By Foo Yee Ping

It's midnight and the lights are out at one of the most iconic museums in the US.

In the movie version, things literally go bump in the night at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) as dinosaurs come alive and monkeys become pests.

But in reality, a night at the 140-year-old museum in New York means a likely encounter with a more basic human type - the snorer.

"Believe it or not, the "biggest" problem we have had is when people snore!" laughed Brad Harris, senior director (visitor services) of AMNH.

He's referring to the museum's hugely popular sleepover programme which is open to children between the ages of eight and 12 and their adult chaperones.

"So we usually ask, at the start of evening, that if you snore, tell us now and we will find a good spot for you," he said.

Brad Harris

The sleepovers, which started in December 2006, are available 22 times a year with about 400 places offered each time.

"They are usually sold out," said Harris. And why not? As the AMNH described it, it is a nocturnal adventure not to be missed.

One of the sleepovers which will be held on Oct 24 is billed as "Halloween Fun" where participants arrive in costumes and take part in the trick-or-treat ritual.

The nocturnal activities vary depending on the day of the event. They could include origami paper folding, fossil exploration by flashlight and watching a movie on "Sea Monsters" and an exhibition on lizards and snakes.

Any incidents of children having nightmares or other misadventures during past sleepovers?

"For most of the kids, it's a piece of cake. At the most, they just need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night."

Harris, who revived the sleepovers which originally started in the 1980s, said the programme was a good way to bring in funds for the museum.

And it was fortuitous that Ben Stiller's 2006 hit Night At the Museum came out at about the same time. The movie, which was shot at the museum in Manhattan, gave a major boost to visitor arrivals.

However, the admission cost for the sleepovers at US$129 (RM442) is really quite steep although Harris put it this way:

"Where else can you stay here for that price, which includes 15 hours of activities lined up, plus dinner and breakfast snacks?"

Some of the adult participants think differently, though.

Kids and their parents/guardians spending the night at the Museum.

"It's very expensive. And it's another US$20 (RM68) for parking," said Loreto Porte, a mathematics professor who brought her 10-year-old grandson Pablo Niemhusser and his friend Elagha Brito, eight.

But, in a way, she did not mind it. "We visit museums very often. My grandson is very interested in science and this sleepover is a birthday present for him," she said.

Museums such as the AMNH in New York are fantastic, she said. "The kids learn so much and it is a lot of fun."

Porte was at the museum on Aug 8 to check in with the two boys for the sleepover, bringing pillows, sleeping bags and flashlights. Most of the other kids were seen hauling their favourite toys, others brought playing cards.

"I'm quite scared. It's going to be kind of dark," she said, laughing.

But trust the boys to be fearless. "This is going to be awesome!" Pablo exclaimed.

"All that stuff about dinosaurs running around is just your imagination."

The sequel to Night At the Museum will begin filming at the museum soon, which would surely boost AMNH's popularity once again.

According to a news report, foot traffic went up by more than 50,000 last year because of the movie.

"The sequel will hopefully peak interest in the museum again, coupled with the weak dollar and more foreign visitors coming to New York," Harris said.