New York State Museum

10/19/2026

🍂 Fall has arrived at the New York State Museum.
Autumn's vibrant colors are on full display, reminding us there's no place like the Empire State. As we continue to mark 50 years since the opening of the Cultural Education Center, we hope you'll stop by, enjoy the view, and celebrate the beauty of New York this season!

📍 222 Madison Avenue, Albany, NY
🗓️ Tuesday-Sunday
🕒️ 9:30 am-5:00 pm
💲 Free admission!

10/19/2026

THIS WEEK AT THE NYSM! 🇺🇸 📖 🦴
Tues 10/20: Film Screening - The American Experiment
Wed 10/21: Storytime Adventures
Thur 10/22: Archives Jr! Investigation Station
Thur 10/22: Archive Adventures
Fri 10/23: Fossil ID with the State Paleotologist
Fri 10/23: Inktober
Sat 10/24: Showdown at Valcour with Jack Kelly
Sun 10/25: National Chemistry Week

For times, locations, and additional details, visit: https://nysm.nysed.gov/programs

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10/18/2026

10/18/2026

NEXT SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25 at 10 AM!
Get ready for some serious chemistry fun! 🧪 Celebrate National Chemistry Week with hands-on experiments, interactive demonstrations, and family-friendly activities that reveal how chemistry helps build the world around us.

🌞Family-friendly
💲Free
📍NYSM 4th Floor Terrace
🔎 https://nysm.nysed.gov/programs/national-chemistry-week


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10/17/2026

NEXT SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24 at 2pm!
Relive the high-stakes 1776 campaign on Lake Champlain, where a hastily built American fleet led by Benedict Arnold helped stall a powerful British invasion and protect the patriot cause. Join historian and author Jack Kelly as he brings this dramatic story to life and explores its importance to the Revolutionary War on its 250th anniversary.

🌞Family-friendly
💲Free
📍NYSM Huxley Theater
🔎 https://nysm.nysed.gov/programs/showdown-at-valcour


Discover Albany Around Albany The 518 I LOVE NEW YORK

10/16/2026

NEXT FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23 at 12 PM!
Bring your fossil finds to the New York State Museum and have them identified by State Paleontologist Dr. Lisa Amati while discovering what they reveal about life in the distant past!

🌞Family-friendly
💲Free
📍NYSM Discovery Place
🔎 https://nysm.nysed.gov/programs/fossil-id


Discover Albany Around Albany The 518 I LOVE NEW YORK

10/16/2026

Bringing New York’s rich history—and the stories of African Americans who helped shape it—into the classroom! The New York State Museum recently joined colleagues from the New York State Archives and Archives Partnership Trust for the State Education Department’s African American History Project Speaker Series. NYSM staff highlighted the Revolutionary New York exhibition and shared educational resources that will help teachers and students explore New York’s past. The presentation also introduced resources from the State Archives, Archives Partnership Trust, and Consider the Source, offering educators new ways to bring African American history to life in the classroom.

10/16/2026

! Horn to Be Wild! 👀
Torosaurus had two long brow horns above its eyes, plus a smaller horn on its nose, but were they weapons, warning signs, or just meant to impress?

📏 Seriously long horns: Its brow horns could reach around 3 feet (about 1 meter) long.

🛡️ Defense—or display? The horns may have helped defend against predators, but scientists also think they could have been used for display, recognizing members of the same species, or competing with rivals.

🤺 Dinosaur sparring? These dinos may have used their horns in contests with one another, somewhat like modern horned mammals, although exactly how Torosaurus used them is uncertain.

💀 A formidable package: Combine those horns with Torosaurus's enormous, elongated skull and frill, and its head could reach more than 8 feet long.

🦴 Not actually a bull: Torosaurus is commonly translated as “bull lizard,” but the name was actually derived from Greek toreo, referring to its perforated or pierced frill.

Horn in on the fun and meet Torosaurus at Expedition Dinosaur! Learn more: https://nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/expedition-dinosaur

10/15/2026

: 🎨 🌟
Fri 10/16: The Ghost Army: NYS Connections
Fri 10/16: Inktober
Sat 10/17: Gallery Tour: Port of New York
Sun 10/18: Be Good, Do Good: Volunteer Fair
Sun 10/18: Stefan Bielinski Memorial Lecture

For times, locations, and additional details, visit: https://nysm.nysed.gov/programs

Discover Albany Around Albany I LOVE NEW YORK The 518

10/15/2026

: The Cohoes Mastodon—in living color! 🦣🌈

We’re used to seeing historic photos of the Cohoes Mastodon in the State Education Building in black and white, which makes this rare color image from a 1960 Museum booklet especially striking. A commanding centerpiece of the Museum until 1975, the expansive display featured the Cohoes Mastodon at left, a furry mastodon replica at center, and the Temple Hill Mastodon at right.

But it’s the backdrop that really comes alive in color! What appears subdued in black and white reveals a vibrant Adirondack landscape, complete with grassy fields, winding streams, distant mountains, and dramatic clouds overhead.

As we continue celebrating 160 years since the Cohoes Mastodon’s discovery, this colorful glimpse into its Museum past gives us a whole new way to see an old favorite!