1. American Museum of Natural History, New York
"A Night at the Museum" takes kids through the dimmed halls of New York's famed American Museum of Natural History and its towering dinosaurs, 94-foot-long blue whale and herds of buffalo. The after-hours sleepover begins at 5:45 p.m. and runs until 9 a.m. for kids ages 7 to 13 and their parents. Admission, $129 regular priced and discounted for Scouts and members, includes a live animal exhibition, fossil fact-finding mission by flashlight, and either an IMAX or planetarium show, as well as an evening snack and light breakfast. Cots are provided but kids need sleeping bags, pillows and flashlights of their own. Sleepovers are held on random Friday and Saturday nights through October. Visit the museum's website for more information.
2. Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Plenty of scientific adventures can be experienced overnight during themed sleepovers held monthly. October's Spooky Science Sleepover guarantees to "make your hair stand on end -- literally," and December's Polar Express Sleepover will get your family in the holiday spirit. Or join in CSI (Carnegie Science Investigators) Sleepovers for a crime-solving-infused night. Sleepovers include live shows, an Imax film, theme-related activities, and free time to explore the museum exhibits. Late-night snacks and breakfast is included, as well. Bring a sleeping bag and a pillow. Sleepovers begin at 6 p.m. and end at 9:30 a.m., with more time to explore the exhibits during the day. The cost per person is $35, which includes general admission for the next day. Visit the museum's website for more information.
3. Field Museum, Chicago
The Field's resident T-Rex, Sue, welcomes families in August and October for the 10th anniversary of its "Dozin" with the Dinos' sleepovers at the museum. Guests of the popular Chicago museum will excavate fossils examine Sue bones, and spread out their sleeping bags near the Field's most popular exhibits. Premium family packages reserve sleeping spots in the Evolving Planet exhibition and provide behind-the-scenes guided tours, starting at $75 per person. Programs begin at 5:45 p.m. and end the next day at 9 a.m. Visit the museum's website for more information.
4. Higgins Armory Museum, Worchester, MA
Does your child romanticize about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table? Consider a visit to this museum just an hour from Boston focused entirely on the history of arms and armor from Medieval and Renaissance Europe, ancient Greece and Rome, and Feudal Japan. The "OverKnight" program gives kids in 1st through 6th grades and their parents a chance to experience evenings in the Middle Ages. Beginning at 5:30 p.m. and running until 9 a.m., families will have either a pizza party or Medieval-style banquet before receiving special presentations about being a Knight. From heraldry lessons to shield workshops to chivalry scavenger hunts to the final after-breakfast Knighting Ceremony, there will plenty of excitement. The sleepovers are designed for up to 60 knights, which has be arranged together. Kids need to bring sleeping bags but dinner, snacks and breakfast is included for $45 to $50 per person, depending on dinner options. The programs are held on random Friday and Saturday nights through the beginning of October. Visit the museum's website for more information.
5. Museum of Science, Boston
Groups of 10 or more are invited to join in Boston's science museum's overnights, where kids from 1st to 7th grade and their parents will sleep beneath the watchful gaze of its T-Rex. Programs include science activities and demonstrations, a planetarium show, IMAX show and a Theater of Electricity Lightning! presentation, and kids will have a chance to explore the museum in the dark. The programs begin at 6:45 p.m. (with check-in from 5 to 6:30 p.m.) and ends at 11 a.m. and include snacks and breakfast for $50 per person. Sleepovers take place on select Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through mid-June. Visit the museum's website for more information.
6. Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
Groups of 10 children ages 7 to 12 and their parents can visit the Chicago science's museums' "Science Snoozeums" and sleep beneath a 727, near a giant heart or beside a toy-making factory. For $45 per person, guests can explore the museum and catch an Imax film (for an additional but reduced cost). Programs begin at 5:30 p.m. and end at 8:30 a.m. and include snacks and breakfast. One parent for every five children must chaperone the sleepover. Dinner is available for purchase at the museum's Brain Food Court. Visit the museum's website for more information.
7. National Aquarium, Baltimore, MD
Kids 8 and up are invited to a "Sleepover with the Sharks" at the Baltimore aquarium, running through mid-September. Families can see just how active the sharks become at night, while enjoying behind-the-scene areas and taking part in hands-on crafts and activities in the Shark Discovery Lab. Unroll your sleeping bag and sleep in the underwater viewing area and watch the wildlife glide by as you drift into sleep. The program begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 9 a.m. and includes aquarium admission, a visit to the 4-D Immersion Theater and reserved seating at "Our Ocean Planet: The New Dolphin Show." Dinner and breakfast are also provided. Admission is $94.95 for adults and children, with discounts for members and groups of 15 or more. Visit the museum's website for more information.
8. Natural History Museum, Los Angeles
Join the museum's "Overnight Adventures" for a fun-filled night with a number of programs. Families are invited to join its "Camp Boo and Goo" family overnight for a flashlight tour of the La Brea Tar Pits with sticky goo crafts and live bug meet-and-greets. Groups of 10 or more can select from "Camp Dino," "Camp Archaeology," "Camp Goo," "Camp Tar Pits" and "Camp Butterfly Dreams" overnights running through the end of the year for $46 per person. Meals are not provided in the price of the Los Angeles overnights that begin at 7 p.m. and end at 9 a.m., but families receive free admission to the museum during the daylight hours, as well. Bring sleeping bags and flashlights. Family Overnights are available for groups of less than 10 people for $75 per person. These nights include a casual dinner and light breakfast. Visit the museum's website for more information.
9. Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C.
Okay, so maybe you cannot overnight in a Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C., like Ben Stiller, but the Smithsonian zoo welcomes families for sleepovers through September. The "Snore and Roar" overnights for children 6 and up and their parents include a two-hour Zookeeper-led exploration, a late-night flashlight hike through the zoo, and breakfast paired with a morning activity. Guests also get a four-person tent provided by the Friends of the Zoo (FONZ) on Lion/Tiger Hill. The sleepovers, which begin at 6 p.m. and end at 9 a.m., are for Scouts or FONZ members only, which begin at $45 per person, plus the $65 per person overnight program fee that covers most tours. At least one adult must accompany every three children at the sleepovers, and a maximum of six people may register together. Visit the museum's website for more information.
10. Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Manitowoc, WI
Join the Navy for a night and spend the night aboard the USS Cobia, a World War II submarine that participated at the Battle at Iwo Jima. The family overnights are offered in July and August, with programs beginning at 7:30 p.m. Families receive a guided tour of the sub, overnight accommodations in the submarine's bunks and next-day admission to the museum. Don't forget to bring your sleeping bag and pillow! Overnights are $39 per person, not including snacks and meals. Most sleepover events are held on a Friday or Saturday. Visit the museum's website for more information.
For more family fun, check out:
