Provides a comprehensive natural history museum for the community. Permanent exhibits range from dinosaurs and exotic cultures, to rare diamonds and distant planets. Also offers a Discovery Center, traveling exhibits, live animal shows, outdoor gardens, a Museum store and café. Offers tours on request.

Provides volunteer training and opportunities for ages 14 and up. Opportunities are available in most departments of the museum, such as animal care, education and the Planetarium.

Offers school programs on natural history and science subjects including the planetarium. Generally serves PK-12 grades.

Offers guided and self-guided tours of the museum's interactive exhibits and displays including: That Kids Playce, Science Central, Hall of the Universe, the Discovery Zoo, the Fraze exhibits gallery, and the Caryl D. Philips Space Theater.

Museum has animal exhibits indoors and outdoors, and displays about natural history and space science. Exhibits serve as a portal to the outside experience, engaging visitors by exposing them to rarely seen wildlife and providing knowledge to both encourage further exploration and to inform outdoor discoveries.