Smithsonian Sleepover at the Natural History Museum

Spend the night exploring museum galleries through games, challenges, and hands-on crafts. The adventure visits dinosaurs in the Fossil Hall, ocean life, pollinators, mammals, and other natural-history subjects before families settle down to sleep inside the museum.

Overnight schedule

• Check-in runs from 6:30–7 p.m.; the mandatory orientation starts at 7 p.m.
• The Game of Survival runs from 7:30–10:45 p.m., followed by bedtime preparation and lights out at 11:30 p.m.
• Lights come on at 7 a.m., when breakfast is served. The Family Store opens at 8 a.m., and departure is at 9 a.m.

Participation and tickets

Children must be ages 8–14 and accompanied by an adult chaperone age 21 or older. Groups need at least one adult for every five children, and adults may not attend without children. Advance purchase and a signed release are required; there are no door sales. Registration collects each participant’s name and each child’s age. The event is sold out, but registered Smithsonian Associates users may join the waitlist.