The State Museum, in collaboration with the NJ State Police, has instituted enhanced security measures at the Museum. Personal items and bags are subject to search upon entering the Museum. Security may consist of electronic, physical and/or visual inspection of individuals and/or personal items. We suggest leaving backpacks/large bags in your vehicle. Passage through magnetometers and wanding procedures will be conducted at entry for all visitors. Video surveillance is in use throughout the Museum.
Thank you for your cooperation.
July 7 - August 28, Weekdays
Daily program descriptions on the Events Calendar page.
August 12, 12:45 pm – 2:45 pm
On the plaza between the Museum and Library. Eclipse glasses will be provided.
August 15, 4:15PM
We’ll follow the creation of the elements throughout the history of the universe starting with the Big Bang.
Reserve a seat.
August 18, 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Enjoy a curator-led talk about “The Power to Change: Revolutionary Stories from the NJ State Archives.”
The New Jersey State Museum, in partnership with the New Jersey State Archives, is pleased to present a new exhibition celebrating both the State of New Jersey’s and the United States’ 250th anniversary.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce the publication of a new book, “Grant Castner: The Lost Archive.”
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to present the new exhibition “Spirit of ’76: The Bicentennial” as part of their celebration of America’s 250th.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to present an exclusive free screening of NASA’s new documentary, “Planetary Defenders.”
This summer, head to the New Jersey State Museum for fun, free activities on weekdays, all summer long.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to present the new exhibition “Recent Acquisitions: Fine Art.”
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to present a new exhibition, “Ecosystems at Risk: Threatened and Endangered in New Jersey,” from April 19, 2025 – March 15, 2026.
October is a busy month at the New Jersey State Museum!
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to present a new exhibition and accompanying publication featuring the work of an artist who spent the latter part of his life working in New Jersey.
The New Jersey State Museum presents “Science Under the Stars,” a free monthly lecture series held on Saturdays in the Planetarium.
The New Jersey State Museum presents “Bark! Indigenous Cultural Expressions,” on view May 4, 2024 through January 5, 2025 in the Museum’s Riverside Gallery on the second floor.
The State Museum invites you to experience New Jersey history through a recently discovered archive of photographic negatives once belonging to a prolific but long-forgotten local photographer.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to present a new exhibition in the New Jersey Artists Series, “Caroline Burton: Way Finding.” The exhibition opens September 23 in the Riverside Gallery on the Museum’s second floor and will be on view through March 31, 2024.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce the addition of two new shows to the Planetarium schedule: The Moon, for children through age 8, and Áróra, an award-winning film about the science and beauty of auroras for general audiences.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce the start of new Spanish-language programming in the Planetarium.
The New Jersey State Museum presents “History Beneath Our Feet: Archaeology of a Capital City,” a new exhibition focusing on the long history of human activity in Trenton, New Jersey as told through the lens of archaeology. The exhibition opens June 3 in the Museum’s main floor gallery and will remain on view through December 31, 2023.
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, the New Jersey State Museum will exhibit four prints by artist Ben Shahn that reflect ideas King put forth in his letter.
The New Jersey State Museum presents “Beyond the Tangible,” a new exhibition of 26 non-objective abstract works by 22 artists from the Fine Art collection. The exhibition opens February 11 in the Museum’s 2nd floor gallery and features works created by American artists since the late 1930s. “Beyond the Tangible” is on view through August 27, 2023.
The New Jersey State Museum will present a series of seven in-gallery talks with artists featured in the 2022 New Jersey Arts Annual: Reemergence exhibition on select Wednesdays through the run of the show.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce that longtime volunteer Wayne Callahan was among the honorees at the 2022 Governor’s Jefferson Awards. Mr. Callahan was honored in the “Service Through STEM” category for his volunteer work with the New Jersey State Museum Natural History Bureau.
