American Museum of Natural History

This weekend I went to the American Museum of Natural History in NYC with my sister, brother-in-law and 3 year old nephew. My nephew was really excited to see the dinosaurs, which he knows more about then I do. Natural history isn't totally my thing, but lately I've thought I need to get out and visit these museums in NYC and I got invited here so I gave it a shot. There were some good things, and some not so good things.

Our first stop was the dinosaur rooms, which were really nice, even for a novice like me. Of note is that the T-Rex is mostly made of real T-Rex bones and was recently repositioned to represent what the newer research indicates was a more likely position for the T-Rex. We also went to see Dinosaurs Alive at the IMAX, which was really interesting, and showed how dedicated the museum is to dinosaur research (they dropped a lot of names of people who were working for the museum and are doing the filed research.) If you're interested in dinosaurs this place is definitely worth visiting. The IMAX wasn't quiet as good as some others I have seen, but the others I have seen were based on real video (one of the coral reefs and one from space) but this one was a mixture of things - video and computer technology, it ended up not being as dynamic as I've come to expect from IMAX movies.

The Milstein Hall of Ocean Life and the African Mammal Hall. I'm covering these together because my thoughts on them are pretty much the same. These halls are not a reason to visit this museum. They're like the poor man's Zoo and Aquarium. It's not that the exhibits are cheap, but its dead stuffed animals with little bits of information about them. Unless the animal is extinct find a Zoo or Aquarium to see it in, it will be a much better experience. My 3 year old nephew did love these two rooms though, so maybe kids will like it.

We did make quick stops in a couple other rooms, but didn't spend much time in them:
Northwest Coast Indians - this room seemed to have a bit of promise, though I suspect that the amount of stuff on exhibit might not make it to the top of the list of places to visit for someone really interested in this. But then again I don't know too much about this topic so I could be wrong.
Human Origins - This was actually a pretty interesting exhibit and a place I wouldn't have minded spending a little more time in. Though I suspect that someone who believes in creation wouldn't want to bother stopping here.
Hall of Planet Earth - Another exhibit that showed some promise, but my nephew wanted to go home and play with his new dinosaurs so we didn't spend much time in here.

Some other notes about the museum: I found the ticket line to be long at 1:00 on a Saturday and poor signage to explain different ticketing options. It was my first time there and found it confusing. You need to pay for admission and then for the IMAX and for any current/temporary exhibits. If we had realized this we probably would have gotten tickets for the climate change exhibit, but by the time we realized it, it was too late. The cafeteria is pretty nice, though it was so crowded and there were so many choices that it was a little overwhelming. There were the usual grilled options, a nice looking salad bar, sandwiches, pizza as well as some entrees and desserts. I wouldn't shy away from eating here, though it's not the cheapest option.

First of all expect to spend a good few hours there !!! Lots to see and discover.... personally the prehistoric dinosaur exhibit was the best for me but even that in itself take a while. Also quite a few (paid) attractions on the inside but over a great stop.
There's a great gift shop with everything from educational toys to actual meteorites but as with most gift shops.... it's expensive :)

The only problem that I had with the museum was entirely my fault. See, I love museums but didn't allow myself enough time to thoroughly enjoy it. My family and I tried to cram as much as I could into 3 days. Well, it was effectively 2 days. The first day there we decided to hit the museum up. We were not familiar with the subway system but with a little research it quickly got the hang of it. The subway took us straight to the museum. We stepped directly off of the subway walked a few feet and stepped into the museum. The ticket prices were in line with what I expected. They have a really good snack bar down stairs. The food is reasonably priced and there is a wide variety. Word to the wise....unless you can commit atleast 2.5hrs you probably will have to rush. The museum is huge and has a little bit for everyone. Wear sensible shoes because there is a lot of walking envolved. The museum is well maintained and clean. Unless you are located within a few blocks of the museum take the subway. It is not as intimidating as one might think. Taxi's are way more expensive. Another cool thing about this museum (besides all of the exhibits) is it's proximity to Central Park. Whenever you enter/exit the museum street side there is a big statue of Teddy Roosevelt. Across the street from there is Central Park. In conclusion plan plenty of time for the museum and don't try to squeeze it in. Charge your camera batteries because there are tons of good photo ops.

I love this museum, the thing I always remember when I think about it, is the huge dinosaur skeleton. The museum holds some of the most amazing ancient artifacts as well as many fossils.

Each exhibition is worth seeing. They now have the live lizards’ exhibition and it's awesome for those lizard lovers out there. I would highly recommend this museum when you are in NYC.

Learn a bit about our history!

General Admission:
Adult - $15
Child - $8.50
Senior - $11
Student - $11

If you wish to see the special exhibitions you will need to pay more.

The American Museum of Natural History is huge...it will take you a whole day to walk thru 25 buildings and 46 exhibition halls...

This is a big museum, like a real museum should be! You can probably spend days here, but plan at least 4 hours. If you like dinosaurs, this is heaven. There are so many dinos and skeltons of other incredible animals it's just great fun to see them. Of course they are highly educational too, but don't tell your kids. There are realistic exhibits of all kinds of habitats from around the world. The Rose Center of earth and space is great for looking beyond the life on earth to explore the stars.

My favorites are the dinosaurs in the fossil hall, the gems and minerals exhibit, the meteorites, and the ocean life, the mammals.

Wear comfortable shoes, you will be doing a lot of walking here!