Guided Tours
Guided tours at the North Museum will enhance your group's visit. Docents provide groups with valuable information about the museum's many halls and collections. They are trained to answer and encourage questions about exhibits.

The recommended length for your museum tour is 90 minutes and includes four exhibit areas. Tours can be customized to accommodate your group's needs. Shopping and planetarium shows require additional time. Please call the Education Office at 717-291-4371 to request a printed copy of this guide or to ask any questions about North Museum education resources or group visits.

Group Tour Pricing:

• Guided Tour = $6.50 each
  
• Guided Tour and one Planetarium show = $8.50 each Additional Planetarium shows = $3.50 each
  
• One free admission is given for ten (10) paid admissions.
  
• All groups of ten (10) or more persons must call to register. This will enable Museum staff to ensure that scheduling conflicts do not occur.

Reservations and Information
Please call 717-291-4371 for all group reservation information, outreach programs, loan kit reservations, and workshop information.

Have the following information ready to plan your tour:

• Preferred date of your visit and two alternate dates
• Number of students and chaperones
• Age or grade of students
• Time of arrival and departure
• Requested tour choices

Please Note:

• A minimum of 10 paying visitors is required for a guided tour.
• A minimum of 20 paying visitors is required for a specially requested planetarium show. Groups can be combined to meet this requirement.
• One free admission is given for 10 paid admissions.
• Prices in this guide may be subject to change.
• Museum membership does not apply on group visits.

Guided Tour Choices (A maximum of 4 choices is suggested)

• Live Animal Room
• Discovery Room
• Dinosaur Gallery
• Animal Adaptations Gallery
• Fluorescent Room
• Hall of the Cosmos
• Collections Hall
• Planetarium Shows (click here for show titles and durations) Planetarium Show Description
• Gallery Exhibit: Lewis & Clark (Available 2/17/03 )
• Mini Classes For Grades 1 - 5 Students experience specific hands-on activities on a topic.
  • Native Americans
  • Geology
  • Reptiles
• Technology Theater Programs For Grades 6 - 12 available September - February.
  Original programs developed by the North Museum staff to enhance understanding of our universe.
  • Comets
  • Planets
  • Milky Way

Shopping or Discovery Bags
Children can shop in the Northern Lights Gift Shop! Hundreds of science-related items are “kid-priced” so everyone can take home something special. For time saving convenience, pre-order our Discovery Bags for $2.00 or $3.00. Discovery bags must be ordered 2 weeks in advance. Call 291-3941 for details about these bags.

Planetarium Shows Available to Groups
For show descriptions please visit Planetarium Show Description Page
Explore with us the solar system from the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy to the most distant reaches of the observable universe! The North Museum Planetarium is the largest in central Pennsylvania and has recently been fully upgraded to better serve our visitors. In addition to the beautiful starfield, the planetarium projects panoramic, all-sky, and video imagery that helps students learn in a uniquely interactive environment.

Knowledgeable staff present programs that stimulate thought and answer students questions. Many of our programs satisfy specific Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Science. These include the fourth grade standards “reoccurring patterns in nature” (3.1.4C) and “the composition and structure of the universe and the Earth's place in it” (3.4.4D).