Do you see that girl in the photo below? The first row, far left in a pinkish coat? Well, that is me, circa 1987 or so, getting ready to partake in one of the highlights of my youth - the annual "Camp-In" at a museum in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Those people around me are my fellow members of Troop 531 and while their faces may not show it, we all looked forward to this night.
The memories I made decades ago from sleeping over at the museum have stayed with me into adulthood and have helped me decide what experiences I want to give my own children as they grow up. So when the Field Museum asked me if I would like to join them for a "Dozin' with the Dinos" event this year, I did not hesitate to say YES!
Okay, well, I may have hesitated for a moment because we did have to figure out who would stay home with our own dinosaur (the 14+-year-old dog) while the rest of us got to sleep surrounded by the dinosaurs in the museum, but thankfully my husband offered to stay home with the dog, which meant the kids and I got to invite one of our favorite friends to the museum with us!
I was a little skeptical of how the experience would compare to the ones of my youth, but not only did the "Dozin' with the Dinos" experience meet my memory-formed expectations, but it surpassed them - by A LOT!
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| THE BASICS |
What is Dozin' with the Dinos? It is a unique opportunity for your family to spend the night AT the Field Museum. That's right! You can have your own "Night at the Museum" by participating in one of the most popular events hosted by a Chicago museum.
During the event, you have the opportunity to meet scientists and join in activities like dissecting owl pellets and drawing specimens. Enjoy a self-guided scavenger hunt of popular exhibitions in the dark and hear the stories behind the science. It has been a long time since "Dozin' with the Dinos" has been available due to COVID restrictions but when we checked in the excitement was buzzing all around us! No fewer than 5 employees mentioned how long they had been waiting for "Dozin' with the Dinos" to return within the first thirty minutes we were there and that was the first indication that we were in for a fun night. If the employees are excited to spend the night at their workplace then it MUST be a good time.
And it was.
In fact, according to my kids, it was one of the best things we have EVER done and I can't help but agree!
When is Dozin' with the Dinos? There are more opportunities currently scheduled for you to experience "Dozin' with the Dinos" and tickets are available online at www.fieldmuseum.org/overnights. If you have a membership, please be sure to sign in before ordering tickets so you can take advantage of the member discount. You can select from three different tickets options:
- STANDARD which includes a sleeping area on the main level of the museum
- PREMIUM which includes a sleeping area on the upper level of the museum, in the Genius Hall of Dinosaurs inside the Evolving Planet exhibit
And if your family/group is fewer than 15 people you can select the
- TOUR option which includes sleeping accommodations in the Genius Hall of Dinosaurs and a guided behind the scenes tour with a Field Museum scientist (recommended for ages 9 and up)
Our family was extended "PREMIUM" tickets from the Field Museum and the next day we all said that we wished we had upgraded to the "TOUR" tickets. I think we all would have really enjoyed it, even my youngest who is six. It is something I will explore for a future "Dozin" experience (and yes, we want to do it again!)
Arriving at the Field Museum
Your tickets for "Dozin' with the Dinos" include overnight parking (5:00 PM to 9:00 AM) at the Soldier Field North Lot, which is directly across from the South Entrance of the museum.
| TIP: Arrive as early as possible if you have a particular sleeping spot in mind! |
Checking in for your overnight experience begins at 5:30 inside of the museum's South Entrance and if you have PREMIUM or TOUR tickets I recommend getting there as early as possible to check in with your family.
We were checked in and heading to the Genius Hall of Dinosaurs to pick a sleeping spot by 5:40 PM, but all of the nooks in the dinosaur hall were claimed, so we settled on a spot just around the corner in the Evolving Planet area. Yes, we initially felt disappointed but we forgot that feeling quickly, I promise!
Side note: The SUE exhibit is not an option for sleeping. Rumor has it is that SUE snores so she doesn't do sleepovers, but she loves having the overnight visitors stop by before turning in for the night!
Okay, once you arrive and have dropped off your gear in a sleeping spot the museum is open to exploring, but our stomachs had other ideas about what to do first.
We had a busy day before heading to "Dozin' with the Dinos" with a lot of moving parts and I really wished I had carved out time for a heavy snack or dinner before we left the house. The good news is that the Field Museum includes an "Evening Snack" with each Dozin' with the Dinos ticket! We walked into the Siragusa Center expecting water, coffee, and maybe an apple or granola bar, but we were definitely delighted to discover that the Field Museum's idea of a snack was half of a sandwich, fruit, cookie, and juice box. Plus, those vending machines were ready to dispense out all the snacks your stomach desired. This leads me to some great tips about food:
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Once our stomachs were satisfied, my kids made a beeline for the Wild Color exhibit which totally immerses you into a rainbow while you learn how nature uses colors in different ways. From there my crew didn't even have to debate about where to go next. It was straight to the Grainger Science Hub which is hands-down one of our favorite spots at the Field Museum because it provides opportunities to talk with an educator and get up close with specimens that are normally locked away. My kids LOVE this experience every time we visit and the collection rotates, so we are always getting to learn and experience something new.
