Museum Events
Field Trips
Due to permanent issues, we are not currently running field trips. Please check back in the future for any updates.
Spring 2023
Big Brook Fossil Hunting Field Trip - Saturday, June 10, 2023
- Cost: $15 per adult, $8 per child (under 16 years old)
Registration:
This field trip is currently full.
Please note that we reserve the right to cancel a trip if we do not have enough registered participants.
Notes on Field Trips:
- You must provide your own transportation.
- Field trips do require some extended walking, so it is recommended that participants should be able to walk at least a mile on a moderate incline.
- Each field trip can accommodate a certain number of people. When the maximum number has been reached, you will be placed on a waiting list. If the minimum number of participants is not reached, we reserve the right to cancel the trip.
- Frequently Asked Questions
Late Nights
When and Where
Our Late Night at the Museum events are held on the first Thursday of the month to synchronize with SparkNights at the Zimmerli Art Museum! On these evenings, both the Geology Museum and the Zimmerli Art Museum will be open to the public with activities.
Join us on the first Thursday of each month between 4 pm and 8 pm at the Geology Museum for our Late Night events. Each Late Night consists of activity stations and events related to the night's specific theme, which can range from a wide array of topics that fall under the categories of geology, anthropology, and paleontology. Late Nights at the Museum are designed to educate, as well as entertain, and can benefit children and adults alike.
Fall 2024 Schedule
Thursday, October 3, 2024: Dinosaurs and National Fossil Month
Thursday, November 7, 2024: Spooky Creatures
Thursday, December 5, 2024: Ice Age
Spring 2025 Schedule
Thursday, February 6, 2025: Darwin
Thursday, March 6, 2025: Planetary
Thursday, April 3, 2025: Minerals
Thursday, May 1, 2025: Friends of the Museum Late Night Event
Have a mineral or fossil that needs identification?
If you have any minerals or fossils laying around that you aren't sure how classify, this is your chance to have a specialist take a look! Just bring the specimen to any Late Night event and we'll see how we can help.
Parking
Visitors to the Geology Museum's Late Night events can park in Rutgers Lots 11, 26, 30 and the College Avenue Deck without permits, but you must register ahead of time to avoid a ticket. Click on each event for the parking registration link for that particular event. There is also paid metered parking along all the streets surrounding the Geology Museum.
Rutgers Day
Come as a family. Come with a group. Come by yourself. Just come to Rutgers Day! Rutgers Day programming takes place on the Busch, College Avenue, and Cook/Douglass campuses, and there is something for everyone at each location!
What is Rutgers Day?
Rutgers Day is a huge open house where you can get a glimpse of all the exciting things happening at New Jersey's state university. There are free performances, exhibits, interactive programs, demonstrations, and more on the Busch, College Avenue, and Cook/Douglass campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway. As you and your family explore, learn, and play, you will get a clearer sense of the valuable contributions Rutgers makes to the people of New Jersey.
Everyone is invited to Rutgers Day! Bring your family and friends. There will be interesting, informative, and entertaining activities for parents and children, teens, current and prospective students, alumni, faculty and staff, and the general public.
What does the Geology Museum offer on Rutgers Day?
The museum is open to visitors all day long and will offer a variety of hands-on activities inside the museum as well as in tents set up on the College Avenue Campus.
Check out the full list the programs offered by the Geology Museum and other departments and units at Rutgers University on the main Rutgers Day website.
Parking
All parking lots are open and FREE, so you can leave your car and take the shuttle bus to travel between campuses. Signs will help guide you to parking and activities.
Friends of the Geology Museum Meeting
- Event Date: 2025-05-01
- Event Schedule:
Join the Rutgers Geology Museum as we host distinguished professors and lecturers from around the country to discuss new and exciting discoveries in the fields of geology, anthropology, astronomy, paleontology, natural resources, evolution and more! These public lectures are held at the Geology Museum in the Spring and are sponsored by the generous support of the Friends of the Geology Museum.
Check back for themes and details of this event in the future. The Friends of the Museum Late Night will always be held on the first Thursday of May (May 1, 2025).
2025 Friends of the Museum Late Night
Thursday, May 1st
Topic: TBD
Parking Information:
Visitors to this event can park in Rutgers Lots 11, 26, 30 and the College Avenue Deck without permits, but you must register ahead of time to avoid a ticket.
Parking Registration: https://rudots.nupark.com/v2/portal/eventregister/90aa828f-f3db-4966-afc8-0ed7eebe2f12#/events/registration/
There is also paid metered parking along all the streets surrounding the Geology Museum.
