Earlier this winter at the American Museum of Natural History, 400 people rolled out sleeping bags and settled in for an overnight snooze smack dab in the middle of its expansive Hall of Ocean Life. And if it wasn't an unforgettable learning experience, it was definitely a great deal on Manhattan accommodations.
The evening marked the kickoff of the museum's sleepover program -- resurrected after a 20-year hiatus -- which encourages families with children aged eight to 12 to fork over about $90 a person to spend the night at the museum (compared with $400 for a night at many of the upscale district's luxury hotels).
"Where else are you going to get 14 hours of programming, a snack at night, breakfast and a movie for that kind of cost?" asks Brad Harris, senior director of visitor services at the museum, and a transplanted Torontonian who spearheaded the program. "And you get to sleep under the blue whale."
Granted, even the dingiest New York lodgings offer more than a sleeping bag on the floor, but Harris has a point. Particularly since Night at the Museum landed in theatres over the Christmas holidays, sleeping overnight at a museum has become a hot ticket for families looking for a uniquely educational, yet entertaining, night on the town.
Although the American Museum of Natural History now offers 14 sleepovers a year, most spring dates are already sold out. (For more information, call 212-769-5100 or visit http://www.amnh.org.) But a plethora of other museums, zoos and other family-friendly places around the world run similar sleepover programs themed to reflect their collections, from sharks and Egyptian mummies to the Big Bang.
Field Museum, Chicago
When Harris of the American Museum of Natural History wanted to know how to run a museum sleepover program, he turned to Chicago's Field Museum for advice. After all, the museum has been running its program for ages and accepts up to 700 people at a time. Even with so many spaces available, however, most March evenings are sold out. Plan your trip for March 30, April 6 or May 4 instead, and spend the night dozing with dinosaurs. Explore ancient Egypt by flashlight or prowl African savannah with man-eating lions. Non-members pay $55 and get an evening snack and breakfast. It's open to families with children aged 6 to 12.
For more information, call 312-922-9410 or visit fieldmuseum.org.
Vancouver Aquarium
Another organization with a long history of offering sleepovers -- it celebrated its program's 20th anniversary on New Year's Eve -- is the Vancouver Aquarium, which offers seven public sleepovers a year. It just wrapped up an adult-only Valentine program on Feb. 10 that saw 74 grownups, from as far away as Germany, spend the night with their honey and a glass of wine. They were also treated to a "sushi 101" cooking class while being watched by the aquarium's gilled -- and possibly alarmed -- inhabitants. "Of course, we wanted to make sure that everybody knew we weren't using any of our own fish," says Sue Murray, administrator of sleepovers with the aquarium.
The most popular sleepover, however, runs over March break for kids with moms and dads in tow. This year, for $100, they'll get to check out the tanks and watch a shark get dissected. So far the aquarium's got four specimens from the U.S. Department of Fisheries ready to go under the knife. Kids love this part, Murray says. Parents are a little more squeamish.
For more information, call 604-659-3552 or visit http://www.vanaqua.org.
Ontario Science Centre, Toronto
If you're planning a trip to Toronto, you've got one shot at a sleepover at the Ontario Science Centre each year that's open to everyone. The majority of the institution's sleepovers are for groups of Brownies, Guides and Scouts working toward badges. This year, the public are welcome on May 5 to explore chemistry by getting hands-on with stuff that fizzes, pops, glows and changes colour. Then it's off to an Imax film about bugs. "You can watch a movie at home, but you can't bring dry ice home," says Hanadie Chebib, the co-ordinator of education marketing and promotions, of the program's appeal.
For $49, the centre also feeds you pancakes for breakfast and the next day's admission is free. Glow sticks are included for late-night trips to the bathroom with a six-year-old.
For more information, call 416-696-3256 or visit http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca.
San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park
If getting up close and personal with wildlife is more your kids' thing, a trip to the San Diego Zoo for its "Beastly Bedtime" and "Roar and Snore" sleepovers might be in order. The former is designed for families with children between the ages of 4 and 7. Expect behind-the-scenes tours, handlers bringing out aardvarks on leashes, and bunking down in tents that rank from basic to downright luxurious. (Think water resistant windows, a queen-sized platform bed, compact refrigerator, heater and souvenir gift baskets.) A night in a premium tent starts at $150 per child and $225 per adult.
For more information, call 619-718-3000 or visit sandiegozoo.org.
Battleship New Jersey, Pa.
Live like a sailor -- at least for a night -- on the Battleship New Jersey, a floating naval museum on the Camden waterfront across from Center City Philadelphia. The battleship is nearly three football fields long and 11 storeys high. If that doesn't awe your brood, maybe the 40 centimetres guns designed to hit targets nearly 37 kilometres away will.
At 1700 hours, up to 300 people come aboard to stow their gear in a sailor's locker, chow down in the crew's mess, sleep in bunks and buy a personalized dog tag to take home. Adults must accompany kids aged 7 to 17, so if this kind of sleepover floats your boat, but you live a child-free existence, maybe it's time to treat those nieces and nephews. Reservations must be made three weeks in advance. It costs $59.
For more information, call 1-866-877-6262, ext. 203; or visit http://www.battleshipnewjersey.org.
Fundy Geological Museum, N.S.
Not only big, urban museums are getting in on the sleepover action. Smaller organizations are trying it out, too. Although the whole museum could fit inside the Royal Ontario Museum's old dinosaur hall, the Fundy Geological Museum is inviting local kids and others to sleep between its dinosaur bones and gem stones. Participants can also opt for a trip to the local movie theatre to watch (what else?) Night at the Museum, before packing it in for the night. Boy's night is March 9 and girls rule the roost on March 10. It's $10 a person. Adult volunteer chaperones get a reduced rate (and a medal for bravery).
For more information, call 1-866-856-3466 or visit museum.gov.ns.ca.
29