ITHACA, N.Y. — Now is the perfect time to plan a Sunday visit to the Museum of the Earth and Cayuga Nature Center–on the second Sunday of January, February, and March admission is free!
At the Museum of the Earth, you can explore the history of our planet–how the first life evolved from the earliest creatures in the sea to the evolution of life into more complex and amazing creatures. Learn about the rise of dinosaurs and mammals and the shaping of the very landscape of our region by enormous glaciers. Visit Steggy the Stegosaurus and Amelia the Quetzalcoatlus, and marvel at the size of the Hyde Park Mastodon and the Right Whale #2030. Hunt for fossils in our Fossil Lab and view the beautiful living corals and fish in our Coral Reef exhibit. The Museum is open 10 am – 5 pm on Sundays. The Museum of the Earth is located at 1259 Trumansburg Road in Ithaca on Route 96, just before the Medical Center.
The Cayuga Nature Center is alive this winter with exhibits, live animals and programs. There are more than 30 species of live animals — from hawks and foxes to trout and turtles at the Nature Center. You can see favorites Daisy the red fox, Oakley the owl, the squirrels Buddha and MJ, Ace the red-tailed hawk, Jaws the snapping turtle, and Ichabod the turkey vulture, among many others. Outside enjoy miles of trails and our six-story tree house, and inside the Nature Center see the “Cayuga Lake: Past and Present” exhibit with its two 650-gallon aquaria, and the “Layers of Life” exhibit on forest ecology, along with other fascinating and informative displays. During the Winter months, the Nature Center is open from 10 am – 4 pm on Sundays. Cayuga Nature Center is at 1420 Taughannock Blvd (Route 89), just 5 miles up the road from Ithaca.
Both Museum of the Earth and Cayuga Nature Center are public educational venues of the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI). Winter Free Days are sponsored by NYSEG. Find more information on Winter Free Days on the PRI website: www.priweb.org.
Featured image provided.