by airynfaerie

St. Augustine, Florida

November 4, 2011

by RLB2

Scarborough, England, United Kingdom

August 21, 2011

by ripplefan2

Queens, New York

June 6, 2007

by Traveling Jen

East Bridgewater, Massachusetts

March 15, 2007

The building of the Museum of Natural History was breathtaking! This place is ginormous! You need your walking shoes on for this museum, that is for sure.

The displays range from animals to rocks, a bit for everyone. If you don’t plan on spending several hours, I suggest you map out what you want to see before you leave the lobby. This is where I killed my best friend, Sue’s, feet… she didn’t let me forget it the rest of the trip. Or even to this day (ha, ha… Sue if you’re reading this, I love you).

by globe_jogger80

new york city, New York

October 23, 2005

This museum is fantastic. I highly recommend it, because you can buy a ticket for this museum and the art museum for only $2 more then you would for a ticket to each. They're both very educational and interesting.

by joellevand

Edgewater Park, New Jersey

May 24, 2005

by RJDancin

Niles, Ohio

May 19, 2005

I really like science and natural history museums, so it’s a very interesting place. Again, you will be searched before you enter, just like any place in NYC. My favorite part was the dinosaurs. I thought it was absolutely fascinating. I loved dinosaurs as a child and had never seen a dinosaur fossil before! Just so you know, there are some exhibits that are anatomically correct, and if you are one of those parents who do not feel their child is ready for that, avoid those sections. Other than that, it’s a great family outing!

by mekurtz

Sarasota, Florida

April 28, 2005

Highlights would have to include the planetarium and the dinosaur exhibits, and most of the temporary exhibits are worth the extra admission (takes it from $13 to $20 usually).

The best parts for us were the more hidden corners of the museum. They were filled with good information and interesting exhibits, and nearly empty of visitors. The Peoples of the Pacific Island exhibit was high on this list.

Another surprise was the café downstairs. It was well laid out, with a nice selection and decent-tasting food. It is a good place to sit for a few minutes and recharge with a bite before heading back to a hotel or farther into the museum.

I recommend going early on weekdays, as school groups can be numerous and noisy!

by Matwt

London, Australia

April 16, 2005

Other displays we saw included the Gottesman hall of Planet Earth on geological science. This was an extremely well laid-out hall, with a wide variety of different displays. There were touch-screen information terminals, tactile displays relating to continental drift, and the formation of rock types and the above mentioned seismograph. This hall showed what could be done with a little thought.

The Cullman Hall of the universe. Is one of the largest open spaces at the Musuem, and again doesn't utilize its space or its topic as well as it might. This is the universe—space—and in reality there are few things more interesting; however, with a few exceptions, (the Mars rover, the meteorite, and the Cinema Display), this hall comes across as almost empty and not making sense thematically. This hall, however, is very near an entrance, and it may be that it is kept clear because of this.

At a number of points throughout the museum, there are short cinema displays explaining or expanding on the static displays. In the dinosaur halls, these are narrated by Meryl Streep, and are well worth watching. None of them are longer than about 7 minutes, and they are very illuminating.

The Natural History Museum is well worth seeing. It is a great whole family activity, and you can easily kill a whole rainy day. It is well stocked, well-curated, and no doubt an invaluable scientific resource. But in the 21st century, we have come to expect more than static displays with an accompanying label, and the AMNH may need to do more to meet these expectations.

by ShereeZielke

Edmonton, Alberta

February 15, 2005