2009 - 2010 Discovery Series Overnight Programs:
Locations and Dates

Location

National Aquarium in Baltimore – Baltimore, MD
Coral reefs, vibrant fish, exotic creatures, and a jungle journey await you on this overnight adventure! Travel from Maryland ponds to South American rain forests to the Australian Northern Territory as you explore the Aquarium’s galleries after dark. See beyond the exhibits in a behind-the-scenes tour, participate in educational activities, and sleep with the rays and fish snoozing nearby. Awaken to a trip through the rain forest to view birds eating their breakfast.

Cost: $145 per person

This program has reached maximum capacity and is closed.

 Saturday,
 November 14 –
 Sunday,
 November 15, 2009

 CLOSED

International Spy Museum – Washington, DC
The Museum doors have been locked for the night, but behind the shadows a group of exclusive recruits stand ready to begin a night of top-secret spy training. Perfect your alias and cover-story, check in at “Border Patrol”, and prepare for a night of intrigue and adventure. Your mission begins with taking a secret identity and gathering intelligence using real spy skills. During the night, you will transform yourself through disguise; make and break secret codes; interrogate real spies; and hunt for a mole in your ranks! Meanwhile, the adults will be busy with their own super-clandestine mission, the details of which are too sensitive to reveal. As day breaks, enemy agents will be exposed in a dramatic finale. Recruits will reclaim their real identities, and this exciting mission will be accomplished!

Cost: $145 per person

All dates for this program have reached capacity enrollment and are closed.

 Saturday,
 December 5 –
 Sunday,
 December 6, 2009
 CLOSED

 Saturday,
 February 20 –
 Sunday,
 February 21, 2010
 CLOSED

 Saturday,
 September 11 –
 Sunday,
 September 12,
 2010
 CLOSED

Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University – New Haven, CT
Consider the origins of life in this marvelous exploration! Begin your adventure by tracking down a mysterious secret specimen within the halls of the museum. Then, after an evening full of engaging workshops and discoveries, you’ll sleep among the prehistoric in the Great Hall of the Dinosaurs. Whether you are involved in a behind-the-scenes look at the ornithology, herpetology, or paleontology collections; learning how fossil preparators extract dinosaur bones from the surrounding matrix; meeting Yale scientists to learn how their research is helping answer questions about the evolutionary history of the planet; or participating in a challenging game, you are sure to have an amazing overnight experience!

Cost: $145 per person

Chabot Space & Science Center – Oakland, CA 
Discover your place in the universe during this activity-packed overnight adventure! Learn about the individual planets of our Solar System; investigate what makes up a comet; and hold in your hand a meteorite formed billions of years ago in space. After viewing the state-of-the-art, Ask Jeeves Planetarium Show, go outside and discover for yourself the constellations and celestial objects of the night sky during a private observing session on one of the largest telescopes in the country. In the morning, students will become astronauts on a two-hour, simulated Mars Mission. Science becomes fun at Chabot, an innovative learning center that focuses on the interrelationships of all sciences and where you will discover how to shape your future through science!

Cost: $145 per person

USS Constellation – Baltimore, MD
Live the life of a nineteenth-century sailor! Upon boarding the ship, male and female students become “ship’s boys” and parents become “landsmen.” You will “learn the ropes” by developing a familiarity with the basics of life aboard a man-of-war, such as bracing the yard, turning the capstan, and drilling with the broadside cannon, as well as exploring some of the recreational activities of sailors. In the morning, you will continue to do work that was required of sailors, such as buoyancy and navigation drills. Participants will be sleeping in vessel hammocks; you will need to bring your own pillow and blanket. An evening and morning meal, reflecting the common foods of the time, will be provided.

Cost: $145 per person

NYU School of Medicine Department of Environmental Medicine and Sterling Forest State Park – Tuxedo, NY
Don a lab coat and become a scientist for a day...and a night! Planned activities include conducting a DNA experiment under the guidance of a leading Genetic Toxicologist; extracting DNA from strawberries with common kitchen items; determining how clean the air we breathe is; searching out bacteria from the world around us; learning how to drill for oil; and recovering iron from the Sterling Forest Park soil. Plus, take a pond walk and an iron mine tour with an experienced park ranger who will help you identify the many different species of aquatic life and the abundant variety of plants, animals, and birds in the forest. This dynamic program will leave you in awe and wanting to know more!

