Dallas’ Perot Museum of Nature and Science is about to get a major upgrade. Today, the Museum unveiled its $185 million plans for the transformation of its four-acre campus, focused on an outdoor expansion that will double the Perot’s exhibition space.

The Perot Museum is on a roll, as just last year, it debuted its reimagined Moody Family Children’s Museum with a digitally interactive “Immersive Imaginarium” and a programmable waterfall.

When it opened in Victory Park in 2012, the Perot Museum quickly became one of the most recognized and best museums in Dallas. Designed by Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects, the 180,000-square-foot, six-story building is a 170-foot-tall five-story Cartesian cube that floats above a plinth — a flat, square or rectangular base. It looks like a giant rock because of its custom-molded, textured concrete panels, and it boasts a stunning, glass-enclosed escalator that extends diagonally across the exterior of the building. This is just to say that it’s already visually incredible.

In 2028, the Perot will become even more of a design marvel with its expanded outdoor museum, which will feature immersive installations, large-scale experiments, and living landscapes. The project also includes a reimagined Museum entrance and lobby, enhanced educational, dining, and event spaces, an on-site parking garage, and infrastructure improvements. This will allow the Museum to welcome 400,000 additional guests each year.

An Innovative Outdoor Museum Expansion at The Perot

The new outdoor experience at the Perot Museum “will unfold through interconnected zones across 60,000 square feet, featuring approximately 25 large-scale exhibits and 40 learning touchpoints that will blend physical exploration, observation, and live science demonstrations,” states a press release. “Visitors will be able to feel powerful wind gusts, build water pressure to send a geyser skyward, investigate how moving water shapes a landscape, and witness a fire tornado spiraling over a story high. Other experiences include a cloud maze, a lightning and thunder pavilion, and a giant water vortex – with more experiences and details to be announced.”

The landscape of the outdoor space will also be a part of the science experience, with shade trees, native plantings, a pollinator habitat, and water features that will “demonstrate biodiversity and ecological systems.” Surface parking will also be replaced with a new green space.

“This project represents an opportunity to rethink how and where people experience science,” says Mike Spiewak, vice president of exhibitions at the Perot Museum. “By moving beyond the physical limits of the building, our goal is to create an environment where discovery feels unexpected and alive, inspiring curiosity and opening new ways for people to connect with the awesome power of nature.”

The project is being funded through the Museum’s $185 million Curiosity Unbound campaign (it’s currently reached $135 million), which will also support its endowment and funding for programs and community engagement.

The Perot Museum plans to break ground in early 2027 and open to the public in late 2028.

In the meantime, the Museum will be hosting its annual fundraising gala, Night at the Museum, on Saturday, November 14, where all proceeds from the event directly benefit its financial aid programs.