Play Date at NMNH: Happy Cat Month!
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
This Tuesday is all about cats. September is "Happy Cat Month" and we will be bringing out a very special specimen for our Play Date this week...a tiger! Join us as we celebrate different species of cats through art and exploration.
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (ages 0-5), their caregivers, and families.
Location: This program is held in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Please enter through the Constitution Avenue entrance. Q?rius is located on the right as you enter the museum.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice. However, accommodations may not be possible with less than two-weeks advanced notice. To request this service, please call (202) 633-5238 or…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center (Ground Floor). Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
The World & Me: Pulse with Company E and Sound Impact
Join us for a special The World & Me as we celebrate unique movement and patterns on the planet we call home with local dancers from Company | E, musicians from Sound Impact, and educators from the National Museum of Natural History. Watch a performance titled PULSE* and stay afterwards to explore different hands-on activities with museum specimens.
Performance will be 10:30 - 11:20. Hands-on stations and activities will be open 11:30 - 12:30. More about Pulse
Everything, including the Earth, has its own unique pulse, and those pulses form the heartbeat of the Earth and of us all. COMPANY E’s PULSE is a 45 minute performance created by storytellers, choreographers, dancers, musicians and scientists.Told with humour and empathy, the show deploys dance, live and recorded music, storytelling, and student engagement to embrace the power, the joy and the magic of the Earth and all its inhabitants. It’s all told through one character’s search for his own heartbeat, his own pulse, in place of his preoccupation…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Ground Floor. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Kids & Families. Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, September 12, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Megalodon Day!
Join us Tuesday, September 15th, for a belated celebration of Megalodon Day (June 15th)! While Megalodons, an ancient shark that lived 23 – 3.5 million years ago, are no longer swimming in our ocean, people of all ages are fascinated by its size and large teeth! Together we will learn about this ancient shark that used to roam the ocean, make our own wearable artwork inspired by Megalodon teeth, and have the chance to hold a real Megalodon tooth!
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (ages 0-5) and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome.
Location: This program is held in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Please enter through the Constitution Avenue entrance. Q?rius is located on the right as you enter the museum.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center (Ground Floor). Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
The Ocean Around Us Tour
Explore the Sant Ocean Hall to learn about some of the exciting animals and habitats featured and how they are connected to your everyday life no matter where you live. This is a 30-minute interactive walking tour where you can meet a North Atlantic Right Whale, find out what is the most productive marine ecosystem, touch coral, and so much more.
Registration is required for this small group tour of up to 10 people. Each visitor may bring up to 3 guests, but the total number of visitors on the tour will be capped at 10.
Photo by Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall, Under the Large Jellyfish. Cost: Free. Registration is required. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Behind the Science with Zoologist and Curator of "Bison: Standing Strong" Dr. Melissa Hawkins and Genomics Researcher Dr. Sarah Johnson
“Bison Bones and Genomes”
For millennia, bison roamed the North American continent unimpeded. Numbering in the tens of millions, their presence on the Great Plains allowed the grassland ecosystems to thrive. However, over a few decades at the end of the 19th century, bison nearly went extinct with less than 1,000 animals remaining, irrevocably altering the genetic landscape of this species. Smithsonian scientists are now extracting DNA from skeletal remains collected from across the continent throughout the 19th and 20th centuries to quantify just how much genetic diversity was lost during the population crash and what it might mean for conservation efforts in the future.
This month, go behind the science with two NMNH researchers, Dr. Melissa (Missy) Hawkins, zoologist and curator of the “Bison: Standing Strong” exhibit, and Dr. Sarah Johnson, a postdoctoral research fellow at the museum, who are working together to analyze DNA from these historic specimens.
Read more about their work in this Smithsonian…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History (Ground Floor). Cost: Free; registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/80750497/behind-the-scienceseptember-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. Play Date at NMNH: Dive into the Deep Sea
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
This Tuesday will be all about taking a closer look at what life is like in the deep sea at the bottom of the ocean! Even though it is very dark (except for the bioluminescent animals), the deepest parts of the ocean are still full of life. Together we will learn about some of the unique animals that have adapted to live in the deep sea, make artwork inspired by the deep sea, and have the chance to see specimens that once lived at the bottom of the ocean!
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (ages 0-5) and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome.
