From programs for all ages to being your one-stop shop for unique science and nature-themed gifts, The Bishop offers it all this season! Check out our lineup below. For requests to cover an event or set up an interview, please email Martha Wells or call 941.374.0462. Please note our Holiday Hours: Closing at 1pm November 24 | Closed on November 25 | Closed December 24-26 | OPEN Monday December 27 | Closing at 1pm December 31 | Closed New Year’s Day | Half-price admission on November 24 & December 31. |
Shop and Support The Bishop on Museum Store Sunday! |
The Sunday after Thanksgiving is Museum Store Sunday, a day dedicated to highlighting the unique items curated by museum stores nationwide and encouraging the community to support these vital resources that foster the economic, educational and cultural vitality of their regions. By participating in Museum Store Sunday at The Bishop, shoppers help to sustain the Museum’s service to the community! The Bishop’s Museum Store is a go-to for special science and nature-related gifts and — in celebration of DinoVenture — the store has also stocked an array of dinosaur gifts for children of all ages this year! Members of The Bishop’s Discovery Society (at the Innovator level and above) also receive special discounts on purchases! Admission is not required to shop in The Bishop’sMuseum Store. |
Celestron Telescopes & Binoculars As one of only two astronomy showrooms in Florida, The Bishop’s Museum Store now offers Celestron telescopes and binoculars. An industry leader for more than 60 years, Celestron offers a variety of quality products for novice through advanced star gazers. Stop by to find the best fit for you! | Mini Building BlocksBuild colorful miniature animals — many of which are represented in Florida’s ecosystem. Animal options include West Indian manatees, sharks, American alligators and three different dinosaurs. Ages 7 and up. $10.99 |
Dig a Dinosaur SkeletonCalling all paleontologists at heart! Unearth dinosaur bones and recreate dinosaur fossils with this hands-on gift. Choose from Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex or Triceratops. Ages 8 and up. $17.99 | Dino-OpolyLearn about dinosaurs in this monopoly-like board game. Ages 8 and up. $24.95 |
PLUS: Museum Gifts that Keep on Giving |
Discovery Society MembershipShare all the WOW! moments and excitement of discovery through a gift of membership in the Discovery Society. Simply choose the gift option online as you checkout or stop by in person! BONUS: if you renew your own membership or purchase one as a gift before Dec. 31, 2021, you’ll receive two additional months of benefits for free! www.BishopScience.org/join | Dino Family Fun PassGive unlimited access to Dino Don’s DinoVenture with our new Dino Family Fun Pass! Just $150 provides unlimited access for up to four guests per visit to DinoVenture through March 18. Purchase online at www.BishopScience.org/plan-your-visit or stop by in person! |
December Programs and Events at The Bishop — Registration Required, Online at www.BishopScience.org/Events |
Go Inside the Making of Jurassic Park! |
In celebration of The Bishop’s DinoVenture experience, December’s think + drink / science will take guests inside the making of the Jurassic Park film and other media celebrations of dinosaurs. Presented by “Dino” Don Lessem, the dinosaur advisor for Steven Spielbrg’s Jurassic Park and creator of the animals in DinoVenture, “Jurassic Park: Fact or Fiction” is an audience-participation experience for all ages, featuring real fossils! Can we find dinosaur DNA? Bring dinosaurs back to life? Should we? How accurate are the movie depictions of dinosaurs? Known worldwide for his dinosaur expertise, Lessem has written more than 40 popular science books about dinosaurs, excavated and reconstructed skeletons of some of the largest dinosaurs that ever existed, and has a dinosaur — the Lessemsaurus, a sauropod — named for him. The Bishop’s DinoVenture experience, is open now through March 18. What: think + drink / science “Jurassic Park: Fact or Fiction” When/Where: At The Bishop, 201 10th St. W, Bradenton, 34205Cost: $5 for members of the Discovery Society; $8 for all others. |
Dec. 11, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Winterfest” at The BishopRoar in the season with dinosaurs when you join us in Dino Don’s DinoVenture experience in The Bishop’s Riverside Plaza for fun, games, and family friendly festivities. Included in the price of DinoVenture admission. Cost is $8 for members of the Discovery Society; all others pay $10. No registration required. | Dec. 11 & 18: 10:30 a.m.: KidSpace at The BishopJoin us in The Planetarium as we take off from the Earth’s surface and fly to places humans have never been. KidSpace is designed for grades 1-5 and their grown-ups, but everyone is welcome! Included in the price of admission. No registration required. |
