The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature to Begin Phased Reopening

At The Bishop, the health and safety of our staff and guests is our first priority — it’s why we closed our doors temporarily in March to help slow the spread of coronavirus, and why we’re now implementing new procedures as we begin our phased reopening in June.

The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature will reopen its doors to the general public on June 3. 

“As an important part of the Southwest Florida community for more than 70 years, The Bishop is pleased to carefully begin welcoming guests back to our campus,” said Museum CEO Brynne Anne Besio. “We’ve made important changes — following the best guidance available from local and state governments, the Health Department and the CDC — to help keep our guests and staff as safe as possible.”

The Bishop has tens of thousands of square feet of space, making it easy for visitors to maintain social distance. Changes The Bishop is implementing to keep guests safe include:
 
Limited hours — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday (Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays);
Timed entry — at 10-11 a.m., 11 a.m.-noon., noon-1 p.m.  and 1-2 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; and noon-1, 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4 p.m. on Sunday;
Visiting hours especially for seniors — starting June 10, seniors can exclusively enjoy the Museum every Wednesday in June from 10 a.m. to noon; 
Reduced capacity;
New one-way traffic flow through the exhibitions — we will have new signs directing guests through the route;
Touch-free check-in — we strongly encourage guests  to purchase tickets online in advance at www.BishopScience.org. Guests may also purchase advance tickets by phone at 941-746-4131. 
 
During this phase of reopening, guests can experience the natural history museum, the Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat and the special exhibition Myakka River: A Florida Treasure, which features dozens of stunning works from renowned landscape photographer Clyde Butcher.  

The Planetarium and the Mosaic Backyard Universe will remain temporarily closed, and the Museum will have reduced ticket prices:

Adults: $16; 
Seniors: $15;
Youth/Student: $12; 
Ages 5-11: $10; 
Ages 4 and younger: free with a paying adult.  
 
Members of the Discovery Society always visit for free. However, under The Bishop’s new limited capacity they’ll simply need to reserve their space online in advance so that we can ensure a spot for them. 

“Because we want to do our best for our guests, all Museum staff and visitors older than age 2 will be required to wear masks, and we’re encouraging and enforcing social distancing among visitors,” Besio said. “We’re maximizing our touch-free procedures and we’ve enhanced our cleaning and disinfection protocols — especially on high-touch surfaces like hand-rails.

“These proactive measures are designed with the health and safety of our guests and staff members in mind, while still allowing visitors to have enjoyable and educational experiences when they visit The Bishop. We can’t wait to share the wonders of science and nature with them again!”

The Museum Store is also open and following new touch-free procedures. A wide selection of educational and fun products is available, including puzzles, children’s books, science kits and plushes of manatees and other animals. 

During the The Bishop’s temporary closure, the Musuem continued serving the community by offering many of our programs, such as KidSpace, Stelliferous, and think + drink / science, virtually through Zoom. Over the past several weeks our participants have made it clear that they value these educational and entertaining virtual programs and want them to continue. And since many people still have an ongoing need to limit their in-person social interactions and we all have a need to maintain social distance, we will continue to host KidSpace, Stelliferous and think + drink / science for free on Zoom for the month of June. These programs include opportunities for Q&A and interaction with the presenters.
 
KidSpace takes place at 10:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. This program is for kids who want to become Masters of the Universe by exploring everything there is to know about space (adults are welcome, too!). 
think + drink / science takes place at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. The night’s expert gives a short presentation then opens the floor for questions and discussion.
Stelliferous takes place at 7 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month. The stars are the stars during this live, guided tour of our night skies with a staff astronomer, along with current events in the world of astronomy — great for curious adults and inquisitive kids alike.

Throughout June, we’ll also continue our popular children’s storytime, Tales Under the Tree, on our Facebook page at 3 p.m. each Saturday.

Please visit our events page for program details.

As we reopen with new policies and procedures, we strongly encourage guests to visit www.BishopScience.org and www.BishopScience.org/welcome-back to purchase tickets in advance, download our new visitor map and learn about our latest updates to help plan for their visits.