Location: This program is held in the Explorer Theater in the Sant Ocean Hall. Ocean Hall is on the 1st floor. Please note that space is dependent on the location of that week's event. Some locations have less capacity than others. It is…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, Explorer Theater in the Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Adaptability in the Genus Homo and the Emergence of Homo sapiens
How did early humans come to endure environmental changes in Africa and beyond? And how did the human capacity to persist through variation in their surroundings evolve?
Dr. Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian Human Origins Program, will describe the results of his decades of fieldwork in the Olorgesailie region of southern Kenya – and what the evidence tells us about the emergence of human adaptability.
Moderator: Dr. Briana Pobiner, paleoanthropologist and educator at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
This program is part of the ongoing HOT (Human Origins Today) Topics series and will be presented as a Zoom video webinar. A link will be emailed to all registrants. Image caption: An Olorgesailie region excavation site where the Smithsonian team discovered key artifacts, pigments, and fossil animal bones which showed that a significant change in the kinds of animals in this region occurred around the same time as the transitions in human behavior, Image credit: Smithsonian Human…
Event Location: Online; Internet connection required. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/41586103/adaptability-in-the-genus-homo-and-the-emergence-of-homo-sapiens-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: Captioning.
Thursday, September 24, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. Behind the Science with Paleontologist and Curator of Dinosauria Matthew Carrano
Save the date for Behind the Science: October, ft. Matthew Carrano, Paleontologist and Curator of Dinosauria for our Fossil Day celebration. More details coming soon.
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About the Series: Behind the Science
A monthly after-hours series featuring NMNH scientists and researchers, Each month, join the National Museum of Natural History for the new series, Behind the Science, where NMNH researchers share insights into their latest discoveries and explore the fascinating questions driving their work—from the origins of life to the future of our planet. Come learn what’s happening behind the scenes and how science shapes our understanding of the natural world. Programs take place in Q?rius, the Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center.
Topics and speakers announced on a rolling basis, but save the dates now! Upcoming Dates:
Jun. 9: Matt Girard, Zoologist
Jul. 14: Torsten Dikow, Entomologist and Curator of Flies
Aug. 11: Nick Pyenson, Paleontologist (Marine Mammals)
Sep. 15: Missy Hawkins,…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History (Ground Floor). Cost: Free; registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/86562911/behind-the-scienceoctober-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. Neandertal Adaptations to Ice Age Eurasia: Warmbloods in Cold Times
While primates are tropical in origin, Neanderthals survived in the brutally cold climates of Eurasia through multiple glacial phases. How did they endure these extreme environments?
Dr. Trent Holliday, Professor of Anthropology at Tulane University, will present evidence for cultural and biological adaptations to cold in our ancient cousins.
Moderator: Dr. Briana Pobiner, paleoanthropologist and educator at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
This program is part of the ongoing HOT (Human Origins Today) Topics series and will be presented as a Zoom video webinar. A link will be emailed to all registrants. Image caption: An illustration of Neanderthals in a cold environment, Image credit: Smithsonian Human Origins Program/Karen Carr.
Event Location: Online; Internet connection required. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/62648600/neandertal-adaptations-to-ice-age-eurasiawarmbloods-in-cold-times-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: Captioning.
Thursday, October 15, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. An Evening With Smithsonian Secretary Emeritus Wayne Clough
G. Wayne Clough, geotechnical engineer and Smithsonian secretary emeritus, shares the latest research and personal stories about how nature has transformed the Georgia coast across millions of years and how human impact continues to shape its future.
Join us at the National Museum of Natural History for a conversation with Clough and Sant Director Kirk Johnson about the past and future of the birds, sea turtles, dolphins, whales, plants and trees that make the Georgia coast their home.
Copies of the Clough’s new book, The Ever-Changing Georgia Coast: A Natural History of Its Creation, Transformation, and Future, will be available for purchase and signing at the program.
Registration is encouraged. Space is filled on a first come first served basis. Image caption: Aerial view, Little Tybee Island.
Image credit: M. Loftman.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History (Ground Floor). Cost: Free; registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/41810296/an-evening-with-smithsonian-secretary-emeritus-wayne-clough-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 15, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. An Evening With Chris Geremia and Tom Murphy: Return of the Last Wild Bison Herd in Yellowstone
The American bison, our national mammal, once roamed much of North America in numbers so vast the herds were measured in miles, not numbers. By the turn of the 20th century, they were nearly extinct.
