Adventures at the Natural History Museum

This last week, my BF and I visited the American Museum of Natural History. I always loved the Natural History Museum. I love seeing examples of other cultures and reading about the traditions and ceremonies of the people. I am thrilled by the reassembled fossils of prehistoric creatures and seeing how groundhogs (for example) have evolved. I am inspired by the exhibits about space travel and the study of our galaxy and beyond.

We literally spent hours studying one exhibit after another and we still did not see everything. (I overheard one patron mention that they had been there for 7 hours.) I strongly advise you to take a few minutes at the beginning of your excursion to study the museum map and determine which exhibits you are most interested in seeing. Begin with those. Of course you will end up traveling through the "Animals of South Africa" section on your way to the "Creatures of the Sea" exhibit and there is no reason not to take a few moments to marvel at the gorilla diorama. But there is so much to see that mapping out your interests in advance will help insure that you will get to see all the things that are on the top of your list.

I would also suggest visiting the website http://www.amnh.org/ in advance of your visit to see if there are exhibits that are especially exciting to you. We, for example were disappointed to find that we had missed the "Mythical Creatures" exhibit by about a week. The museum also hosts lectures and presentations that might be of interest.

This is a great trip for the entire family. The dinosaur exhibits are particularly alluring to kids, but many of the displays are kid friendly offering interactive things to touch or try. It is truly a joyful experience to witness 3 ten year old boys as they excitedly explain to each other the idea of continental drift.

As with most attractions, weekends tend to have much larger crowds, which can add to the excitement and energy of the day. However, if you prefer the quiet serene of calmly strolling through the museum, I suggest going during the day on a weekday.

Admittedly the first 20 minutes of our visit was a little overwhelming as we traversed the throngs of families and tried to orient ourselves. However, we quickly found a cozy little spot to have a bite to eat and what better way to start our day than to have lunch while pondering the giant fossils a woolly mammoth? From that point on, the day was filled with discovery and fun.

Insider Tips

• Wear comfortable shoes.
• Take the time to study the museum map and determine the exhibits you are the most interested in. Start with those.
• You can bring food and drinks to the museum. If you are planning to spend the day, you can either bring your lunch or buy nourishment from the museum cafeteria.
• Check out their website in advance of your trip to find out what special events are going on or what new exhibits are on display. http://www.amnh.org/.