Nights at the Museums
You don't have to be Ben Stiller to spend the night behind the scenes at a museum
- By Robin T. Reid
- Smithsonian.com, March 01, 2009, Subscribe
Bedding down beneath sharks doesn't sound like the smartest idea. But put a wall of thick plate glass between the creatures and yourself, and it suddenly sounds like a pretty cool way to spend the night.
That's just what the National Aquarium in Baltimore wants to provide in "Sleepover With the Sharks," one of two overnights the museum offers. For $79.95, guests can unfurl their sleeping bags on the carpeted floors of the underwater viewing area. There, after a dolphin show, a lasagna dinner and a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium, it's lights-out out at 11 p.m. sharp. An eerie green-gold glow emanates from the tanks, dappled by the shadows of sea creatures that glide silently through the water above.
Aquariums, museums and zoos have held slumber parties since the 1970s. The idea may have come from E.L. Konigsburg's 1968 classic, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basel E. Frankweiler, about two children who stay the night at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Almost 40 years later, the concept gained new popularity thanks to the 2006 hit film Night at the Museum starring Ben Stiller as a new security guard who encounters mayhem after dark. The sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, is scheduled for release in May.
What goes on behind those closed doors or gates at night depends on what's displayed inside. The American Museum of Natural History in New York capitalizes on the Night at the Museum movie by allowing guests to pretend they're Stiller patrolling the dark halls with a flashlight. Farther downtown, a professional mountaineer shows kids the ropes as he rappels down a rope suspended in the Rubin Museum of Art's 90-foot atrium; later that night, there's story-telling at base camp about the mysterious "yeti" that roam the Himalaya. In Hawaii, guests can wake up with wild animals at the Honolulu Zoos – from a safe distance.
"For the most part, you can make money off the overnights," said Michael Fritzen, director of family programs at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. "It's a great way to capture a crowd for a special exhibit...The people who come may potentially be the next preservers of museums, zoos and botanical gardens."
Fritzen used to plan overnights for the Huntington, another Los Angeles cultural institution. One of the many children who went on the sleepovers now works there, he said, in part because of the attachment she formed years ago.
"People will come back as teens or interns," said Annette Sawyer, the Museum of Science, Boston's director of education and enrichment programs. "It's become so personal."
Begun in 1985, the Boston museum's overnights attract annually an average of 19,500 people, most of whom are children in scout or school groups; the program generates about $100,000 in net profit.
"It started as an opportunity to use the museum in down time," she explained. "There's something about being there when you're not supposed to be there; it's awesome."
Alexis Pace and Szu Burgess described their overnight at the Baltimore aquarium in similar terms. "We had a blast," said Pace, an artist in New York. "We could look across and see silhouettes of sharks swimming by. In the morning, we got to look at the dolphins more closely and talk to the handlers."
And, she added, "It was absolutely cheaper than a hotel and they feed you. We factored that in."
Cultural institutions that offer overnights:
The Children's Museum
West Hartford, Conn.
860-231-2830
For children in first through sixth grades
$30 per person
Activities are based on themes such as "Building Zone" and "Underwater Web." Take self-guided safari tours in the wildlife sanctuary, participate in two science workshops, use telescopes to view the stars (weather permitting) and see a planetarium show.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Pittsburgh, Pa.
412-622-3289
For families and children's groups
$35
A pizza party is followed by eight activities tied to themes such as "Nighttime on the Nile," "CSI & DNA" and "Dino-ROAR."
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Comments (6)
You forgot about the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. I attended an overnight event there a few years ago and slept under the sardines. It was amazing :D
Posted by Brandon on August 7,2009 | 01:48 PM
We just attended a great overnight at the Philadelphia Museum of Natural Sciences. I highly recommend it.
Posted by Truth on June 14,2009 | 03:22 PM
I wish there were Smithsonian Institute Museums throughout the United States! I think many people will see the movie, then take their children to the museum to inspire them to ask questions and learn.
Posted by Willow on May 7,2009 | 07:37 PM
The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia (a Smithsonian affiliate) will also be presenting its 3rd "Night at the Southern Museum" this year following the release of the most recent "Night at the Museum" movie.
Posted by Judy on May 6,2009 | 03:28 PM
Ya, I agree with what Rashid said. I am also a regular visitor of the site and would like to see some articles about the Middle East and the Islamic culture and art.
Posted by Affar on March 8,2009 | 12:36 PM
Very interesting, it is always my great pleasure to visit your site and learn new things everytime i pay a visit. However, As part of exachnaging knowledge and learning about other nations culture i would be very gratefull if could kindly make such information available for the visitors of your site. Culture and tridition of the middle east and Islamic art.
Posted by Rashid A.R. Yateem on February 27,2009 | 10:15 AM