Natural History Museum marks 20th anniversary in downtown

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum celebrates 20 years in downtown Las Vegas and it is celebrating its milestone birthday all summer with a variety of activities.

Located at 900 N. Las Vegas Blvd., the museum opened in 1991 and is a private, nonprofit institution dedicated to educating children, adults and families in the natural sciences, both past and present. Through its interactive exhibits, educational programs and the preservation of its collections, the museum strives to instill an understanding and appreciation of the world's wildlife, ecosystems and cultures. The public is invited to its 20th birthday celebration on July 16.

The museum's permanent exhibits include "The Treasures of Egypt," which features nearly 500 reproduced artifacts, including the tomb of the young Pharaoh Tutankhamun in its 4,000-square-foot Egyptian Pavilian where the ancient past of Egyptian civilization is explored.

The "Treasures of Egypt" features replicas generously donated by MGM Resorts International that were formerly on display in the King Tut Museum and Tomb inside the Luxor, including the world-famous guardian statues, King Tut's sarcophagus and an array of statues, vases, baskets and pottery. The museum was able to recreate the tomb of King Tut as discovered by Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt in 1922. This unique replica of the actual tomb is the only known exhibit of its kind outside of Egypt.

Additional permanent museum exhibits include a Marine Life Gallery with small sharks, stingrays and fish, a Young Scientist Center, Geology Gallery, the Engelstad Family Prehistoric Life Gallery with its own animated 35-foot tyrannosaurus rex, an International Wildlife Gallery, African Savannah and Gallery and E.L. Wiegand Wild Nevada Gallery. It also features an early man exhibit that's unique to Nevada and the newly showcased rhynchotherium skull, a 3-million-year-old elephant fossil that was discovered in Arizona and donated to the museum by the Joshua Reid Anderson Foundation.

Admission is $10 for adults; $8 for students, seniors and military and $5 for children ages 3-11. Children age 2 and under are free. Admission includes access to the entire museum. Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. For more information, visit www.lvnhm.org or call 384-3466.