Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Fall Museum Hours and Programs

Kelly Bernatzky • Oct 07, 2021

Join the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) this fall for open hours at the Hinchman House Natural Science Museum and Research Center, as well as various public programs, including Beach Biology Field Trips and Open Nights.

 

Beginning on October 9th, the Natural Science Museum will be open on Saturdays from 10am-1pm. Admission is $5 per person and FREE for Members. Included with admission is a 10am-11am “Animal Feeding” program with museum staff. No registration is required; tickets will be available at the door.

 

Each month during the off-season, the museum will have a different theme with special exhibits, seasonal trivia, and live animals. This month, the museum theme is “Ominous Animals”, featuring bizarre animals and other mysterious science. The museum will be open on Saturdays from 10am-1pm through November 20th and reopen again after the new year.

 

On October 23rd, in celebration of National Chemistry Week and Mole Day (10/23), the MMA will be handing out free take-home science kits as part of our Everyday Science program supported by ReMain Nantucket.

 

The Research Center will also be open on Saturdays from 10am-1pm for Biological Collections Open Hours with the MMA’s Field Ornithologist, Ginger Andrews. At Open Hours, visitors learn about the collections, why collections are important to science, and examine different specimens during each session. From specimens of birds and mammals to insects and plants, you never know what will be on display!

 

Biological Collections Open Hours at the Research Center are free for everyone. No reservations are required.

 

The ever-popular Beach Biology Field Trips will begin this Saturday, October 9th. Each Saturday through November 20th, MMA Aquarium Director, Jack Dubinsky, will lead walking trips at Madaket Beach from 2-3:30PM. Participants will discover shells and bones of over 15 species of marine animals and are likely to observe live mole crabs, sand fleas, shore birds, beach insects, and seals! Beach Biology Field Trips are $10 for Members and $25 for Non-Members. Registration is required; please use the link below to reserve a space:

http://mariamitchell.doubleknot.com/openrosters/viewactivityspaceavailable.aspx?orgkey=3437&categoryid=13916

 

The first fall Open Nights of the season will be this coming Friday, October 8th and Saturday, October 9th both from 7-8:30PM. Visitors to Open Nights will join the MMA’s professional astronomers for an impressive tour of Nantucket’s night sky. The MMA staff will lead constellation tours and guide visitors through different viewing stations outside the observatory domes. Programs take place at 59 Milk Street Extension and are weather permitting. No reservations are required; tickets will be available at the door. Open Nights are $10 for Non-Members and FREE for Members. For updates on weather cancellations, please call (774) 325-1081or visit www.mariamitchell.org/open-nights. Additional Fall Open Nights are scheduled for November 4th, November 5th, December 8th, and December 9th.

 

As of this time, masks are required for all in-person MMA programming and site visits.

 

Please stay tuned for upcoming press releases on additional fall programming, including night hikes, bird walks with Ginger Andrews, and more.

 

The Maria Mitchell Association is a private non-profit organization. Founded in 1902, the MMA works to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages.

For Immediate Release

October 7, 2021

Contact: Kelly Bernatzky, Development Associate

kbernatzky@mariamitchell.org

Recent Posts

Keep Calm and Bird On: May 2024

08 May, 2024
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.” -Edith Andrews

Shards

By Jascin N. Leonardo FInger • 06 May, 2024
I have written of my love for sea glass and pottery shards in the past and the recent replacement of the sewer and water lines on Vestal Street created a small shard collection over the last month. Since the work required the asphalt to be completely removed (all twelve inches of it!) and the road to be dug up multiple times as they worked to remove pipe, relay new pipe, hook up the water meters, and install drainage and manhole covers, this resulted in the earth in the street being tossed about quite a bit. And, with that, came the shards! Some of these likely came from the sewer line (yes, yuck) but others came from being simply in the dirt of the road – which was not paved until 1946/1948. Pieces were likely tossed out at times, made to act as filler in holes, or simply tossed. So I found all sorts of pieces I will keep here at the Mitchell House. They included: a lovely piece with a red floral, many pieces of plates, glass, the top of a late nineteenth or early twentieth century (medicine) bottle, glass shards, a flattened spoon, a brass knob (found by a neighbor) some nails, a spike, pieces of a larger container or two based on the size and curve and coloring of the shards, and possibly a Wampanoag stone tool. One person’s trash is another one’s treasures! JNLF

Is That A Wrap?

22 Apr, 2024
Yes. Well, almost. After about a month of working – and some living (staff and or neighbors) – on Vestal Street with all the sewer and water replacement work, the paving happened today (April 17, 2024). This is the first “layer” – a three-inch binder coat. In the fall, once time has passed, they will return for the final one inch of the finish layer. Some of the other things along Vestal Street will also be repaired and updated between now and the final coat – and a bit after that. But we are very happy, after all these years to have a modern system of piping – and all new drainage we never had before! While the curator in me loved the old clay pipes, they were riddled with roots from the trees, holes, and in some places, collapsed, and the twelve inches of asphalt had to go. Vestal Street was only paved in about 1946/1948 – and has not been paved in maybe twenty years so that is a lot of asphalt in about fifty years! And with climate change and the increase in how much rain we get in these heavy rain events, all that water rushed down Vestal Street with nowhere to go – except our cellars. I am sure the neighbors are happy too! A thank you to the Town of Nantucket’s Sewer Department, especially David Gray (who may regret giving me his cellphone number forever), N&M Excavating and Utilities (Dean, we appreciate you being so nice when we had too many questions), Victor-Brandon Corp for paving, and numerous others. We are looking forward to great flushing, powerful hose lines, and rainwater being whisked away via the new, never-before-had storm drains! JNLF And to all the N&M workers who wondered why I was constantly looking down as I walked along Vestal Street, you should see the trove of porcelain shards, glass, old nails, a bottle neck, 19 th century spoon, and even possibly a Wampanoag stone tool I found!
Show More
Share by: