Houston's Museum of Natural Science // The Holocaust Museum

We are slowly starting to conquer all the museums around Houston. With my first weekend off in months, and free tickets given to us by a friend it was finally time to hit up one of the last on the list, The Museum of Natural Science. Word on the street is that this is THE museum to hit up when visiting the Houston area, located near Herman Park, this massive institution houses all sorts of exhibitions including: Cullen Hall of Gems, Ancient Egypt, Prehistoric Safari, and Texas Wildlife.

We've been putting this one off because it's on the pricey side - $20 for adult ticket ($17 for students) and $10 for parking plus you have to pay extra to get into special exhibitions within the museum but it would definitely provide you with enough entertainment for the day.

For more information you can view their website HERE.

We started from the bottom floor and worked out way up, our first stop was a mock space center which you could tell was installed in the early 80s (that was part of the charm for me though). We then explored the Hall of Chemistry!!

My favorite portion of the museum by far was the Paleontology displays filled with fossils, prehistoric trees, and other fascinating specimens. Dinosaurs have been a fascination of mine since I was little so this part was super nostalgic for me.

The Cullen Hall of Gems was probably my next favorite, it was filled with rocks and minerals most of which I had never seen or heard of before, there was also a special area that highlighted rare gems like the ones below (can you imagine how heavy these babies are to wear?!)

Side note - here are some shots of the Holocaust Museum, while it's not that big it has some amazing content including testimonials from survivors that now reside in Houston as well as an actual German train car that was believed to be used in the transportation of prisoners and a Danish fishing boat used to smuggle people to safety. While you aren't allowed to take pictures inside, you are allowed to take pictures of the outdoor monuments. College students get free admission and there is also an audio tour available for your cell phone as well as a personalized tour that runs every hour - be prepared for all the feels, especially if you watch the testimonial video at the end.