Underwater Worlds

Have you ever wondered what lurked beneath the surface of oceans, rivers, and streams during the age of dinosaurs? At NHMU's ninth-annual DinoFest on January 25-26, 2025, we will explore these Underwater Worlds and examine how dinosaurs interacted with them.

We’ll be joined by a lineup of world-class paleontologists who specialize in the diverse creatures that lived underwater alongside dinosaurs, including ichthysaurs, plesiosaurs, crocodilians, turtles, and fish. These experts will offer DinoFest guests a rare, insider look at the latest and most groundbreaking discoveries from the world of paleontology.

DinoFest guests will also enjoy special access to the Paleo Preparation Lab and Paleontology Collections to get up close with incredible fossils. And community partners in the Museum's Canyon will highlight the region's many dinosaur research and educational communities.

See individual event pages below for Saturday and Sunday speaker schedules. 

Don’t delay, prebook your tickets in advance of NHMU’s most popular weekend event!

About DinoFest

NHMU premiered DinoFest in 2017 and it immediately became one of NHMU's most popular events, drawing record-breaking attendance on its opening weekend. While the festival celebrates all things dinosaurs, an emphasis is placed on Utah's dinosaur discoveries which fill the Museum here in Salt Lake City. Special access is given to the paleontology collections and prep lab, and many community partners and activities fill the Museum. DinoFest is anchored by expert lectures presented by NHMU and visiting paleontologists from around the world, who explore a different theme each year. Learn more about DinoFest through the ages. 

About Behind the Scenes

NHMU's collections are home to nearly 2 million objects held in stewardship for the people of Utah. From massive fossils to tiny fungi, delicate pottery to thousands of preserved insects, the Museum's collections are a vast and growing record of natural history in Utah and beyond. 

With consideration for preservation and research, much of the collections are off limits to Museum guests. However, come one special weekend in November, the collections doors open for guests to explore this immense cabinet of curiosities during Behind the Scenes.

It's a rare chance to see first-hand what wonders the Museum holds, and also learn from scientists about what these collections can tell us of Utah's past, present, and future.

Each of the 2 million objects is a record of a moment in time. This is why our theme in 2023 is Stories of Change. Click the event links below to learn more about what you'll discover each day at this year's Behind the Scenes. 

Thank You!

Thanks to everyone who made the 2024 Indigenous Art Market a big success: our artists, dancers, musicians, staff, and guests. We'll update this webpage with details for the 2025 market when available. 

NHMU's annual Indigenous Art Market draws top Native American artists from around the country to the Museum in Salt Lake City where they show and sell fine jewelry, pottery, sculptures, carvings, kachinas, paintings, weavings, beadwork, sand paintings, and more. 

The market is included with museum admission, and all proceeds from sales stay with the artists. The market also features artist talks, dance performances, an ethnography collections showcase, and food vendors. 

About NHMU's Indigenous Art Market

Since 2013, NHMU has hosted an annual Indigenous Art Market that attracts some of the country’s most talented Native American artists to Salt Lake City. More than 25 tribes have been represented over the years, bringing a wonderful diversity of traditional and contemporary Native American art that is available for purchase. Visitors can shop one-of-a-kind jewelry, pottery, sculptures, paintings, beadwork, weavings, and much more—all while learning about tribal traditions from artists working to preserve them. Every year, 100 percent of sales from NHMU's Indigenous Art Market go directly to the artists. 

* NHMU/University of Utah (“NHMU”) are not responsible for any sales. All sales are negotiated directly with the artist, who is operating independently from NHMU.

Tribal Member Discount

Guests enrolled with a federally or state recognized tribe in the United States of America, including any children in their household, are eligible for free admission to NHMU and the market. Redemption of this discount requires presentation of a tribal enrollment card or tribal ID at the time of visit. 

Tribal members may also request a visit to the anthropology collections at NHMU. We welcome and encourage tribal nations to use the collections. Please email requests to the anthropology collections manager at least two weeks in advance. 

Thanks to everyone who made BUGfest 2024 such a smashing success. The festival will return in August 2025, which gives you plenty of time to attend DinoFest or one of our other festivals at the Museum!

