Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation

“Sometimes the best museum visits are the ones you don’t plan—and that was exactly the case with the Gilder Center, a hidden gem we stumbled upon late one afternoon. We arrived at 4:00 PM, thinking we’d squeeze in a quick walkthrough before closing at 5:30, only to discover the most beautiful surprise: free admission after 4. An unexpected win that made the visit feel even sweeter. With only an hour and change, we braced ourselves for a rushed experience, but the space unfolded into something bigger and more immersive than anticipated. From the dinosaur fossils to the vivid animal exhibits, every room had something that stopped us in our tracks. This wasn’t just kid stuff either—our group of adults had an absolute blast. The real scene-stealer? The architecture. The building feels part cave, part spaceship—organic curves meet sharp, modern design, like nature and the future co-authored a museum. It’s visually stunning, both inside and out. A happy accident turned into a highlight of the day. If you find yourself nearby in the late afternoon, it’s absolutely worth a visit—free or not.”

“Absolutely loved this after hours event. Grains of Change: The History of Rice Across Asia was such a smart idea and the venue could not have been better. The museum after dark has a totally different energy. There was a DJ playing genuinely good music, vendors selling everything from dumpling shaped candles to rice wine, and plenty of food to snack on while wandering the exhibits. It felt social without being crowded or chaotic. The exhibits themselves were fantastic. From the butterfly room to dinosaurs on display, including one that casually happens to be a $44 million fossil, the whole night felt special and a little surreal in the best way. It was fun, interesting, well organized, and just a great way to spend a Thursday night. Honestly, I cannot think of a better use of this space or a better concept for an event. Would absolutely go again.”

“Absolutely amazing location for fossil displays. Loved how all of them were presented. Other parts of the museum had incredibly realistic displays. 10/10 would drive another 3 hours to spend all day there”

“Great architecture and design! Part of the AMNH but this space alone is quite huge and very kid friendly. We went there for the butterfly exhibit mainly and I appreciate the time slots but they actually can let you in as well at a different time than your reserved one if its not too crowded which i appreciated since we actually missed our 1:30pm one. The butterfly exhibit was okay. i actually thought i’d love it but there wasnt much butterflies during our visit unless they were mostly resting idk. didnt stay long too coz it got hot and we were still wearing out winter coats lol but they were really pretty and i enjoyed watching them from the magnifying glass while they had some fruit.The dinosaur exhibit was nice and educational. The lower level with bugs and insects was probably one of my faves and I wished we spent more time there. However having a toddler in tow can make us quite exhausted lol but nevertheless we had a fun time!”