American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History in New York City is a leading institution dedicated to discovering, interpreting, and disseminating knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through scientific research and education.

Planning your visit

The American Museum of Natural History holds 34 million specimens and is among the greatest museums of any kind. The dinosaur halls on the fourth floor are the reason most people come, and they are arranged cladistically — by evolutionary relationship rather than chronology — with the Tyrannosaurus, Apatosaurus and the enormous Titanosaurus cast that fills a gallery and cannot fit inside it.

Beyond that: the blue whale suspended over the Hall of Ocean Life, the Hall of Biodiversity, the meteorites including the 34-tonne Ahnighito, the gems, and the habitat dioramas — painted and modelled in the 1930s and 40s to a standard of artistry no longer attempted, and among the finest things in the building.

The Rose Center for Earth and Space holds the planetarium, and the Gilder Center opened in 2023 with an insectarium and butterfly vivarium.

It is enormous. A full day is not excessive, and selectivity beats completeness.

Bookable options include admission tickets covering the permanent halls, with special exhibitions and shows generally extra. Current availability is listed below.