Past Friends of the Geology Museum Speakers
"Earthquakes"
"Environmental Technology: A Panel Discussion"
Dr. Josh Kohut, Dr. Ramaydalis Keddis, & Rohi Muthyala, Rutgers University; Capt. Breezy Grenier, Informal Educator
"Ocean Drilling: Past, Present, and Future"
Dr. Kenneth Miller and James Wright, Rutgers University
"History of the Geology Museum"
Bill Shankle, Monmouth Amateur Paleontologist Society (MAPS), Dr. Carla Yanni, Rutgers University, AJ Blandford, Rutgers University, Erika Gorder, Rutgers University
"Tracking North Atlantic Deep Water Circulation Changes from the Eirik Drift"
Dr. Lauren Neitzke Adamo, Rutgers University
"A Geological Perspective on Climate Change: Past, Present and Future"
Dr. Tony Broccoli, Rutgers University
"Delaware River: Glacial Maximum to Modern Day"
Dr. Kelsey Bitting, The University of Kansas
"Geologic Examples for a Warming Earth"
Dr. James Wright, Rutgers University
"Detangling Environmental Factors of Hominin Evolution in East Africa"
Dr. Christopher Lepre, Rutgers University
"Unraveling the Ups and Downs of Sea Level with Fossil Corals"
Richard Mortlock, Rutgers University
"Bringing Them Back to Life: The Science and Art of Dinosaur Reconstruction"
Bruce Mohn, Rutgers University
"Variability in Growth Measurements in Ceolophysis: Implications for Dinosaurs Speed Estimates from Trackways."
Dr. Emma Rainforth, Ramapo College
"Jadeitite and the History of Subduction Zone Fluids"
Dr. Sorena Sorensen, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Schedule a Tour
The Geology Museum provides free* tours for K-12, university, and non-profit groups** of all ages. Guided tours include presentations on dinosaurs, geology, the Ice Age, and mummies, with special attention given to our New Jersey based exhibits. Each tour includes a 30 to 40 minute guided presentation, several hands-on educational activities, and a scavenger hunt of the exhibits. Additional activities can be added to the tours for a minimal fee. Tours can be scheduled during our normal business hours and on the select Saturdays. Tours are only available on Fridays during the month of July and are not available in August. All dates are subject to availability.
Prior registration is required a minimum of 2 weeks before the proposed tour date for groups of 10 (minimum number of people required to book) to 50 people. Please contact the museum about special arrangements for groups of more than 50 people.
* Premium tours (fossil and mineral patch tours) can be booked for an additional fee.
** Effective March 1, 2017, any tours booked by a for-profit agency are subject to a $10 per person for every adult and $5 per person for every child fee. The free tours must be booked directly by a representative of the K-12, university, or non-profit group and not associated with a 3rd party receiving monetary or other benefits from the arrangement of the tour.
Schedule your tour here!
Guided Museum Tours
Join us as our tour guides walk you through some of our most popular exhibits in the museum. Tours will cover the following topics:
- Dinosaurs and Paleontology
- The Ice Age and the Mastodon
- Egypt and Mummies
For younger children (recommended for ages 6 and below), we offer a Dinosaur Story Time tour. In this tour, our guide will read a dinosaur-themed story book to the group as well as provide each participant with a scavenger hunt.
See below for a list of educational arts and crafts activities that can be added on any guided tour for the cost of $1 per participant.
Fossils and Dinosaurs
- Making a stegosaurus hat
- Creating your own fossil necklace
- Constructing a dinosaur diorama
- Fashioning your very own movable dinosaur
- Use stamps to create your very own fossil footprint trackway
Ancient Egypt and Mummies
- Making your own cartouche
- Creating your own 3D pyramid
- Decorating your own headband or cuffs with hieroglyphics
- Constructing a 3D mummy
- Coloring in your own sarcophagus
Gems and Minerals
- Painting your own pet rock
- Mineral Bingo
- Create your own mineral playing cards
Boy Scout, Cub Scout and Girl Scout Tours
The Geology Museum offers programs for Scout groups to help them complete the requirements for several different badges and electives. While these programs were developed for Scouts, they are perfect for school groups as well!
Patch Tours
The Rutgers Geology Museum offers two STEM-themed patch programs: Amazing Minerals and Fossil Fun! These programs were developed for Girl and Cub Scout groups, but can be booked by any group of 10 or more. Each program will guide the group through a different geology-related topic and each participant will go home with their own lesson kit!
Patch programs cost $10 per participant and were developed for K-6 age groups. Visit our Programs for Scouts page for more information and to schedule your program!
Geology Merit Badge Program
In this program, scouts will learn about Earth's natural resources, talk to real geoscientists, and create a subsurface structure map that will be used in an interactive oil drilling activity. This program will allow scouts to fulfill all the requirements of the Geology Merit Badge.
The Geology Merit Badge program costs $20 per participant and was developed for children in grades 6-12. Visit our Programs for Scouts page for more information and to schedule your program!