While there are approximately 6,400 described species of mammals on planet Earth, it is estimated that there are more than 1.3 million species of invertebrates!* This incredible fact was enough reason for NHMU to develop BUGfest, an annual celebration as big as its subjects are small.

For one weekend a year, BUGfest brings together invertebrate experts, educators, and enthusiasts for a a celebration packed with fun programming, collections showcases, live insect interactions, informative lectures, and even a BUGbar. All with the goal of helping bug fans and the fearful gain a greater appreciation for the wonderfully diverse and fundamentally important world of insects and other invertebrates. 

Follow the event links below to see the schedule of events for each day of the festival including lineups of expert speakers! 

BUGfest and all our major festivals are free to attend for Museum Members. Click here to learn more about the many benefits of Museum Membership, like free admission all year long. 

* Estimates are not fixed and actual numbers of both invertebrate and mammal species could be much higher due to the vast diversity life on our planet. 

NHMU’s Scientist in the Spotlight program is held at the Museum twice a month.
Local scientists share their research with museum visitors in an informal, open
house format using conversation, pictures, microscopes, specimens, tools, hands-on
activities, and demonstrations.

This program is included with Museum admission. Start planning your visit here.

NHMU's expert educators are sharing fascinating fossils, wacky Utah wildlife, and more from our Mobile Museum at a park near you! Ignite curiosity in the world around you during these free events. Our Mobile Museum will be in a different location every week - so be sure to mark your calendar when we will be near you.

For more information and additional events like these, please email our Community Programs Manager at the Natural History Museum of Utah.

Also check out our traveling exhibition, Traveling Treasures, hosted in partnership with Zions Bank and coming to a community near you soon!

Behind the Scenes: Plagues & Pestilence took place at the Museum in November 2021, when we hosted four separate meet-and-greets between NHMU scientists and Museum guests. These highly personal opportunities offered guests a chance to chat with experts in the fields of paleontology, anthropology, archaeology, and vertebrate zoology, and provided up-close interactions with rarely seen objects from the collections. 

Prior to each in-person presentation, NHMU's Eliza Peterson met with the scientists to discuss their areas of expertise on camera to share with NHMU's YouTube subscribers. Watch the videos below and be sure to subscribe to NHMU on YouTube to be alerted of the latest video content from the Museum. 

Extinction of the Megafauna

Anthropologist Dr. Tyler Faith explores the death of the megafauna at the end of the Pleistocene, including the potential cause of hyper-disease.

Mammals, Parasites, and Pathogens

Mammalogist Katrina Derieg explores how natural history collections may be the key to predicting and preventing the next outbreak of a novel disease.

Paleopathologies

Paleontologists Dr. Randy Irmis and Carrie Levitt-Bussian discuss paleopathologies while displaying fossilized bones that show evidence of infections, diseases, and re-healed breaks.

Masks

Anthropologist Dr. Alex Greenwald discusses masks created by Indigenous peoples of North America.

You can also check out Behind the Scenes Reimagined for loads of online content exploring NHMU's collections. And, Bookmark Behind the Scenes to keep up to date on when this event will take place again at the Museum.

Celebrate Your Child's Birthday at the Museum

Science-themed birthday parties for kids turning 5–10 years old held in our private party rooms allows party guests to enjoy the hands-on activities as well as our galleries and exhibits. Plus, it's cool for the kids and easy for you! Let US take care of the details while you and your guests experience a truly memorable event.

Birthday Party dates book quickly! Call us at 801-213-3605 and leave a voicemail or send an email to programs@nhmu.utah.edu to reserve your date and time. 

Please Note: We are currently booked through the new year. Happy Holidays! 

We recommend booking at least 3 weeks in advance, if not sooner. 

Please read on and see the amazing themes we have to offer!

Themes for rising 5 - 7 year olds:

Dinosaur Detectives 

No bones about it, this is a great party for dinosaur lovers! Learn more about these amazing creatures while making fossil impressions, creating a dino headband, painting a dino skins, and excavating a mini-quarry. Plus, participants will tour aspects of our Past Worlds gallery.

Bug-tacular Birthday

Do you have a budding entomologist in the family? Join us to discover the amazing world of insects and worms. We'll investigate their amazing variety and importance while creating critter-inspired art and building a habitat for their pet worm that kids get to take home! Plus, visit with our educational invertebrate collection.

