Museum Events
Birthday Parties
We have birthday parties down to a science!
If your child has a love for dinosaurs, fossils, mummies, or minerals, then celebrate their next birthday at the Rutgers Geology Museum. We offer geologic themed birthday parties for children ages 5 and older, which can be booked on weekends.
We now offer two birthday party packages with your choice of a guided tour and scavenger hunt or two arts & crafts activities and scavenger hunt for our regular package. Our Paint Along Birthday Party package includes a 1.5 hour step-by-step guided instruction of a natural history themed painting.
Party Times
Birthday parties are held at times when the museum is closed to the public so that you and your group can have the entire place to yourself. Parties can be reserved during one of the following time slots. All dates are subject to the museum's avaliability.
- Saturday- 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm
- Sunday- 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Book a birthday party at the Museum!
Regular Birthday Party Package
Choose a birthday party theme from one of the four listed below. Standard birthday party packages cost $400 and include the choice of two arts & crafts (listed below each theme) OR a guided tour of the museum:
Fossils and Dinosaurs
Travel back millions of years to when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth with activities such as:
- 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
Is your child fascinated by the ancient Egyptians? With this birthday party package, your child and friends will have the choice of:
- 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
Discover the wonders of gems and minerals with this party package, which includes activities like:
- Painting your own pet rock
- Mineral Bingo
- Create your own mineral playing cards
Paint Along Birthday Party Package
Your child and their friends will work with our staff to help them create a stunning natural history based masterpiece! We will provide all the materials and simple instructions to create their very own painting on a canvas in one 1.5-hour session. Our capable and friendly instructors will be there to guide your child and their guests through the painting process step-by-step. No prior painting or artistic experience is needed.
This party package is not recommended for children under the age of 6 and an additional supply fee of $60.00 will be charged.
Choose from one of the following painting themes:
Host a birthday party at the Rutgers Geology Museum knowing your child and his or her friends are being inspired, creative, and educated!
See the Birthday Party FAQ page for pricing and any other questions you may have.
Testimonials
I just wanted to send a hearty THANK YOU for a wonderful time at my son Colin’s birthday party at your museum today. I expected a great party, but today far exceeded even those expectations! This was largely due to the great hosting by Erica, Tanya, and Alex. They were so patient, accommodating, and great with the kids from set up through cleanup! I cannot thank them enough and the rest of your staff for making Colin’s birthday party such a fun and exciting time. Thank you again! - Stephen from New Brunswick
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 2025 Schedule
October 2: Dinosaurs
November 6: Anthropology
December 4: Minerals
Spring 2026 Schedule
February 5: Darwin
March 5: Oceans
April 2: The Moon and Mars
May 7: Prehistoric Creatures
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