Morrill Hall visitors can mingle with the mammoths and pose with the plesiosaur for free Thursday nights in July. The University of Nebraska State Museum at Morrill Hall, 645 N. 14th St., will offer free admission from 4:30 to 8 p.m. July 5, 12, 19 and 26.

The museum also will offer special activities each Thursday night in July:

• July 5, 4 to 4:30 p.m., Pop In Storytime — Moon and Stars: Lincoln City Libraries staff will present stories, songs and movement to teach children about the natural world. Everyone is invited to participate, however stories and activities are planned for ages 3 to 5. Free admission will begin at 3:30 p.m. July 5 to accommodate the storytime.

• July 5, 12, 19 and 26, 5 to 7 p.m., hands-on activities with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s International Genetically Engineered Machines team: Members of the iGem team will raise awareness of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer beetle by presenting a tree identification game and discuss their research project with the public.

• July 5, 12, 19 and 26, 6 p.m., Escape Room Experience — Natural History Mystery: Visitors will step back in time to the 1890s where they will try to help Erwin Barbour, director of the Nebraska State Museum from 1891 to 1941, lay claim to the discovery of the world-famous Agate Fossil Beds. Groups will have an hour to rewrite history by searching Barbour’s workroom to uncover clues, solve puzzles and decipher codes. Admission is required. Ticket reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance.

Visitors can also journey through the new temporary exhibition “The Museum Builders: A Story of Fossils and Friendship” to learn how two iconic individuals came together to expand the university’s museum, build Morrill Hall and carve a path for its future. Along the way, visitors will learn about the earliest fossil explorers and get to know one of the first women to become a paleontologist.

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