Art + Science

This amazing hands-on party builds on your child's natural curiosity as they explore art and science concepts. We'll paint with bubbles, create 'stained' glass, make fingerprint creations, and explore the magic of milk!

Themes for rising 8 - 10 year olds:

Science Lab 

Unleash the scientist in your child! Our Science Lab party is bubbling over with fizzing and oozing hands-on chemistry fun. Participants will create slime, experiment with dry ice, erupt elephant toothpaste, and more! Test our hypothesis that your scientists will have a blast at this party. 

Invertebrate Invasion!

Invertebrates make up roughly 97% of all animal species on Earth and range in diversity from spiders and centipedes to insects and worms. Join us as we explore several of these amazing critters by designing our own insects, pinning faux bugs, creating spider webs, and comparing and contrasting earthworms and mealworms. Plus, visit with our educational invertebrate collection.

Just Shocking!

You'll be shocked at how awesome this party is as we explore circuits and electricity! Participants will create simple circuits and paper circuits, make LED light wands and sabers, and we'll end the party putting all that knowledge together as we construct a group Bristle Bot!

Birthday Party dates book quickly! Request your party date today! Call us at 801-213-3605 or email to programs@nhmu.utah.edu to reserve your date and time. 

Birthday Party Planning Details

When are Birthday Parties offered? 

• Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00am - 11:45am and from 1:00pm - 2:45pm
• Due to our award-winning summer camp programming, we do not offer birthday parties June-August

What's Included

• Personalized electronic invitations
• 60 minute reservation in our Party Room with an additional 40 minutes in our Community Room for cake and refreshments (both spaces are colorfully decorated and reserved for your program)
• Dedicated Party Staff to facilitate the science activity portion of your program to ensure your party is a success
• 20 day-of general admission passes to the Museum  
• Colorful tablecloths, plates, cups, napkins, and utensils (Refreshments not provided) 
• A fun, party-themed backdrop for your photos
• Age-appropriate hands-on activities 
• Goodie bag for each child-guest (See below for add-ons to our goodie bags)

Cost and Other Info 

• Cost: $300 (Museum Members receive a discount).
• Party Size: Up to 15 child-guests and up to 5 adult-guests, including the birthday child and family.
  • While additional adults can be included, we have a strict 15 child limit. 
• We require at least 2 (non-staff) adults per party.
•  20 day-of Museum passes (a value of over $300!) are included.
• NHMU Members at the Family level and above receive a 10% discount on the party package 

Flexi-Friends!

Enhance Your Goodie Bag with Our Flexi-Friends!

• Flexi-Friend Packages include a large scale 3-D Flexi for the Birthday Child and up to 15 small scale 3-D Flexis for your child-guests. All Flexis must be the same color and type.
• Cost: $30/party (Museum Members receive a discount).
• Flexi-Friend options to choose from: T-rex, Raptor, Ceratopsian, Pterodactyl, Parasaurolophus, Sauropod, Trilobite, Slug, Ant, or Orca.
  • Color option: red, yellow, green, blue, or purple

What Do Parents Say?

• "The Flexi-Friends we purchased were a HUGE hit with all of our guests! Such a great addition to the gift bags."
• "The birthday party staff were fantastic...knowledgeable and great with the kids. Totally worth the price!"
• "The staff were extremely engaging and kept the activities moving at a perfect pace for the age of the kids. It was fantastic."
• "So stress-free and fun. The kids and adults all loved it."
• "[My children] each came home excited about the things they learned. They talked all day about it--to me and to each other. They were proud of their experiments. It was a wonderful experience for everyone."
• "It was like Disney magic, but for science!"

Make a Reservation

We highly recommend scheduling your birthday party at least three weeks in advance or as early a possible. 

Request your party date today! Call 801-213-3605 or email to programs@nhmu.utah.edu.

Payment, Transfers & Cancellations

Party fee is due at the time of booking. The Museum accepts all major credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, American Express & Discover). 

Cancellations received at least two weeks prior to the scheduled party date will receive a refund, less $20 administration fee.

Transfer requests received at least two weeks prior to the scheduled party date will be accepted if the newly requested date/time is available. There will be a $20 to move the date/time. 

