Officials with the Perot Museum of Nature and Science released plans for a transformation of its four-acre Dallas campus to double the museum’s exhibition space and improve parking and arrival infrastructure.
The $185 million project recently reached $135 million in fundraising through the museum’s Curiosity Unbound campaign, according to an Oct. 20 press release. Groundbreaking for the project is expected in early 2027.
About the project
The new outdoor exhibition space, which is set to open in late 2028, will feature 25 large-scale exhibits and many experiential learning activities themed around the forces of nature, including a lightning and thunder pavilion, a mist maze and a fire tornado, according to the release.
The landscaping will also be a part of the exhibit, featuring a river, a pollinator garden and extensive shade trees that museum officials hope will positively impact local temperature and air quality, according to the release.
The new parking, dining and lobby accommodations are aimed at improving the visitor experience, especially bus drop-off and pick-up for the close to 230,000 schoolchildren who visit the four-story museum annually, according to a fundraising video.
Diving in deeper
The Perot Museum, which opened in 2012, serves one million guests annually, according to the release, and expects to see an additional 400,000 each year after the new exhibits open.
The museum’s Curiosity Unbound campaign that is funding the project is focused primarily on fulfilling its informal science education duty to the visiting schoolchildren, according to the release.
“Our family’s vision for the Museum has always been for it to serve as both a critical part of Dallas’ civic fabric and a bridge between science education and workforce opportunities shaping our region,” said Suzanne Perot McGee, co-chair of the Curiosity Unbound campaign, in the release. “As demand for STEM talent continues to grow, this expansion will allow us to equip and empower more innovators, problem-solvers and leaders, which North Texas needs.”
