The key to what lies in the Museum of the Future is in its name. Opening its doors on 22nd February 2022, this modern cultural space is all about showcasing the future and not the past. The whole museum took over a decade to put together, with permanent exhibits designed to take visitors into the year 2071; the idea being to pose the question: What will science and technology look like in 50 years from now?
The building itself is striking, looking a little bit like a spacecraft has landed and taken up residence in Dubai. It’s a curving, egg-like shape with an oval hole in the middle — a bit like a squashed crescent moon (but actually supposed to resemble an eye looking towards the future), which has inscribed poetry written with gigantic Arabic letters.
This calligraphic script runs for a total of 14,000 meters. This huge glass and steel structure consist of 1,024 separate panels; it’s no coincidence that this is the same number of bytes in a kilobyte.
Made up of seven floors, the museum covers a wide range of subjects, from outer space and bioengineering to health and wellbeing. There are also areas that aim to tackle the challenges faced by humans and the natural world in decades to come, namely food, water, transportation, and energy.
And if you’re traveling in Dubai with your family, you’ll be pleased to know that there’s an entire floor dedicated to children.
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Table of Contents
A Guide to the Museum of the Future in Dubai
What to See in the Museum of the Future
While seeing the architecturally stunning exterior of the Museum of the Future is impressive in itself, stepping inside opens up a world of intriguing predictions and possibilities, all told with immersive spaces and interactive exhibits.
Future Heroes
This exhibit uses play and gamification to get younger visitors involved in learning at the museum. This innovative space is intended for use by children aged between 3 and 10 years of age and is designed with an open-world style environment in mind. Children are challenged to participate in missions that encourage them to take part in working towards a shared goal.
At the end of their time in this part of the Museum of the Future, participating children will have various badges to take home. The bonus is that it’s an entirely screen-free area, promoting a more hands-on level of play and learning.
Digital Amazon
While Dubai might be far from the Amazon, a trip to the Museum of the Future allows visitors to enter the depths of the rainforest through this futuristic recreation. Here you can observe different species that live in this part of the world and understand more about the thousands of lesser-known and intriguing creatures that call the vast rainforest home.
The Vault of Life
Taking up space in a 375-square-meter hall, the Vault of Life is a gigantic archive of genetics. Here is where you’ll find 2,400 specimens of DNA housed in individual crystal jars. This biological library is a catalog of the planet’s diverse life, showcasing how everything on the Earth is connected — from the smallest to the largest living things.
The Vault of Life feels like a laboratory, albeit one with iridescent lighting. Here you can scan specimens to learn more about them, take on challenges to design new life forms, or fix existing ones.
Tomorrow Today
Tomorrow Today is all about emerging technologies. This is where cutting-edge breakthroughs and ideas are displayed, and so as you can imagine, this particular exhibition is designed to be ever-changing. Here visitors will be able to explore the near future, namely through new technology that is currently in the works by a roster of influential companies and researchers from around the world.
The focus is on how technology can be utilized to change the way we live (for the better), looking at how the environmental, cultural, social, and political issues that we’ll face in the future can be helped by these technological innovations.
Journey to the Future
Space is a place that most of us probably won’t get to in our lifetimes. But at the Journey to the Future exhibition, visitors will be able to make the journey to a space station 600 kilometers above the Earth.
Essentially, it’s an elevator, but only when you step in. From the moment it starts moving, this becomes an immersive experience, transforming into a trip into space, complete with panoramic views of Earth down below.
After four minutes, you’ll finally arrive at OSS Hope, where you’ll get a better understanding of what it feels like to live like an astronaut, learn about missions currently taking place, and amazing discoveries that are being worked on.
The Future of Wellness
For a place that uses so much technology, at the Future of Wellness exhibition, visitors are encouraged to leave the digital world to discover what health and well-being look like in the future. As screens dominate more and more of our lives, this part of the museum gives you a chance to switch off and unwind.
In this spacious, minimalist part of the museum, you can learn about ultrasonic therapy, the benefits of sand bathing, and how grounding therapy can keep us connected to the here and now. There’s even a meditation center where you can lay back in an ethereal space, with ripples and waves beaming onto the walls and ceilings, allowing you to enjoy the moment.
Click here to book your Museum of the Future Admission Ticket.
Tips for Visiting the Museum of the Future
How to Get to the Museum of the Future, Dubai
The Museum of the Future is near Emirates Tower. To get there, take the Red Line to Emirates Tower Metro Station, from where there’s a direct bridge link connecting the station and museum.
By bus, the closest stop to the museum is the Novotel Hotel bus stop (just over a kilometer away from the museum itself); bus numbers 27, 29, and X22 all go here.
Alternatively, you could get a taxi or drive. The address is Sheikh Zayed Road, Trade Centre, Trade Centre 2, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Best Time to Visit the Museum of the Future
If you want to visit the Museum of the Future with fewer people to share the space with, then you should opt to go on weekday mornings. Crowds at this time will be low compared to weekends when the museum can get pretty busy.
People usually spend two to three hours at the museum, so you might want to factor this into your day, too.
Booking Tickets for the Museum of the Future
To get entry to the Museum of the Future, visitors need to have a valid ticket for a timed slot, which can only be booked online in advance of your visit. For adults and children aged four and over, tickets cost 145 AED (£30); children three and under go free.
There’s also the option to book combo tickets to access different museums. For example, you can get a combined ticket for Burj Khalifa and the Museum of the Future, which saves you a portion of the cost.
Note that tickets do get booked up pretty quickly, especially in high season (December through February), so be sure to book as far in advance as possible to avoid any disappointment and to secure the date and time that suits you.
Click here for more information and to book your Museum of the Future Admission Ticket.
Opening Times for the Museum of the Future
The Museum of the Future is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The last admission is one hour before closing.