The Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land is reopening to the public July 31 after temporarily closing in mid-March because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The museum will offer members-only hours July 30 and will open to the public July 31. Museum hours are Thu.-Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Kavita Self, the newly-named director of HMNS at Sugar Land, said in a July 28 video message that the museum has used guidelines from national, state and local agencies to develop health precautions. These measures, which can be found on the HMNS website, include the following.

  • Recommending all visitors purchase and print tickets online at home to limit points of contact when entering the museum

  • Requiring face covering

  • Operating at limited capacity to allow for social distancing throughout the museum

  • Heightened cleaning protocols and installing of hand sanitizing stations

  • Closing some interactive exhibits


The reopening of HMNS at Sugar Land also comes with a new exhibit, Robot Zoo. In this special exhibit, families will find larger-than-life-size mechanical versions of animals, including a chameleon, a platypus and a house fly.

“Our mission to serve the community remains essential to us," Self said. "From all of us at HMNS, thank you for your continued support. Welcome back Fort Bend.”

For tickets or more information, visit www.hmns.org/hmns-at-sugar-land.