OMSI is located at 1945 SE Water Avenue, on the east bank of the Willamette River. School year hours (Sept. 4, 2007 - June 13, 2008): Tuesday-Sunday, 9:30am-5:30pm*. Closed Mondays except for Portland Public School holidays. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Summer hours (June 14, 2008 - Sept. 1, 2008) daily 9:30am - 7pm.

Group Rates

Discounted admission rates are available to groups of 12 or more, Tuesday-Friday. Reservations must be made at least 10 days in advance to qualify for group rates. For details on pricing, please see the School/Advance Group Rates section of our Tickets page. Please note that field trip reservations are unavailable during Portland Public School winter and spring breaks, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day and Labor Day.

Chaperone Policy

A positive learning experience for students means plenty of adult chaperones! Please plan for an adult to student ratio of 1:5 for grades Pre-K ? 8 and 1:10 for grades 9 ? 12. Adult chaperones receive a discounted rate for exhibit admission and other attractions. Teachers are free for exhibit admission.

Preview OMSI

Educators may visit OMSI's exhibit halls and labs free of charge when planning curriculum in conjunction with a field trip. Just present a current form of identification at the membership window. (Unfortunately, this cool opportunity does not apply to OMNIMAX, planetarium, submarine or other ticketed events.)

OMSI Members

To simplify the registration process and enable us to offer low-cost group rates, we are unable to offer further discounts to OMSI members visiting with a pre-registered group. OMSI members in your group should be included in your attendance numbers and pay the group rates.

Lunches and Storage

Reserve (in advance) a 25-minute time-slot in our sack-lunch area. Bins for storing sack lunches are available upon arrival. In addition, backpacks and personal belongings can be stored on coat racks or in a limited number of lockers (50¢ locker rental fee). OMSI is not responsible for lost or stolen property.

Group Nametags

OMSI uses nametags, not printed tickets, to admit pre-registered groups. This makes our admission process much speedier. Each student and adult must come to OMSI wearing a nametag with the group?s name only, not individual names. You?ll be charged a fee for forgetting, so don?t forget!

Science Store

The Science Store has a wide variety of educational toys, games, books and gadgets?and many are under $5. Teachers receive a 10 percent discount. Present identification at time of purchase and be aware that some exclusions apply (isn?t that always the case?).

Motion Simulator

Tickets to the motion simulator are $4.75 per person No reservation needed. Tickets available at the ride.

Accessibility

OMSI welcomes all visitors and affirms its commitment to making its programs and services available to everyone. OMSI offers accessible parking and all exhibit halls are accessible. Please let an OMSI registrar know if you have special requirements. Our TTY phone number is 503.239.7804. For more information, please see our accessibility at OMSI webpage.

Registration & Policies

Our new Program Registration Office has streamlined the registration process for your convenience. There are some changes to the policies, so please read the following information carefully. We welcome your feedback, comments, and questions. Contact the Program Registration Office at 503.797.4661.

Registration Process

We recommend that you register for programs as early as possible. In order to prepare quality programs, we ask that you stick to these deadlines:

• Complete registration 10 days before the program begins for Field Trips. Once your registration is complete, you will receive a confirmation letter that includes your deposit amount. This confirmation letter includes all the details about your program. Review this information for accuracy. Please sign and return the letter by fax (503.239.7800) or mail (OMSI Program Registration Office, 1945 SE Water Ave., Portland, OR 97214). An invoice will follow within 4-6 days. After your program begins, you'll receive a second invoice with the remaining balance due. OMSI accepts cash, checks, and credit cards.

Deposits

Deposits are required for all programs.

• If the program is $500 or less, your deposit amount is the cost of the program.
• If the program costs more than $500, your deposit amount is $500.

Deposits are due 30 days before your program begins. If you're registering closer to the start date of the program, your deposit is due upon registration.

Attendance Changes

We understand that group sizes fluctuate due to unforeseen circumstances. It's important to us that we offer a fair response to such situations, so we've developed the following guidelines.

• Contact the Program Registration Office if you want to bring more participants than originally registered. Additions will be accommodated subject to availability.
• If you have fewer participants than you originally registered for, we will refund up to 5 percent of your total group size. For example, if you register for 100 participants but only 90 show up, you'll need to pay for 95 participants (100 less 5 percent = 95).
• Some of OMSI's programs have a minimum cost or number of participants. For these programs, we cannot refund an amount that takes the cost below that minimum. We'll let you know at registration time if your program requires a minimum.

Cancellations/Refunds

Cancellations must be submitted in writing by letter, fax or email. Please include your contact information, organization (group) name, and the type and date of program you are canceling. Cancellations for Field Trips must be received at leasat 14 days before the program starts or no refund will be given.

Send Cancellations to:
OMSI Program Registration Office
1945 SE Water Ave.
Portland, OR 97214
E-mail: register@omsi.edu
Fax: 503.239.7800

Rescheduling

We encourage you to reschedule (subject to availability) rather than cancel. Please contact the Program Registration Office for more information. A $25 fee applies after the cancellation time frame listed above.

Financial Assistance

OMSI strives to make our programs accessible to all. A limited amount of financial aid is available for OMSI programs. Schools must have 50 percent or more of their students on free or reduced lunch programs to be eligible for financial aid. Non-school groups must be classified as nonprofit to be eligible for financial aid. Application deadlines apply. Please contact the Program Registration Office for further details about the application process.