The Schiele Museum of Natural History

the Ultimate Voyage
Now showing daily in the James H. Lynn Planetarium

On a two-year journey to Mars, astronauts will face extraordinary challenges—long distance, a closed environment, isolation, altered gravity, and radiation. What will it take to get them there and back safely?

Get showtimes and tickets: https://bit.ly/planetariumshows

In honor of , here are five fun facts about our buzzing buddies...

🍯 The life's work of 12 bees yields just one teaspoon of honey.
💐 It takes 2,000,000 flower visits to make one pound of honey.
🐝 A bee's wings beat 12 times per second.
👑 The queen lays up to 1,500 eggs per day on average.
⏱ Bees fly about 15 miles per hour.

Thank you to the Gaston County Farm Bureau, Inc. and the Gaston County Beekeepers Association for their support of bees on The Farm. Learn more about honeybees at on Saturday, 8/24!

The Schiele is not just for kids...

Adults experimented with at an after-hours event last night. Electricity, eruptions, and fire were all part of the fun!

Thank you to Innovative Home Concepts, LLC Home Inspections for their support of this EXPLOSIVE evening.

Wands at the ready...

Dust off your best robes and enjoy the , Saturday, 9/7, 5:30 - 8 PM. Explore astronomy, potions, wand-making, the care of magical creatures, and MORE during an enchanting evening at the museum. Don't miss a visit to Diagon Alley for Butter Beer, magical merchandise, and a costume contest for wizards of all ages!

Get details and tickets: https://bit.ly/schielemagic

Are you at least 18 years old with a stomach of steel? Want to try a new exotic snack food? Don't crawl...SKITTER to The Schiele's Bug Eating Contest!

Try a variety of edible creatures for the chance to win a prize at on Saturday, 8/24 at 11 AM or 1 PM. Contestants who register in advance can attend Bug Day FREE. Get details at https://bit.ly/bugday

Can't come to The Schiele with your group? Bring the best of our collections and education to your location! Book an interactive presentation or a hands-on activity in your classroom or auditorium space.

Get details about : https://bit.ly/SchieleToGo

Free Tuesday at The Schiele is THIS Tuesday, 8/13! Thanks to Duke Energy, enjoy free museum admission from 4-8 PM. Planetarium programs will be available for $5 per person. No reservations necessary!

Have you been to an adults-only event at The Schiele? is Thursday, 8/15. Don't miss it! Grab a drink and explore the museum in a kids-free environment while you witness EXPLOSIVE science experiments from 5:30 - 8 PM. 💣

Get details and tickets: https://bit.ly/killerscience

The power is out. and our parking lot is quickly becoming a lake! The Schiele is closed on Thursday, 8/8. Stay safe out there. 🌧

Have you heard the buzz?
The Schiele is celebrating the wild and wonderful world of insects, arachnids, and every bug in between on Saturday, 8/24.

🐛Learn about bugs of all kinds.
🔎Mine for gemstones on the Nature Trail. Keep what you find!
🐝Explore beekeeping with the Gaston County Beekeepers Association.
🐞Take a guided bug hunt.
🦟Enter the Bug-Eating Contest...if you dare.

Get details and discounted advance tickets:

Bug Day Have you heard the buzz? The Schiele is celebrating the wild and wonderful world of insects, arachnids, and every bug in between!

We’re at the starting line of a new school year! Don't miss a fun workshop that will help you get ready.

Drop in on Saturday, 8/10, between 11 AM and 2 PM to learn the history of some of your favorite school supplies and create some personalized supplies of your own. This special event is included with museum admission.

This is the last week for Summer at The Schiele programs ☀️. If you haven't seen a Keeper Talk, toured the Catawba Village, or created something amazing at Innovation Station, don't wait!

Enjoy interactive learning opportunities designed for all ages – most included with admission - but only through 8/11. Get details at https://bit.ly/SchieleSummer

The is a campaign that is raising funds and planning for the future Hall of Dinosaurs, now under construction at The Schiele. This new gallery will feature 3,800 sq feet of dinosaur fossils and casts, including the return of the iconic T-rex, joined by a Stegasarus, a Triceratops, and many other dinosaurs - some that once roamed our region!

For more information about The Hall of Dinosaurs, please visit schielemuseum.org/paleo-project.

Calling all treasure hunters...this is the last week of this season! ⛏💎

Pan for citrine, amethyst, rose quartz, and MORE in our running water sluice, daily through Sunday, 8/11.

Monday – Saturday, 11 – 2 PM
Sunday, 1- 4 PM
$5 per person - keep what you find!
Purchase tickets at the admissions desk when you arrive.

If you sell curious crafts, magical merchandise, or enchanted items that appeal to muggles and more, make plans to bring your wares to Magic of Science on Saturday, 9/7. We're looking for vendors! Apply here: https://bit.ly/magicalvendors (AVOID SCAMMERS by using this official registration form.)

Witches and wizards of all ages will appear for potions classes, care of magical creatures, and many other fantastic activities during this spellbinding event. Get details: https://bit.ly/schielemagic

Brace yourself for an EXPLOSIVE after-hours event on Thursday, 8/15 from 5:30 - 8 PM. Grab a drink at the bar and discover how humans have made and utilized fireworks, rockets, bombs, and more . Then explore the museum in a kids-free environment! Beer and wine will be available for purchase (one complimentary drink included with your ticket).

