Texas Natural Science Center

The Texas Memorial Museum is located on the main University campus at 2400 Trinity Street. The museum’s exhibits include the largest flying creature ever found, the Texas Pterosaur, with a wingspan of forty feet; a thirty-foot Cretaceous mosasaur; reptiles and amphibians from the Permian period of the Paleozoic era; and remains of Ice Age mammals. The museum was constructed with state and federal funds, contributions, and proceeds from the sale of Texas Centennial coins sponsored by the American Legion. It was opened to the public January 15, 1939. In 1959, by legislative enactment, it became part of the University of Texas at Austin.

The museum is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday and major holidays. Admission is $4 for adults/seniors, $3 for children twelve and under, $2 for college students with ID, $1 for military personnel with ID, $1 per student with school groups, and free for University of Texas at Austin students and staff.

The museum's first-floor Hall of Geology and Paleontology features displays of rocks, minerals, meteorites, and dinosaurs and other fossil animals. The second floor showcases some of the museum’s most prized and unusual specimens. The third floor features the contemporary native fauna of Texas, including many of the state’s reptiles, birds, and mammals. The fourth floor currently displays the Explore Evolution interactive learning lab, featuring the work of scientists who are making leading discoveries about the evolution of life.