Whatever your kids are into at the moment—science, history, dinos, or the arts—a day trip to the Morris Museum will satisfy their curiosity and keep them engaged. With a model train that whizzes around detailed scenes, the Spark!Lab for innovative fun, mechanical self-playing instruments, and a real dino egg, the immersive exhibits bring alive a world of education and fun. Read on for what to expect when you visit, and find more museums from our guide to our favorite museums in New Jersey. (featured photo credit: NJ MOM)

The Morris Museum In Morristown

Explore the museum

When you enter the interactive museum, plan your stops to match your kids’ interests and appeal to everyone. Hone in on the permanent collections, including the Guinness Collection of Mechanical Music and Automata. In it, mechanical dolls and figures come to life through movement and music, spanning over 400 years of art and music. If your kids are into local history, make sure to pop into the Native American Gallery, filled with artifacts from NJ and throughout the US, and The Dodge Room, a living room filled with memorabilia dedicated to Geraldine S. Dodge, a benefactor of Madison, NJ. After going through these first-floor sections, head up the staircase to the highlight for choo-choo lovers—The Mega Model Train Gallery, a state-of-the-art train set with tiny details and whimsical scenes along 50 feet of interactive tracks. Kids will have a ball pushing one of the 48 buttons that light up, make sounds, and activate different landscape features. Make sure you don’t miss all the little scenes (look for skeletons and a family of bears), and for more train fun, challenge your kids to a rousing game of I-Spy to see how many different buildings and scenes you can spot. 

Visit The Spark!Lab

One of the coolest experiences at the Morris Museum is the Spark!Lab, a studio that offers an informal approach to hands-on learning. This area is intended to ignite kids’ ingenuity through fun and interactive challenges. There are no instructions for what kids can do, but instead, they can use their imagination to tackle engineering and design challenges. With multiple project stations, kids ages 5-12 can get a free Spark!Lab passport and get a stamp each time they visit the lab for an exclusive prize. Younger kids can work at the Young Inventor Space, where they can take a train and an exploration table geared toward their age.

Enjoy the Earth Science Gallery

If your kids are into dinosaurs, fossils, or rocks, stopping at the Earth Science Gallery is a must during your visit. Look down at the floor within the gallery—you’ll see dinosaur tracks that kids will love to follow through the space. Once you’re in the gallery, you can touch a real dinosaur egg, hear the simulated sound of a honking Hardosaur, check out prehistoric fossils, see a giant amethyst geode, explore petrified wood that is millions of years old, and so much more. Kids will be in awe when they look at the fossils and other clues to learn about the animals that once roamed the Earth and what our state looked like while they were alive. 

FAQs

How much are tickets to the Morris Museum?

Tickets to the museum are $12 for general admission, $8 for seniors, children ages 3-17, and students with ID, and it is free for children 2 and under and museum members.

When is the museum open?

The museum is open from 11 AM to 5 PM, Wednesday to Sunday, and only to museum members on the first Tuesday of every month from 11 AM to 2 PM.

Are there special events at the museum?

Throughout the year, the Morris Museum hosts family events and live performances at the attached Bickford Theatre; check the website calendar for more information. There is a gift shop for science toys, a dinosaur train, and small snacks if you are looking for more to see and do.

Learn more about Morris Museum by visiting their website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Morris Museum 
6 Normandy Heights Road
Morristown, NJ 07738

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