$25 museum members / $30 general public
Get details and tickets: https://bit.ly/killerscience

Thank you to Innovative Home Concepts, LLC Home Inspections for their support of this special event. 💣

Active military, veterans, and their families can visit The Schiele FREE this summer!

Thanks to the generosity of Dignity Memorial, City of Gastonia Government Government, and a partnership with , military members and their loved ones get free museum admission until Labor Day, 9/2. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Get details: schielemuseum.org/blue-star-museums

What an amazing turnout and performances at this Saturday’s Music Under The Stars: Pink Floyd! The Album Series Band covered “Atom Heart Mother” and “Meddle” with such talented musicians. From groovy jams to mesmerizing visuals, people from all over came together to share an unforgettable experience in our newly renovated planetarium. Thank you to everyone who came out for this spectacular show at The Schiele Museum!

Don't be sssscared. Discover why snakes are friends, not foes! 🐍

Learn more about the residents of The Schiele's newest exhibit, Friends Not Foes: Snakes of the Carolinas, during on 7/27 at 11 AM (and every Saturday through 8/11). Get an up close and personal look at the snakes that may be living in your backyard during this interactive program for all ages.

Just $3 with the purchase of museum admission. Get your tickets at the admissions desk when you arrive.

Galactic Dinos LOVE the planetarium!

Join The Schiele at the ballpark this weekend, 7/26-7/28, for the debut of the , one of several possible mascot ideas for Gastonia Baseball. Mingle with dinosaur/planetarium/baseball fans and collect Schiele swag in the concourse all weekend!

Games are fun for the whole family and dino races are on the schedule. ⚾️🦖🥇 Get details: https://bit.ly/galacticdinos

If you've never been to a performance in the planetarium, you're missing an out-of-this-world show!

The Album Series band is covering two Pink Floyd albums LIVE this Saturday, 7/27. The 5:30 and 8:30 PM shows are sold out, but the matinee performance at 2:30 PM has limited space available.

Get tickets: https://bit.ly/pinkfloydplanet
$35 per person ($30 museum members)
Caleb Davis

It's time to test your taste buds against the hottest of the peppers! 🌶️
Join us at on Saturday, 7/27 at 12:30 PM for fierce fun and friendly competition. Whether you're a seasoned spice enthusiast or a pepper newbie, don't miss the chance to win a COOL prize.

Can you handle the heat? Register here: https://bit.ly/fireandfrost

Visiting The Schiele today, Monday, 7/22? Please consider purchasing your tickets online. We are experiencing issues with ticketing at the admissions desk and are actively working to resolve them. Thank you for your patience.

https://www.schielemuseum.org/tickets/

Send a message to learn more

: Ever-changing adventures for little learners!
Tuesdays, 10:15 AM or 11 AM

Learn about different topics through stories, songs, and crafts in this special program designed for kids ages 2-5 years. $3 plus museum admission
Browse upcoming topics: https://bit.ly/SchieleEarlyExplorers

Visit to explore the ever-changing relationships between people, plants, and animals.🐐🌿🐝👩🏿‍🌾🐰 The crops are in full bloom and the animals love to see visitors!

Want to meet some of our up close and learn more about their personalities and routines? Take a tour, offered every day at 2 PM and included with admission to The Farm (available through 8/11). Get MOOOOving!

🐓

/flɪnt/-næpping (noun) The act or method of breaking or chipping flint, obsidian, or other stone to desired forms; creating stone tools.

Humans have made tools from stone for thousands of years - a tradition that is still alive today. Join stone tool experts at the 35th annual Knap-In, 8/2-4, to participate or watch enthusiasts at their craft. This event is free to the public.

Get details: https://bit.ly/primitiveskillsworkshops

Are you SPICY or SWEET?

Enjoy the perfect blend during at The Schiele on Saturday, 7/27, 10 AM - 1 PM. Brave hot sauce and hot pepper tastings, then savor a cold scoop of Tony's Ice Cream and a variety of toppings during this special event. Just $3 with museum admission. (Purchase tickets when you arrive.)

Can you handle the heat? Enter the hot-pepper-eating challenge!
Get details: https://bit.ly/fireandfrost

Don't miss a SUNsational, enLIGHTNING event
this Saturday, 7/20, from 10 AM - 4 PM at The Schiele.

Fun and learning for all ages:
🌧 Extreme weather demonstrations
🌪️ Meteorology instruments
📺 Green screen forecasting
🪐 "Weather on Other Planets" in the planetarium
💎 Gemstone mining
❄️ Life-size inflatable snowglobe
and MUCH MORE!

Get details and tickets: https://bit.ly/schieleweather

WHAT IF...Gastonia Baseball becomes the ?

Join The Schiele in downtown Gastonia on Friday, 7/26 at 7 PM for Dinosaur Day and the debut of the Galactic Dinos, one of several possible mascot ideas (and maybe the BEST idea on the list?)

50 free tickets are reserved for museum members!

Can't make it on Friday? The Schiele is sponsoring the Galactic Dino series all weekend, 7/26-28. Games are fun for the whole family and dino races are on the schedule. ⚾️🦖🥇

Get details: https://bit.ly/galacticdinos