to be designated as a Certified Autism Center™ (CAC). Our staff has completed training and certification in best practices when assisting individuals with autism. By undergoing additional autism-specific training, the goal is for our team to be better equipped to provide better service and experiences to all. Click to learn more about Certified Autism Center™
Sensory Friendly Events
Three times a year, HMNS offers Sensory Friendly events where exhibits and venues are modified for those with sensory sensitivities. Exhibits and venues are modified to create a sensory neutral environment. The Burke Baker Planetarium and Wortham Giant Screen Theatre also offer modified 2D shows with house lights on and the volume reduced. Sensory Backpacks, which include ear defenders, sunglasses, and fidgets, are available to check out with an ID at the Museum Services Desk, and Touch Carts with tactile specimens to explore will be available throughout the museum’s permanent exhibit halls. For more information and to pre-register for free permanent exhibit hall entry, click here.
Sensory Friendly Events are supported by the Joan and Stanford Alexander Family Fund
Touch Tours for those who are blind and low vision are available on select dates. Trained educators use detailed verbal descriptions and hands-on objects from our teaching collection to provide tactile tours of the museum’s many exhibition halls within the classroom. Each tour will focus on a different exhibition hall and topic.
All Touch Tours take place at HMNS Hermann Park, 5555 Hermann Park Drive. Pre-registration is required for this program. To RSVP for Touch Tours, please email accessprogramming@hmns.org with your name, contact information, and date you would like to attend.
Upcoming 2025 Touch Tour Dates are:
Saturday, February 22 – 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, October 25 – 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, December 6 – 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
ReBokeh App
HMNS partners with the ReBokeh All Access app for iOS users. ReBokeh All Access uses geofencing technology to unlock the full extent of ReBokeh’s features to guests in the Museum, automatically and on your own personal iOS device, so you can seamlessly customize your visual experience while in the exhibit halls. Features include adjustments to exposure, brightness, contrast, color, zoom and stabilization of images, inversion options, and AI image descriptions.
The ReBokeh App is available to download through the iOS app store and will not require log-in or payment while onsite at HMNS Hermann Park.
ASL Interpretation
ASL Interpretation is available upon request with advance notice of your planned visit. Please send voluntary accommodation requests to accessprogramming@hmns.org, fax to 713-639-4681, or call 713-639-4620. Certified ASL interpreters are often not available on short notice. As a result, sufficient advance notice—ideally no less than 14 days—is requested.
Wortham Giant Screen Theater
HMNS provides free Dolby CaptiView closed captioning systems and Listen Technologies assistive listening devices for deaf and hard-of-hearing guests. Please request one while buying your ticket; devices are first-come, first-served and usable from any seat. Film-specific accessibility depends on distributor-provided content, so check with staff during ticket purchase.
Burke Baker Planetarium
Open captioning and/or printed transcripts are available for each show, upon request. Please send voluntary accommodation requests to accessprogramming@hmns.org, fax to 713-639-4681, or call 713-639-4620 ideally a week in advance of your planned visit.
HMNS is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where nursing is unrestricted anywhere within our facilities. Despite this open policy, we understand that some parents may prefer a semi-private space for added comfort. To accommodate such preferences, we provide a designated Lactation Room available for use. HMNS is supportive of all feeding methods – be it breastfeeding, milk expression, or bottle feeding, and our primary goal is to ensure that parents have access to a comfortable space during their visit to the museum.
A Lactation Room is located on the 2nd level of the museum near the emergency exit stairwell in the Duncan Wing and unlocked during public hours. This room may be used for milk expression, breastfeeding, bottle feeding or quiet time. The entrance door has a frosted, glass panel and has a “Lactation Room” sign on the wall next to the door.
Wheelchairs
Child-sized, adult-sized, and bariatric wheelchairs are available for visitors to borrow at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis. You may check a wheelchair out at Museum Services just inside the main entrance to the Permanent Exhibit Halls in exchange for an ID. There is a wheelchair ramp outside the main entrance of the museum. If you are entering the Museum from the parking garage, a security guard will give you access to a ramp leading to the exhibit halls where you can proceed to the box office in the Grand Hall.
Elevators
HMNS has elevators in our Gift Shop and Glassell Hall with access to the Lower Level, First Level (Main Level), and Second Level. There is an elevator just inside and to the right of the second entrance into the Permanent Exhibit halls with access to the Lower Level, First Level (Main Level), Second Level, and Third Level. There is a bay of three elevators just before the Morian Hall of Paleontology with access to the Lower Level, First Level (Main Level), Second Level, Third Level, and Fourth Level of the museum.
Stroller
Accessibility Strollers that are not used for a disability are not allowed in our Burke Baker Planetarium, Wortham Giant Screen Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center, and occasional special exhibitions, but we will always provide a place for you to store them while you enjoy the shows or exhibit!
Accessible Parking
There are a few accessible parking spots available at the front of the museum on Caroline Street. We also have accessible parking spots available near the elevators on every floor in the HMNS parking garage. Plan a little extra time for parking as the Museum District can get crowded.
