On April 5, 2019, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science leaping into spring with a very special First Friday focused on what matters ... Gray Matter! 

Each first Friday evening of the month, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science is open 5:30 – 9 p.m. with a special admission rate of $5 per person for the museum, which usually includes special displays on a topic in science. On this very special First Friday until 8 p.m., explore ways to keep your brain and body healthy. From puzzles to activities to exploring the benefits of volunteering, celebrate the many ways we keep our neurons firing and our muscles moving. This event is perfect for the entire family and will feature kid’s activities and family fun.

The DynaTheater will be showing the film Museum Alive for an additional $5 at 6:30 p.m. This documentary was filmed at the Natural History Museum, London, and uses CGI imagery to bring to life several of the extinct animal skeletons in the museum, including Archaeopteryx, the Moa Ratite bird and Haast's eagle, Gigantopithecus, Glossotherium, Ichthyosaurus and Dippy, a replica of a famous Diplodocus skeleton. The DynaTheater concession stand will be open before the showing and close when the video begins.

The Planetarium will present Fractal Friday at the usual times of 6, 7, 8, and 9 p.m. with the normal admission of adults $10, seniors $7, and children (3-12) $5. Shows typically sell out in advance, so get your tickets early at fractalfoundation.org.

The museum observatory will be open for viewing objects in the night sky from 8 – 9 p.m., weather permitting. The Nature Works store will be selling unique gifts from 5:30 – 8 p.m. on this First Friday. The Hope Café will be open continuously from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. that day, so you can enjoy dinner while waiting for the museum to reopen (only the café entrance will be open from 5 – 5:30 p.m.)