Families camp under a giant blue whale at museum sleepover
Nearly 400 children and their adult companions recently spent a night under a giant blue whale at the American Museum of Natural History. The monthly sleepover, organized by the museum’s education team, turned the halls into a pyjama-clad adventure for families.
The event kicked off on Friday evening and ran until midnight. Attendees wore pyjamas, carried flashlights, and explored exhibitions after dark. Activities included dinosaur-themed crafts, karaoke sessions, and late-night snacks.
Families bedded down in sleeping bags on cots beneath the museum’s famous 94-foot blue whale. Some, like Xiaoxiao Wang and her daughter Jasmine, bought new sleeping bags for the occasion at $160 each. Others, such as Cassius and Olivia McLendon with their mother Angela, upgraded their museum membership just to secure a spot. Among the crowd were Eliza Gray and her son Wyatt Summers. Wyatt, though excited, joked about the risk of snoring disrupting the night.
The sleepover gave families a chance to experience the museum in a unique way. Children and adults alike toured exhibits by flashlight, crafted dinosaur-themed keepsakes, and slept beneath one of the world’s largest whale models. The event remains a popular monthly offering for young explorers and their chaperones.
