hi, do we need to purchase tickets in advance?

Hi Dana, purchasing tickets in advance allows you to skip the ticket line when you arrive. Pay-what-you-wish admission, which includes all the permanent halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space, is available at the ticket counters only. There are special exhibitions that require other ticket types (General Admission + 1, which includes all permanent galleries, plus one special exhibition, a giant-screen film, or the Space Show, or General Admission + All, which includes all of the above) These can be purchased in advance online, or at the ticket counters.

No