The New Jersey State Museum (NJSM) is pleased to announce that the New Jersey State Museum Foundation is the recipient of grant funding from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) to support the a component of the exhibition "History Beneath Your Feet: Archaeology in the Capital City,” which will explore the social, cultural and environmental evolution of Trenton through archaeological artifacts.
Sharks are one of the most feared animals throughout the world, even though the odds of ever encountering one are highly unlikely. “Jaw Dropping World of Sharks,” a new exhibition from the New Jersey State Museum, aims to dispel some of the myths and misunderstandings about sharks and their relatives.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to present “Posing Beauty in African American Culture,” a touring exhibition opening January 29, 2022. The exhibition explores the contested ways in which African and African American beauty have been represented in historical and contemporary contexts.
The New Jersey State Museum is open for visitors to discover exhibitions that preserve and share stories that inspire curiosity and creativity.
The New Jersey State Museum is excited to announce that it will reopen for public visitation in mid-July.
The New Jersey State Museum’s annual Halloween event is going virtual this year.
The New Jersey State Museum will present the Autumn Evenings Series, a new four-part program of live digital events starting October 8.
Even though the New Jersey State Museum has been closed for the past four months due to the pandemic, the staff has been working from home to bring Museum experiences to the public.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce the Nikon “Small World” exhibition, on view adjacent to the Planetarium lobby from March 15 through July 10.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce “Fine Feathered Friends: Birds as Mainstay and Muse,” a new exhibition opening on Saturday, January 4, 2020.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce “Preserving the Pinelands: Albert Horner’s Portraits of a National Treasure,” a new exhibition opening Saturday, October 12.
Secretary of State Tahesha Way is pleased to announce that the New Jersey State Museum has been granted reaccreditation by the American Alliance of Museums.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to present the exhibition, Many Inspired Steps, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce the opening of “Jersey Crocs Rule!” on March 2.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce the opening of the new exhibition “Foundation@50: Celebrating Five Decades of Support” on September 22.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce the opening of “Objects Count: A Decade of Collecting at the New Jersey State Museum” on October 6.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce the Nikon “Small World” exhibition is on view through July 15, 2018.
Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno today announced that New Jersey State Museum Executive Director Anthony Gardner will leave state service to take on the role of Vice President of Community Engagement at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
The Trenton Downtown Association is having a festival to celebrate New Jersey’s 350th birthday and the State Museum is joining in the birthday fun. NJ350: A Capital Celebration, a free, family-friendly festival is being held on June 22nd from 11:00am-5:00pm, rain or shine, at the Capitol Complex on West State Street, Trenton.
In keeping with the NJ 350th Anniversary themes of diversity and innovation, a varied slate of programs and exhibits will explore New Jersey innovation and all things science at the New Jersey State Museum’s Super Science Saturday on Saturday, May 3, 2014, 10am to 4pm.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce the opening of New Jersey on Display, an exciting new exhibition chronicling New Jersey’s involvement in seven world’s fairs held between 1876 and 1964.
The New Jersey State Museum will once again participate in the Blue Star Museum program, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel including National Guard and Reserve and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2014.
“As soon as those two halves came together, like puzzle pieces, you knew it,” said Ted Daeschler, PhD , associate curator of vertebrate zoology and vice president for collections at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.
The New Jersey State Museum is honored to present the exhibition, “Aljira at 30, Dream and Reality,” in the Museum's first floor East Gallery from March 29 through September 28, 2014.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to announce the return of Hadrosaurus foulkii to New Jersey in the new exhibit Drawn To Dinosaurs: Hadrosaurus foulkii opening on Saturday, March 22 in the Museum’s Natural History Hall.
The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to present the New Jersey Artist Series exhibition, “Artists of Roosevelt,” in the Museum’s second floor Riverside Gallery from February 15 through May 25, 2014.
The Friends of the New Jersey State Museum has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the PNC Foundation to teach area children lessons in spending, sharing and saving while providing parents with resources to reinforce the lessons at home.
Official Site of The State of New Jersey