No transfers will be allowed or refunds given if made less than two weeks prior to the party date.

Outside Birthday Parties

Organized birthday parties are not allowed on the Museum grounds unless part of the Museum's Birthday Party program, which must be reserved in advance.

View the Museum Visitor Information & Policies

Joining the fun is as easy as taking a photo! 

Nature is all around us in Northern Utah, and we need your help to photograph it during the City Nature Challenge! This 4-day annual event encourages people to find and photograph plants and wildlife in their own cities using iNaturalist. We call our local city Utah's Wasatch (a combination of Box Elder, Cache, Davis, Salt Lake, Summit, Utah, Wasatch, and Weber Counties). As one of over 900 participating cities in 2024, Utah's Wasatch made over 9,100 observations during the CNC, contributing to over 2 million observations made around the world! How many iNaturalist observations can we make in 2025? 

-The City Nature Challenge will be back April 25-28, 2025!- 

Here's how to take part:

Take Photos of Wild Things April 25-28, 2025

• This includes ANY plants, animals, fungi, etc. that you see in Box Elder, Cache, Davis, Salt Lake, Summit, Utah, Wasatch, and Weber counties!
• The more photos we take, the more of Utah's biodiversity we record 

Add Photos to iNaturalist

• It's a free platform you can use on a phone or computer. Every observation made within our project boundaries will automatically count towards the 2025 CNC!
• Check out NHMU's iNaturalist tips

Stay Connected 

• See least year's iNaturalist page by visiting: City Nature Challenge 2024: Utah's Wasatch
• If you can, help ID observations made in the project

Continuing Education Resources 

• Discover local biodiversity and prepare for the 2024 Challenge with this City Nature Challenge Education Toolkit
• Video: Explore the global impact and legacy of the City Nature Challenge
• Stay Curious Utah lessons for students
• Video: NHMU iNaturalist MasterClass
• Video: Neighborhood Nature: Spring in Utah! Presentation with local biologists  
• Explore nature in and around your home
• City Nature Challenge FAQ's

Special thanks to local partners for 2024 City Nature Challenge: Utah's Wasatch 

What is Digital Transcription at NHMU?

For many years, the Natural History Museum of Utah captured scientific information using hand-written field journals, paper catalogues, film, glass negatives (from really old cameras), microscope slides, paper specimen labels, printing plates, and hand-draw illustrations.

However, with the recent explosion of technological advancements in digital cameras, handheld GPS units, 3-D scanners and modeling software, high-resolution flatbed scanners, genomic sequencing machines, and the ever-expanding internet, times have changed!  The museum now has a multitude of tools available to help digitize our collections.

Digital collections can be seen beyond the museum and in people’s homes and research institutions around the world. This provides an opportunity for everyone to learn how Utah has changed over time and to ask new research questions about Utah’s climate, biodiversity, fossil record, and past peoples.

We have 1.8 million objects in our collections, and if we’re going to digitize everything, we need your help!  No prior experience or special training is needed-- only your time and enthusiasm. 

Available Projects to Join

• Botany Expeditions
• Anthropology Expeditions
• Zoology Expeditions
• Learn about Paleontology Expeditions transcribed by staff and volunteers
• Learn about other ways to volunteer!

Step-by-Step Guide to Transcription

• Step 1: Create a Digivol Account: We use a website called Digivol to help transcribe handwritten documents. The first step to transcribing is to create a free digivol account, so you can access active NHMU projects.
   
• Step 2: Search for Utah: Once you have created an account click on the institution page and search for Utah.  There you will see the different projects we are working on. Currently, we are working on projects in Zoology, Paleontology, Anthropology, and Botany. You can also find links to these Digivol projects above. We'll be adding more projects in the future! 
   
• Step 3: Select Your Expedition: Within each department there are different expeditions that tell the stories of people like you who have contributed to our collections. Choose whichever expedition you find most interesting.
   
• Step 4: Transcribe: The next step is transcription, typing the words you see on the page into the correct spot on the screen. Each department will have it's own tutorial with information on where to type out different information.
   
• Step 5: Submit for Validation: Your transcription will be reviewed before becoming part of the online database. You've just contributed to virtual museum records! Thank you!    

If you have any questions or suggestions, please email our expedition leader, Alyson Wilkins.