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After leaving the Grainger Science Hub we rotated around the main level which had been set up for the Science Showcase. I am anticipating that there may be some differences in the experiences you have at the Showcase, depending on when you visit, but I do suspect that you and your kids will have the same "AHA!" moment we had after the second or third station, and that is that the Stanley Field Hall had been transformed into a larger version of the Grainger Science Hub! Here you go from various areas each staffed with knowledgeable educators and hands-on experiences. At one point my youngest just stood there looking around before she tossed back her head, raised her arms, and said loudly "THIS IS AMAZING!"
A definite highlight for all of us was the owl pellet station and the one we missed out on seeing was the station about Mummies, but that was a choice we made so we could take in the 3D movie experience happening on the Ground Level. And it was a good choice because the 20(ish) minute movie was a great balance of education and entertainment. After the movie, I made the executive decision to stop and get some water (and coffee) before heading back upstairs. While we sat and calibrated our hydration and caffeine levels - we realized that it was only 8:30 PM and we had already done so much! My youngest was also telling us that she was getting a little sleepy, which was my signal to let the kids have a little sugar to help them through the next few hours until it was lights out and bedtime.
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The sugar infusion worked because the next thing I know we were heading back up the stairs to the Upper Level to get our sleeping area set up, put on our jammies, and recharge before the final evening activities. While I charged my phone we dug out our flashlights and took turns trying to tell slightly spooky stories, but ours all came out more silly than scary. No worries though, you will be treated to an amazing storytime during "Dozin' with the Dinos" with the help of an award-winning storyteller!
Once we had recharged we were now strolling through the Field Museum at night in our jammies! We still had about an hour before the lights went out in the halls so we picked up a fun photo scavenger hunt and went exploring, spending a lot of time in the Hall of Birds, Nature Walk, and Mammals area. By 10:15 or so we had made our way to the Lions of Tsavo and found ourselves with front row seats for storytime with Scott Whitehair (Story Lab Chicago). That was hands-down one of the best storytimes I have ever attended and I may be a super fan now. It was unbelievably entertaining, moving us just to the edges of suspense before we were brought back to a sense of calm and to the reality that we were sitting in our jammies in one of the greatest natural history museums.
Now it was late, the sugar and caffeine infusion was wearing off, and it was not long until the official bedtime of midnight, so we made our way back to our sleeping area. We were all out in a matter of minutes, possibly even before the clock struck twelve.
| THE NEXT DAY |
We all slept like rocks until around 6:00 AM, which is our usual wake-up time, even on the weekends. We made our way back down to the Siragusa Center where we found a breakfast set up of bagels, muffins, fruit, milk, juice, and coffee. After breakfast, you have to clean up your sleeping area and move your car from the lot by a certain time, but you are able to re-park your car (not included) and come back to the museum. The "Dozin' with the Dinos" tickets do include admission for the following day to take in more of what the Field Museum has to offer.
Due to a morning baseball practice on our schedule, we didn't get the opportunity to stay later at the museum. If we had then we would have made it to the mummies the night before and saved the 3D movie for the next day perhaps. We were sad for the experience to end and we all talked about our highlights from the experience on the drive to baseball.
Our list of unanimous highlights includes:
- Owl Pellet Lab
- Science Hub
- Texting Maximo
- Storytime
- WE GOT TO SLEEP IN THE FIELD MUSEUM!!!
It was an epic experience and one I am so thankful we did. "Dozin' with the Dinos" is truly a unique camp-in experience for families and as my son hinted it would be a "really cool birthday gift or party".
Here are some additional tips to help you plan for your own evening at"Dozin' with the Dinos":
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I couldn't put every little detail of our experience here for you, not only would it ruin some of the joy and surprise you will get from your own "Dozin' with the Dinos" evening, but it would be REALLY long because we did an incredible amount of things in one evening. It was amazing, ten times better than what I expected and I would definitely do it again! Here is a little more of our night for you to see:
| MORE QUESTIONS? |
If you read through this and still have a question, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at sarayaniga@macaronikid.com, I am always happy to share our personal experience in more detail with other families. The Field Museum is great to communicate with for specific details and you can also reach them at overnights@fieldmuseum.org