Cost: $145 per person

Living Classrooms Foundation – Baltimore, MD
Join us for an exciting overnight voyage on the Chesapeake Bay. This fun, fascinating program will take place on board both the Mildred Belle, a traditional buy boat, and the Sigsbee, a traditional Chesapeake Bay skipjack. Students and parents alike will be involved in activities such as plankton studies, exploration of different Bay habitats, and water quality testing. As part of the crew, participants will learn navigational techniques and also how to safely operate and navigate the boats: on the Mildred Belle by taking turns at the helm, and on the Sigsbee by raising and lowering sail. The evening will be spent at a camp with cabins, so don’t forget your sleeping bags and pillows. Evening activities might include a night hike, games, and a campfire. You don’t want to miss this wonderful adventure that will take place on land and sea!

Cost: $145 per person

ECHO Aquarium & Science Center and University of Vermont – Burlington, VT
Explore the Ecology, Culture, History, and Opportunities for stewardship at this one-of-a-kind science center overnight designed specifically for CTY families. Enjoy the beauty of Lake Champlain aboard the University of Vermont research vessel, Melosira, while investigating the lake’s complex aquatic ecosystem. Utilize scientific tools, raise questions, and apply critical thinking skills as you learn about current lake research and the fascinating organisms that make up the lake’s biological community. Take an interpretive exploration of the lake at sunset via sail or kayak. At ECHO, you will take part in inquiry science activities to complement your on-water experience with guidance from scientists and educators. Come for a weekend in Vermont and dive deep into freshwater investigations that encourage deeper understanding of how to be better environmental stewards wherever we go.

Cost: $205 per person

 Saturday,
 June 12 -
 Sunday,
 June 13, 2010

Ocean Institute – Dana Point, CA
Board the Pilgrim, a replica of the 19^th century brig described in Richard Henry Dana’s classic, Two Years before the Mast, ­to learn the skills of the tall ship sailors. Use your new skills to sail the Spirit of Dana Point, a replica of an 18^th century schooner­, along the Pacific coast. Participate in labs and activities to explore the special adaptations of the organisms that live in the ocean depths; dissect an animal eye with low light visual acuity; experience bioluminescence, phototaxis, and the piloting of a remotely operated vehicle; and then spend the night on the Surfscience Deck at OI. The next morning, board the research vessel, Sea Explorer, and use scientific equipment to collect and analyze samples of plankton, mud organisms, and fish, and see the effects of deep ocean pressure. Use all of the gathered data to determine the health of the oceanic ecosystem and discuss the possible impact of human activities, past, present, and future. Join us for this unique experience merging historical tall ship skills with modern marine science discovery!

Cost: $255 per person

Monterey Bay Aquarium – Monterey, CA
Enjoy the Aquarium after hours with appealing activities that might include animal feedings, a peek behind-the-scenes, an educational game, guided tours, and a nature film. Plus you’ll get to explore the Aquarium on your own without the crowds—the staff will give you some interesting project ideas to make it more challenging. At the end of the evening, you will get to sleep next to your favorite exhibit! In the morning, enjoy a continental breakfast and join the Aquarium staff for a private sea otter feeding and training session. Go on “morning rounds” to see where food is prepared for the animals and how they get their morning meals. You’ll have a chance to serve breakfast to one of these very special animals!

Cost: $205 per person

Arizona Museum of Natural History and The Heard Museum – Mesa and Phoenix, AZ
Immerse yourself in Native American culture, history, and archaeology over this exciting weekend. On Saturday, join archaeologists from the Arizona Museum of Natural History in field training, digging, and restoring prehistoric walls at Mesa Grande, a Hohokam temple mound, and participate in a hands-on workshop in archaeological analysis at the museum’s archaeology laboratory. On Sunday, experience the world-famous Heard Museum through a tour, hands-on workshop, native lunch, and spectacular performance of song, dance, storytelling, flute music, and drumming by the championship artist Derrick Davis. This will be an amazing adventure for adventurous families! Hotel reservations and transportation are not included in the cost of this program.

Cost: $205 per person