American Museum of Natural History

I am so glad that we had the opportunity to come here. Let me start out by saying, this is the kind of place that you are going to need more than one day to see everything. Especially, if you love history.

From the moment you enter the museum, you are greeted by two large dinosaur skeletons. My daughter was ecstatic, and couldn't wait to see more. The time to get admission tickets looked tedious, but the lines moved very quickly.

Once inside, you have many possible destinations. Exhibits on ancient civilizations, animals (both current and extinct), dinosaur and prehistoric animal skeletons, etc... Many exhibits change throughout the year, so there is always something new to see as well.

If you enjoy learning about history, it can take a few hours to really see a full exhibit. There is a lot of printed information to read. Depending on how busy they are, it can take awhile to get through everything an exhibit has to offer.

Even the gift shop has something for everyone. It is several floors, and has just about everything you can think of. Great opportunity to buy some souvenirs.

Again, this is a great place to visit when in NYC with something for everyone. I recommend visiting them!

American Museum of Natural History holds the most complete collection of natural artifacts in the world. One can finds facts from the deepest points of an ocean to facts from deepest point in the sky, from natural habitats to the Big Bang and cosmos, from living animals to stones and jewelries.
Visit to the butterfly exhibit is a must. You don't need separate ticket to visit this part.
Due to being a family friendly activity, there are plenty of kinds and school students in every corner of the museum. For that reason, come early and have your comfy shoes on since you need to walk a lot.
Ticket is not that expensive.

This is my 3rd trip to NY and finally had a chance to visit this museum. Made 10am reservations for Sunday a few days prior, arrived around 9:50am and there was already a huge line out front of the museum. They don't open until 10am. I got in line and once the doors open, the line moves fairly quickly. You'll walk through a metal detector and then they point you to where to go line up with your ticket. It's well managed inside as they have a membership line, several areas for walk ins as well as those with reservations. They parse everyone out in different areas as to not congest the museum in just one area. I was inside the museum by about 10:15am.

Since I was by myself, it was easy to move through the museum and see a lot. I was there about 2.5 hours and barely scratched the surface of seeing everything. You really need all day there. All the exhibits are fascinating and informative. Definitely download the museum app as it helps you get around the museum as well.

Yes, I was also one of those people trying to find some of the central figures from the "Night in the Museum" movie. Found 4 of them. If you have young kids, definitely have them watch the movie before going.

Spent an enjoyable morning here. The museum itself is huge with about 5 floors and lots to see. I didn't expect so much of it to be taxidermied animals (which make me feel a bit sad), but the sheer number of displays was impressive. There were sections focused on African mammals, Asian mammals, human history throughout different continents, and marine life. The top floor has a bunch of cool dinosaur skeletons and fossils - that was probably my favorite area.

If you don't stop to read every plaque you can walk through and see the highlights in about 3 hours.

The American Museum of Natural History is a New York institution. This iconic museum has been featured in so many famous movies, tv shows, and books that walking the exhibits feels like stepping into a storybook. Famously known for Night at the Museum, I had to visit to see the movie's famous characters and artifacts as listed on their website.

Overall, The museum honestly felt a little run down in parts. Some exhibit rooms had dark lighting, grungy carpetings, and artifacts decorated with inches of gray dust. While others showcased state of the art screens, lighting, and crystal-clear display cases. I like to describe the Museum of Natural History as a zoo-- but taxidermy-ed animals rather than live. Roughly 3/4 of the artifacts are stuffed mammals and birds-- as well as fossils. There are also many, many rooms of miniature dioramas, similar to the ones in the movie.

I really enjoyed seeing some of the endangered species up close, one-of-a-kind crystals and gems, beautiful architecture, ginormous dinosaur fossils, and Rapa Nui Moai from the movie Night of the Museum. Great opportunities to see science and natural history up close rather than on a page of a book.

This is such a cool museum. I still have not been through the whole thing because it is so large. But I love visiting here whenever I can fit it in my schedule. I have also visited the Smithsonian version in D.C. The Natural History Museum is 150 years old! It houses millions of animals, fossils, plants and other specimens. The large animals and fossils are some of my favorite things to see. Especially the dinosaur fossils. The human origins are fascinating to see too. If you like rocks, they have some cool looking minerals and large meteorites.

This place was made famous with the "Night at the Museum" movies. The American Museum of Natural History is located across the street from Central Park. It is a great place to escape during the humid New York summers.

It had been years since I'd visited the Museum of Natural History. I made the trip because I wanted to check out "The Secret Lives of Elephants" exhibit.

The museum is huge. In addition to the giant dinosaur skeleton and whale displays that the museum is known for, they have countless life size diamora-style depictions of plants and animals from several continents. They also have a section on space with a short immersive film experience about the big bang. We particularly enjoyed the African Mammal and Ocean Life sections.

The elephant special exhibit was fun and informative. It included a heartwarming short film about orphan elephants that were released into the wild. Given that the exhibit was supposed to reveal "secrets," I was expecting a bit more depth about elephant cognition or their social experience, but I don't think the exhibit revealed anything mind blowing. I also thought it would be a bit bigger given the ticket price. Still, it was nicely curated and enjoyable for all ages.

For New York and New Jersey residents, tickets are "pay what you want," so it's very accessible for many, however you do have to pay a standard price for special exhibits.

Amazing journey through the wonders of our planet's biodiversity and cultural heritage. From the displays of endangered species to the curated artifacts representing diverse cultures, every corner of the museum was filled with awe-inspiring marvels.

One of the highlights was the guided tour, which offered invaluable insights into each wing of the museum, enabling our understanding of the exhibits and their significance.

The whale exhibition was great offering a fascinating glimpse into the world of these majestic creatures.

It's a must-visit destination.

I'll be honest.. this place was a letdown. I guess I expected more than just stuffed animals and such. Especially for a family of 5 over $100 and I was left highly disappointed in the museum displays. A lot of the museum is outdated and you can tell.

Been here, done it... don't need to come back.

A gigantic place, spread across 5 floors, covering all and everything that makes up our planet. There's minerals, there's human evolution, butterflies, animals, ocean life, dinosaurs, galaxies and space, just so much incredible information gathered under a single roof.

The entrance is free, guests can pay what they want, but for exhibits you need to buy tickets. There's a special price for tri-state area residents. The museum has many cafe, restaurants and restrooms on different floors. There are multiple pairs of elevators. The food is main cafeteria is pretty good, but a very high price. The spicy chicken, chicken nuggets, jerk chicken were some of my favorite.

The museum easily takes 4-5 hours to explore, and even more time to explore them in details. Very fun place to take kids of all ages.

Pretty amazing place. So big we had to come twice, even in the rain. Food is expensive inside and due to the immense amount of people inside there can be a long wait. Highly recommend finding a spot as soon as you get into the food court or cafe and order up. Cafe took like 30mins to order so be warned.

Advice for getting in: Definitely use the Columbus Ave. entrance that they suggest. It's about 5 min walk from the subway station. There is almost no wait time, otherwise if you use the other two entrances you will be waiting 30 mins plus just to enter the museum!!!

A must see if you are in NYC.