In their new book, Yellowstone Bison: Return of the Last Wild Herd, biologist and Yellowstone National Park’s bison manager Chris Geremia and photographer Tom Murphy trace the remarkable recovery of bison in Yellowstone National Park.
Join us at the National Museum of Natural History for a conversation with Geremia, Murphy and Sant Director Kirk Johnson. Copies of the their new book, Yellowstone Bison: Return of the Last Wild Herd, will be available for purchase and signing at the program.
Before and after the program, chat with an educator from the Smithsonian National Postal Museum about the U.S. Postal Service American Bison stamp released in May 2026 that features one of Tom Murphy’s photographs and how it connects to the bronze bison and Bison: Standing Strong exhibit at the National Museum of Natural…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History (Ground Floor). Cost: Free; registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/93569146/an-evening-with-chris-geremia-and-tom-murphyreturn-of-the-last-wild-bison-herd-in-yellowstone-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. The World & Me: Bat Week Extravaganza with special guests…Arachnids!
Join us for a special program celebrating Bat Week!
Come help us celebrate bats as we learn about how important bats are to our planet. Help us also shine the light on the importance of spiders! See bat and spider specimens up close, make art celebrating bats and spiders, and learn other ways you can support bats and spiders all year long! Feel free to wear your favorite bat or spider attire. Families can join at any time during the duration of the event and stay as long as suits each family.
Location: This program is held in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Please enter through the Constitution Avenue entrance. Q?rius is located on the right as you enter the museum.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice. However, accommodations may not be possible with less than two-weeks advanced notice. To request this service, please…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Ground Floor, Q?rius: The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, October 31, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
The World and Me: National Bison Day
Learn more about your place in the world through explorations of nature and culture.
Join us Saturday, November 7th, as we celebrate National Bison Day! Discover different bison adaptations and learn how the bison almost went extinct but are now rising in numbers. Families with learners of all ages will be invited to explore different stations, make observations of museum specimens up close, and explore bisons through play and art.
This is a drop-in event. Families can drop in anytime from 10:00am - 12:30pm and stay for as long as your family would like. No registration is required. Cost: Free.
Location: Meet at the entrace of Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Q?rius is located next to the Constitution Avenue entrance.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice. However, accommodations may not be possible with less than…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, Ground Floor. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Behind the Science: November
Save the date for Behind the Science: April! Speaker and topic to be announced.
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About the Series: Behind the Science
A monthly after-hours series featuring NMNH scientists and researchers, Each month, join the National Museum of Natural History for the new series, Behind the Science, where NMNH researchers share insights into their latest discoveries and explore the fascinating questions driving their work—from the origins of life to the future of our planet. Come learn what’s happening behind the scenes and how science shapes our understanding of the natural world. Programs take place in Q?rius, the Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center.
Topics and speakers announced on a rolling basis, but save the dates now! Upcoming Dates:
Jun. 9: Matt Girard, Zoologist
Jul. 14: Torsten Dikow, Entomologist and Curator of Flies
Aug. 11: Nick Pyenson, Paleontologist (Marine Mammals)
Sep. 15: Missy Hawkins, Research Zoologist and Curator of our upcoming Bison: Standing Strong Exhibit
Oct. 13: …
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History (Ground Floor). Cost: Free; registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/32430410/behind-the-sciencenovember-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. Paleoproteomics in Paleoanthropology
The diversity and variation of Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene species of early humans in southern Africa has been characterized based on the fossil evidence alone – until recently, with the emergence of paleoproteomics, the study of ancient proteins.
Dr. Palesa Madupe, postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, will present recent paleoproteomic research based on dental enamel proteins extracted from specimens of Homo naledi, Paranthropus robustus, and Australopithecus africanus.
Moderator: Dr. Briana Pobiner, paleoanthropologist and educator at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
This program is part of the ongoing HOT (Human Origins Today) Topics series and will be presented as a Zoom video webinar. A link will be emailed to all registrants. Image caption: SK-48, a Paranthropus robustus fossil from Swartkrans, South Africa, Image credit: Smithsonian Human Origins Program.
Event Location: Online; Internet connection required. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/34567475/paleoproteomics-in-paleoanthropology-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: Captioning.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com.