After four months of being closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Science Spectrum and OMNI Theater have now reopened!  We are excited to welcome back area families and groups after the longest closure in our 31 year history as a local non-profit educational organization.

 

New temporary Summer hours for the museum, and a new movie schedule for the OMNI Theater are currently in effect through August the 16th.  The largest change to our daily operation is the closing of the museum from 12:00 noon to 1:00pm so that staff can fully clean and disinfect all museum exhibits between visitors that attend in the morning and the afternoon.

 

Summer Museum Hours: (July 23^rd to Aug. 16^th)

Mon. to Fri. – 9:30am to 12:00pm / 1:00 to 4:00pm

Sat. – 9:30am to 12:00pm / 1:00 to 5:00pm

Sun. – 1:00 to 5:00pm

(Closed daily from 12:00 to 1:00pm for cleaning)

 

Additionally, the Science Spectrum and OMNI Theater are going to great lengths to keep visitors, staff and volunteers healthy.  Here is a list of many of the protocols we have instituted to make visits by the public as safe as possible.

• To allow for proper social distancing, we will operate at a reduced capacity of 50% throughout the facility.
• Dedicated, separate entrance and exit doors will be clearly marked.
• Signage and our staff will encourage social distancing, hand washing / sanitizing, and other safe behaviors.
• Hand sanitizer stations will be available in the lobby, and at multiple locations throughout the museum and at the OMNI Theater. We encourage all visitors to either wash hands or use sanitizer upon arrival.
• Staff and volunteers will be wearing facemasks while in public spaces. Per State guidelines, facemasks are required for all visitors over age 10.
• We have installed HEPA air filters, as well as increased the air turnover rate, in the OMNI Theater to ensure the best possible air quality in the theater.
• We have installed Plexiglas shields at the Admissions desk, Gift Shop and Concessions to ensure additional safety for staff and visitors.
• The OMNI Theater will seat guests by party in alternating rows and at least 3 seats apart. Theater seats will be sanitized between each film screening.
• Museum stairs will be limited to one-way traffic flow.
• Elevators will be limited to single party usage.
• We will have regular disinfection of “high-touch” surfaces such as door handles, door push bars, handrails, elevators buttons, restrooms, vending machines, ticketing and sales counters, public benches and table seating.
• Museum exhibitry will be monitored and wiped down multiple times a day.
• Water fountains will be closed.
• Separate gallery spaces, such as the Megalodon: Largest Shark that Ever Lived traveling exhibit and the Lubbock Children’s Museum pre-school children’s area will also be monitored for capacity.

 

Great News, Megalodon is still here!

The Megalodon: Largest Shark that Ever Lived traveling exhibit has been extended!  Originally scheduled only through May, this amazing exhibit from the Florida Museum of Natural History will now be on display through September 6th.

 

At 60 feet long, Megalodon was the largest shark that ever lived and a dominant marine predator.  Though Megalodon vanished 2 million years ago, its fascinating story inspires lessons for science and shark conservation.  The exhibition features a 60-foot-long walk-through Megalodon sculpture, along with authentic prehistoric shark fossils and numerous models of both ancient and modern shark species. The exhibit highlights the adaptations, biology and misconceptions regarding giant prehistoric sharks.

 

Megalodon: Largest Shark that Ever Lived was produced by the Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, with support from the National Science Foundation.

 

For the full pre-historic experience, visitors can also take in a screening of the film Dinosaurs of Antarctica showing in the OMNI Theater during the run of the Megalodon exhibit.  Viewers will see new species of dinosaurs that are being discovered from a time when Antarctica wasn’t frozen – Welcome to Gondwana!

 

For more information, visit www.sciencespectrum.org or call 806-745-2525.