If cuddling up next to a dinosaur or exploring a room filled with ancient Egyptian mummies by flashlight sparks your interest, these are the best museum sleepovers for you and the kids. With varying levels of adult participation, there are tons of options to find the perfect sleepover for your family.
The International Spy Museum, Washington, D.C.
Special spy “recruits” dive headfirst into the world of espionage at this hit sleepover held seasonally (summer, fall, spring). Kids will take on a new identity (complete with disguise), break codes, interrogate spies and track down enemy agents in an event-filled mission with a dramatic finale. Parents are given their own mission as well, so the action extends beyond typical chaperoning. After a night of investigating, enjoy a continental breakfast and take-home goodie bag.
Ages: 9-13.
Cost: $115 per person
The Museum of Natural History, New York City
Perhaps one of the most well-know (and epic) of family sleepovers, the Museum of Natural History provides an experience unlike any other. Explore dinosaur bones, like the towering T-Rex, and replicas of our ancestors in the Human Origins exhibit by flashlight, watch 3D movies, make crafts and fall asleep under glittering lights and the famous 94-foot replica of a blue whale.
Ages: 6-13.
Cost: $145 per person.
The British Museum, London
Time your overseas visit just right and you can spend a night in one of the most famous museums in the world. With activities from re-enactments and storytelling to dance and crafts, plus a chance to explore one of the museum’s temporary exhibitions after dark, kids might not even notice Ramses II standing guard as they lie down to sleep in the Egyptian Sculptures gallery.
Ages: 8-15.
Cost: ~$60
Center of Science and Industry, Toledo, Ohio
Kids are transported from the deepest reaches of space to the tiniest molecules of the human body in one of several eye-popping digital shows in COSI’s 60-foot-dome planetarium. Other overnight activities include giant-screen films from National Geographic, crazy science experiments and demonstrations, a ride on the motion simulator and a dance party. No worries if you can’t see it all in one night, the price of admission includes free two-day passes to the entire center. And if things get a little too wild for certain guests, the facility has several sensory-friendly exhibits and a calming room, specifically designed for children with Autism or special needs.
Ages: Grades 1-12.
Cost: $50 per person.
Field Museum, Chicago
Get hands on at this overnight experience where kids will dissect owl pellets, learn to illustrate specimens, and play instruments from around the world. Other activities include a 3D movie viewing, after-dark storytelling and a chance to doze off in dinosaur-themed pj’s. While dinner is not provided, this overnight comes with evening snack time and breakfast the next morning.
Ages: 6-12.
Cost: $65 per person.
Australian Museum, Sydney
Enjoy a buffet dinner and a chance to get up close to a host of animals native to Australia, such as crocodiles, pythons and lizards. Watch a family movie, check out the museum’s resident Muttaburrasaurus, and tour the museum by flashlight before turning in next to replicas of a stegosaurus and tyrannosaurus rex (they don’t call it DinoSnore for nothing!). In the morning, breakfast is served at the rooftop café and kids are privy to an exclusive tour of the museum’s latest exhibitions.
Ages: 6-12.
Cost: $140 per child.