Calling all cocktail chemists, social scientists and late-night naturalists! Adult Nights offer a unique opportunity for adults 21+ to experience the Museum at night while exploring the uncensored side of science in an upbeat social atmosphere. Each event features interactive science stations, games, local entertainment, and special activities tailored to the evening’s theme. Beer, wine, cocktails and food are available for purchase. Costumes encouraged.
Tickets: In advance: $20, $15 for Friends of the Museum members. At the door: $25, $15 Members. In the event of a sellout, only Catalyst members may purchase tickets at the door. You must be at least 21 years old to attend. A photo ID is required for entry.
Become a Catalyst member and the first round of drinks is on us! For just $12 a month, you and a “plus one” will receive two free drink tickets at each Adult Night, access to sold out Adult Night events, a complimentary pair of tickets to one Adult Night of your choice and more! Become a Catalyst today!
Upcoming Adult Night Events
Wild Love
Friday, February 14, 2020
Grab your BAE or your BFFs and join us for a Valentine’s Day to remember as we explore the science of courtship, reproduction and parental care in the natural world. Discover how animals flirt, flaunt and impress potential mates. Learn about aphrodisiacs, femme fatales, baby daddies, monogamous mates, and the original Cupid’s Arrow.
Game Night
Friday, May 8, 2020
Come play with us! Explore new and vintage digital gaming technologies and compete with your fellow guests in physical and mental challenges. Best your friends to be considered the ultimate Game Night champion! (More details coming soon!)
Natural Selections
Friday, August 21, 2020
Join North Carolina brewers at NCMNS for our seventh annual Natural Selections. Sample unique creations fitting our natural science focus from more than 20 NC breweries at this one-of-a-kind evening of beer and science among the Museum’s dioramas. Enjoy hands-on science of beer activities, games and live music. Vote for your favorite brewery to win the fifth annual Natural Selections People’s Choice Award.
More details coming soon!
Nocturnal by Nature
Friday, October 30, 2020
Celebrate the four-year anniversary of the Adult Night series with the Halloween premiere that started it all — Nocturnal by Nature. Dance in the globe, meet some creepy-crawlies face to face and check out rarely seen Museum “oddities” like a two-headed cat.
More details coming soon!
Past Adult Night Events
Halloween at Hogwarts
Friday, October 25, 2019
Guests stepped through to Platform 9¾ and were transported into the magical world of Harry Potter. You practiced your Defense Against the Dark Arts, vanished with our Invisibility Cloak or took in a game of Quidditch and made this a night to Remembrall!
Halloween at Hogwarts 2019 Photo Gallery
Natural Selections
Friday, August 16, 2019
Guests joined North Carolina brewers at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences for our sixth annual Natural Selections event.
At this one-of-a-kind evening of beer and science among the Museum’s dioramas, guests sampled unique creations fitting our natural science focus from more than 20 North Carolina breweries. Hands-on science of beer activities, games and live music highlighted the evening.
The fourth annual Natural Selections People’s Choice Award was awarded to: Cotton House Craft Brewers’ Mesopotamian Style Beer!
Natural Selections 2019 Photo Gallery
Art Dissected
Friday, May 10, 2019
We peeled back the layers of artistic expression to show the science underneath: how it’s created, how we perceive it and the inspiration we find in the natural world. Guests learned how ballet dancers balance on their toes, saw the secrets of paintings revealed under X-rays and discovered how scientific illustrators reconstruct animals from the past. They also engaged with local artists, created their own masterpieces, and danced to their own beat in our silent disco.
Art Dissected was presented in collaboration with the NC Museum of Art, NC Symphony and Carolina Ballet.
Speakeasy
Friday, February 22, 2019
Guests threw down a few clams for some giggle water and cut a rug to live jazz by Sidecar Social Club. They got the lowdown on Prohibition in NC, tested their chemical sense, raced hot rods, cracked the bootlegger’s code, and got to know popular 20s slang and more. The event featured a private VIP entrance under the Globe. It was the Cat’s Pajamas!
The Upside Down Halloween
Friday, October 26, 2018
We hopped on our bikes and traveled to the Upside Down! Guests enjoyed a strange experience filled with themed science stations and activities before dancing the night away in the SECU Daily Planet Theater to hits from the 1980s.
Upside Down Halloween Photo Gallery
Natural Selections
Friday, August 17, 2018
A full house joined NC brewers at the Museum for our fifth annual Natural Selections event!
This one-of-a-kind evening of beer and science took place among the Museum’s dioramas. Guests sampled unique creations fitting the Museum’s natural science focus from more than 20 North Carolina breweries. The event featured hands-on science of beer activities, games and live music. Guests voted for their favorite beer during the event and we awarded the third annual Natural Selections People’s Choice Award to Big Boss Brewing Company!
Natural Selections Photo Gallery
May the Fourth Be With You
Friday, May 4, 2018
This IS the event you’ve been looking for! Guests explored new galaxies, ecosystems of distant worlds and cutting edge technologies in a galaxy not so far away. We used the Force to separate the science from the fiction in the Star Wars universe.
May the Fourth Be With You Photo Gallery
Mardi Gras
Friday, February 9, 2018
Guests grabbed their krewe and joined us for our Big Easy bash as Adult Nights moved to Friday nights. They discovered the biodiversity of the bayou, tasted Cajun cuisine, fished for ‘gators, and weathered hurricanes. The event featured live music by Peter Lamb and the Wolves. View the photo gallery below and let the good times roll in “N’awlins”!
Halloween at Hogwarts
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Guests stepped through to Platform 9¾ and were transported into the magical world of Harry Potter. They practiced their Defense Against the Dark Arts or took in a game of Quidditch at our Halloween Adult Night. Butterbeer, Potions class, and detours through the Forbidden Forest made this a night to Remembrall!
Halloween at Hogwarts Photo Gallery
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