The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia doesn’t have a teacher discount to claim, because its museum is closing to the public. The Academy’s own announcement says it is bidding the fondest farewell to the museum, and its exhibits page reads “The Academy is closed today” with today’s hours listed as Closed. There’s no ticket desk to bring a school ID to.
If you’d pinned this page for a field trip built around Dinosaur Hall, or for a Saturday with your own kids, we’re sorry to be the ones to say it. That exhibit is listed on the exhibits page as Currently Unavailable, and we’d rather you hear it from us than from a locked door.
How To Get The Academy Of Natural Sciences Teacher Discount
There isn’t one to claim. We read the Academy’s home page, exhibits page, tickets page and Learn page, and none of them has any teacher, educator or discount wording. The tickets page doesn’t sell anything either: it loads the same closed banner as the rest of the site.
The button below goes to the Academy’s announcement, which is where it says what happens next for the museum, its collections and its members.
What The Academy Says Is Happening
The announcement says the decision to close the museum was not made lightly or in haste, but after years of persevering through the new public engagement landscape that emerged after the pandemic. It adds that the cost of the museum’s operations and upkeep are beyond the reach of the Academy’s revenue model. NBC10 Philadelphia reports the closure as permanent.
The Academy’s research and collections carry on. The announcement says the Academy’s broader educational and scientific mission will continue, that its collections, library and archives will remain available for research and education purposes, and that its research, including the work of the Ruth Patrick Center for Environmental Research, will continue unchanged.
On what happens to the exhibits, the announcement says fossils and other original scientific materials will continue to be carefully preserved while next steps are determined. It also says the collections haven’t historically been open for unrestricted public access, and that members of the public will still be able to encounter collection materials through loans to exhibitions hosted by other institutions.
If You Hold A Membership Or A Booking
The announcement says members will receive direct communication from the Academy regarding their membership, and that updates will also be posted on the Academy’s website as they become available. For scheduled private events, it says the Academy is working directly with individuals and organizations that have existing reservations. If you had a class visit or a membership on the books, those are the two places the Academy says to expect word.
What We Couldn’t Confirm
We couldn’t find out whether any part of the museum will open to the public again. The announcement says plans for other exhibits and features will be communicated as they are finalized, and that the building will remain in operation and continue to house the collections, research activities and exhibit materials while Drexel and Academy leadership consider potential paths forward. The exhibits page marks Dinosaur Hall as Currently Unavailable without saying for how long.
We also didn’t find any teacher, school or group program with a price on the pages we read, so there’s nothing here to compare against a class rate.
Q&A
Does the Academy of Natural Sciences give teachers a discount?
No. We found no teacher, educator or discount wording on its home, exhibits, tickets or Learn pages, and the museum is closing to the public.
Is the museum open?
Not that we could find. The exhibits page reads “The Academy is closed today” and lists today’s hours as Closed, and NBC10 Philadelphia reports the closure as permanent.
Is the Academy’s research still going?
Yes, according to the announcement, which says the Academy’s research, including the Ruth Patrick Center for Environmental Research, will continue unchanged.
Can I still see the collections?
The announcement says the collections have not historically been open for unrestricted public access, and that members of the public will still be able to encounter collection materials through loans to exhibitions hosted by other institutions.
What happens to my membership?
The announcement says members will receive direct communication from the Academy regarding their membership.
What happens to a booking that was already made?
For scheduled private events, the announcement says the Academy is working directly with individuals and organizations that have existing reservations.
More Information:
The details above come from the Academy of Natural Sciences’ own website and NBC10 Philadelphia as they loaded when we checked, and plans change without notice. See more entertainment discounts for teachers.