Metro Lift
The Houston Museum of Natural Science is in the Metro Lift system, so you can easily schedule transportation to and from the Museum for your visit or tour.
FAQ’s and Tips/Guidelines
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FAQ
If you have a disability that is not accommodated by our current programming and resources, please contact us! We are always looking for ways to expand our offerings and be as inclusive as possible. Email accessprogramming@hmns.org and let us know what we can do to make HMNS more inclusive!
Call Advanced Sales at 713-639-4629 to book a private tour for your group. When you call, please let us know how many people are in your group, ages of participants, and how we can best accommodate your needs.
Guidelines
Visit HMNS at low volume times. Our museum halls can get crowded on the weekends, during our free hours on Tuesdays, during holidays (especially Spring Break), and during the summer. During weekdays in the spring, the halls may be crowded with school groups visiting on field trips. The best times to visit are right when the museum opens (9:00 a.m.) during the week, especially on Mondays. If you have any questions about how busy the museum is, you can call 713-639-4629 to speak with a representative from our Visitor Services Department.
Please note that events and facility rentals are a frequent occurrence at HMNS. If you are visiting towards the end of the day, catering may be setting up in certain areas in the museum. The Morian Overlook on the 2nd Floor of the museum is a popular rental space for luncheons and/or evening events. Please note that this area may be closed to the public depending on the day that you visit.
Download our Access HMNS app to use before, during, or after your visit. Access HMNS has social guides, a customizable schedule, communication icons, games, a sensory map, and tips for your visit. Access HMNS is available for both Android and Apple devices. The Access HMNS App is presented by Texas Children’s Hospital and SPARK.
Review our Exploration Planner in advance! A good way to prepare you and your family for a visit to HMNS is to look over our Exploration Planner and decide which exhibits you’d like to see and in what order you’d like to visit them. It might also be helpful to bring a printed copy of the Exploration Planner, along with our Visual Vocabulary Cards, with you for your visit!
Be sure to review our Sensory Guide before your visit. This map includes information on sensory components of each exhibition as well as quiet places to stop and take a break during your exploration, should you need them.
These resources are also useful for families with young children, elderly patrons or anyone visiting the museum! Find laminated versions of these resources to check out at Museum Services, located inside the main entrance of the Permanent Exhibit Halls.
Please note that our Sensory Guide evaluates loud noises and extreme quiet with equal high sound rating. In the same way, extreme dark and extreme light are evaluated with equal high visual stimulation ratings. Halls were evaluated in this way as each extreme can be potential triggers to someone with sensory sensitivities.
Haga click aquí para ver las tarjetas del vocabulario visual y Planificador de exploración!
Plan a little extra time for parking as the Museum District can get crowded. If the HMNS parking garage (Lot B) is full, there are other 3-hour lots in the area (such as Lot C). Please reference this map for alternative parking areas.
There are a few accessible parking spots available at the front of the museum on Caroline Street. We also have accessible parking spots available near the elevators on every floor in the HMNS parking garage. Plan a little extra time for parking as the Museum District can get crowded.
HMNS has restrooms with changing tables on every level of the museum. There is a family restroom available on the Second Level of the museum on the Morian Overlook with an adult changing table available for use. There is a unisex restroom available on the Lower Level of the museum with an adult changing table available for use. Mothers may nurse anywhere within HMNS—there is no designated area. If privacy is preferred, the family restrooms on the Lower Level and Second Level are lockable and available for nursing.
We welcome service animals, identified by the ADA as any breed of dog or miniature horse, that are trained to work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability unless the animal poses a direct threat, is not housebroken or is not under control. Emotional support/comfort/therapy animals and pets are not permitted anywhere in the building. Service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls. Service animal relief areas are located outdoors on any of the grassy areas surrounding the Museum.
Be sure to plan ahead for lunch – we do not allow food or drink in our exhibit halls! You may either pack a lunch and keep it stored in a bag that you carry with you until lunchtime, keep a lunch stored in your car until lunchtime, or purchase lunch from Elements Grill or Periodic Table. Your Permanent Exhibit Hall ticket gives you access to exit and re-enter the Permanent Exhibits throughout the day, so feel free to eat lunch and return to the museum!
If you and your child get separated, please report to Museum Services, located inside the main Exhibit Hall entrance off of the Grand Hall and report that you and your child were separated. Museum staff are trained to help find your child in this situation.
Strollers that are not used for a disability are not allowed in our Planetarium, Giant Screen Theater, Butterfly Center, and occasional special exhibitions, but we will always provide a place for you to store them while you enjoy the shows or exhibit!
Please note that most Special Exhibits are one-time entry only, so make sure to plan enough time to see the whole exhibit!
If you have questions about how busy the museum is, call (713) 639-4629 to speak with a Visitor Services Department representative.
Dining Options
With a focus on sustainability, we have a range of cuisine made from local ingredients.