Dec. 11, 4-8 p.m. “Let’s Celebrate!” at The BishopSeasonal celebrations are shared human experiences — but that doesn’t mean we all celebrate the same way! During our December IQuest program for smart, curious middle schoolers in grades 6-8, we’ll explore the way people in different cultures commemorate changes in seasons, special days that occur at this time of year, and the coming of a brand new year. Kids will create and take home pieces of the world through art, games, and more! This is a kids-only drop-off program at The Bishop and registration includes pizza and a drink. Cost is $5. | Dec. 14, 5:30-7 p.m.: “Astronomy by the Bay” at The Bay Park, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.The Bishop will provide telescopes so guests at The Bay Park can observe the waxing gibbous moon and planets Venus, Saturn and Jupiter, which will be lined up like a string of pearls along the ecliptic in the western sky. Venus, the closest of the three planets, is almost 60 million miles from Earth right now — more than five light minutes away! That means that viewers will be looking at light that left Venus five minutes before they can see it. The event is free, but registration is required. |
Dec. 18, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Kids’ Day Out” at The BishopYoung adventurers are invited to The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature for a half-day camp where they will explore all the Museum has to offer. Kids will enjoy a program in The Planetarium, walk among the dinosaurs in Dino Don’s DinoVenture, and visit the Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat. The day will include games, crafts, and more! “Kids’ Day Out” is for children 6-11 years old. This drop-off program at The Bishop allows parents and guardians an opportunity to get last-minute holiday shopping done without the young ones around. Members of the Discovery Society receive a discounted rate of $20 for the first child and $15 for each additional sibling. All others pay $25 for the first child and $20 for each additional sibling. Registration is required. | Dec. 18: “How to Use Your Telescope” 4:30-5:30 p.m. and “Full Moon Fun” 5:30-7:30 p.m. with The Bishop at Robinson Preserve, 10299 9th Ave. NW, Bradenton. “How to Use Your Telescope.” Need some help figuring out how to use your telescope? Meet us out at the Robinson Preserve and we will help you figure it all out! Don’t forget to bring your telescope with you! 4:30-5:30 p.m. at Robinson Preserve. The session is free but group size is limited and registration is required. “Full Moon Fun” with The Bishop. This is another chance to observe Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and the full moon. 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Robinson Preserve. Admission is free, but registration is required. |
Dec. 22, 7 p.m.: Stelliferous, featuring the “Star of Kings,” at The BishopThe star of Bethlehem has been a popular topic at planetarium shows since the 1940s, as people explore astronomical explanations for the star described in the nativity story. Was it a comet, a supernova or something else entirely? Join Planetarium Manager Howard Hochhalter at The Bishop, where he’ll take you on a journey back in time to what was really happening in the skies some 2,000 years ago. Cost is $8 for members of the Discovery Society; $10 for all others. | Dec. 28: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. “Roar and Pour” Outdoors in The Bishop’s Riverside PlazaGuests will dine in style among the moving, roaring dinosaurs of DinoVenture during a special, intimate evening event! Catered by Harry’s Continental Kitchen of Longboat Key, this five-course evening will feature fine wines, drinks, music, and, of course, the animatronic animals of DinoVenture! $125 per person. Limited availability. |
Dec. 31, 10 a.m. to noon. “Noon Year’s Eve” at The Bishop |
Join The Bishop for a New Year’s Eve celebration when your kids will still be awake! Instead of ringing in the New Year at midnight, The Bishop will be ringing in the New Year at noon! Design egg shakers, create party hats, and write resolutions for 2022. Plus: We’ll have a countdown and a balloon drop in the Courtyard. “Noon Year’s Eve” at The Bishop is included in the price of Museum admission and no registration is necessary. Please note: Museum Admission on Dec. 31 is half-price and the Museum will be closing at 1 p.m. |
As the largest natural history museum on Florida’s Gulf Coast, The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature (formerly South Florida Museum) offers fun and engaging exhibitions and programs that interpret the scientific knowledge of Florida, the world and our universe. In addition to permanent exhibitions, The Bishop features a constantly changing lineup of special exhibitions — offering something new to discover with each visit. The Bishop includes an all-digital Planetarium — the only one of its kind on Florida’s Gulf Coast — the Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat, where we help rehabilitate sick or injured manatees for their return to the wild, and the Mosaic Backyard Universe, built especially for young children and their families. Our Mission: To inspire the joy of discovery and wonder for all ages through excellence in stewardship and engagement. Visit www.BishopScience.org for hours, info and admission details or call 941-746-4131. |