Explore human cultures, the natural world, and the universe with a visit to the attraction voted #1 in New York City by Zagat Survey "U.S. Family Travel Guide"! See world-renowned dioramas, the 94-foot-long blue whale, the new 122-foot-long titanosaur, and incredible dinosaur halls.
The Museum covers 1.6 million square feet on an 18-acre campus on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, so we advise you to wear comfortable shoes. The world renown permanent collection offers a “field guide” to the natural world, global cultures, and the universe while topical special exhibitions present and explain the complex issues of our times. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the Space Show in the Hayden Planetarium and/or a Giant Screen film in the Lefrak beaux arts theatre. Both are conveniently located near Museum entrances.
Opened to the public in February 2000, the Rose Center for Earth and Space is one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the Museum. It contains five exhibition spaces, including the Hall of Planet Earth, the Hall of the Universe, the Cosmic Pathway, Scales of the Universe, and the Hayden Planetarium. Bathed in natural light, the spectacular seven story structure is an architectural marvel. The luminous 2,000 ton (1,800- metric-ton) Hayden Sphere, which appears to float behind one of the largest suspended glass curtain walls in the United States—almost an acre (4,000 square meters) of astoundingly clear “water white” glass held together with 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of rod rigging and 1,400 steel spiders. Organizing cosmic objects around the physical principles that unite them, the Rose Center creates a seamless journey from the outer reaches of the universe to the inner workings of planet Earth.
The American Museum of Natural History is a must-see, especially if you're traveling with children, since many of the exhibits appeal to a person's sense of wonder and curiosity. The museum is an extremely popular place to visit.
Insider's Tip! - Use this self-guided tour flyer to see the real exhibits behind the Night at the Museum movies!
Current Museum Exhibitions
Our Senses: An Immersive Experience: November 20, 2017–January 6, 2019
We get to know our world through some or all of our senses—sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste—but they’re just parts of a much larger puzzle. The highly experiential exhibition Our Senses delves into how our brains work with sensory organs to shape our perceptions and reveals how, until recently in our evolutionary history, humans have been oblivious to nature’s other crucial signals, including UV light, infrared sounds, and electrical fields.
Unseen Oceans: March 12, 2018–January 6, 2019
Oceans explores our blue planet’s defining feature—the world ocean—as revealed through 21st-century technology. Visitors to the exhibition will meet the elusive giants of the sea, including whales, sharks, giant squid; sink beneath the waves in a virtual submersible theater; and marvel at the vivid fluorescence displayed by marine creatures but invisible to us . . . until now. And they’ll leave with a deeper awareness that the future of the planet depends on the future of the ocean.
The Butterfly Conservatory (October 7th, 2017 - May 29th, 2019)
This exhibition, an annual favorite, features up to 500 live, free-flying tropical butterflies from the Americas, Africa, and Asia. The butterflies are housed in a vivarium that approximates their natural habitat, includes live flowering plants that serve as nectar sources, and features controlled artificial light, temperature, and humidity.
T. rex: The Ultimate Predator: (March 11, 2019 - June 16th, 2019)
This exhibition will focus on the on the genus of dinosaurs known as tyrannosaurs. The exhibition will explore how these mega-predators came to be, with an emphasis on the most famous and impressive member of the family, Tyrannosaurus rex.
Updated Climate Change Exhibit
Understand one of the most urgent scientific issues of our time. explore how climate change is affecting the world today as well as what might happen in the future if the current course continues.
Insider's Tip! - Use this self-guided tour flyer to see the real exhibits behind the Night at the Museum movies!
Current Museum Films
Space Show – Hayden Planetarium
Dark Universe: narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium
Celebrate the pivotal discoveries that have led us to greater knowledge of the structure and history of the universe and our place in it—and to new frontiers for exploration.
Giant Screen Films – 3D & 2D showings
Backyard Wilderness: now through June 30, 2019
Audiences enter a wild world of breathtaking beauty and captivating animals, including an array of nature’s master of mimicry.
