The American Museum of Natural History in New York is one of New York’s most beloved museums (it’s definitely one of my perennial favorites) and one of best museums in the world dedicated to the geological and organic history of our earth.
Even if you’ve never set foot in New York, you may know it from the 2006 hit film Night at the Museum (which starred Ben Still, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, and Robin Williams).
But with 2,500,000 sq ft (232,258 m2) of floor space and over 30 million specimens covering 4.5 billion years of history, where do you even begin?
Here are 10 of the best things to see at the American Museum of Natural History!
Table of Contents
1. Tyrannosaurus rex
With its big head and little arms, the Tyrannosaurus rex, or T. rex, is one of the most recognizable of all dinosaurs. They lived some 72.5 to 66 million years ago during the late Cretaceous period in what is now western North America.
The museum’s T. rex specimen was discovered in Montana by legendary fossil hunter Barnum Brown. It’s been on display since 1915, when it was originally mounted inaccurately in a standing position; this was eventually corrected to the stalking position it’s known for today. The skeleton you see is about 45% real fossils and the rest plaster casts.
2. Blue Whale
Maybe I associate natural history museums with blue whales thanks to childhood visits to London’s natural history museum, but the one is New York is most definitely a showstopper. The iconic model of the largest animal ever known can be found (and can’t be missed) in the Hall of Ocean Life.
21,000 pounds of foam and fiberglass (which is just fraction of a blue whale’s weight of 199 tons) are suspended in the air thanks to a single steel pipe. And while the museum’s model isn’t in water, it does get washed once a year.
3. Willamette Meteorite
Weighing a whopping 15.5 tons, the Willamette Meteorite is the largest ever meteorite every found in the United States and the sixth largest in the world.
It is also held to be sacred by the native Clackamas Chinook Tribe, who sued to have the meteorite returned to them. Eventually, an agreement was reached where the museum would be permitted to keep the space object, as long as it is kept on display.
4. African elephants
The American Museum of Natural History has an array of impressive animal specimens, but perhaps the greatest of these are the African elephants that dominate the Hall of African Mammals.
Set as if they’re on a stampede, this is as close to an elephant as you’re likely to ever get (and you certainly wouldn’t want to be close as they’re stampeding). Now endangered due to habitat loss and illegal poaching, they are the largest land animals on earth.
5. Amethyst geodes
The museum boasts one of the most spectacular collections of minerals anywhere in the world. When the Hall of Gems and Minerals reopened in 2021, new highlights included two brilliant 9,000-pound amethyst geodes.
Other geological treasures include The Star of India (one of the largest star sapphires in the world), the Subway Garnet (a 9-pound garnet that was discovered in Manhattan in 1885), and the Singing Stone (a block of malachite that, under certain conditions) emits an eerie singing sound).
6. Rapa Nui Moai Cast
Moai are giant human figures that were carved by the Rapa Nui people some five to eight hundred years ago on the island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), 2,000 miles off the coast of Chile. While getting to one of the world’s most inaccessible places may be a challenge, visitors to the museum can enjoy this life-size cast, whose popularity soared thanks to its appearance in Night at the Museum.
The Rapa Nui moai cast isn’t the only giant head at the museum; I’ve always enjoyed seeing the large Olmec head as well. (The museum also has a collection of shrunken heads.)
7. Aztec stone of the sun
This reproduction of the Aztec civilization’s most famous work of art captures intricate motifs all relating to the sun, a key component of Aztec cosmogony. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a calendar.
The original is kept in the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City.
8. Lucy
Lucy was an Australopithecus afarensis, a hominin that lived around 3 million years ago in Africa. Much like humans, Lucy would have walked upright and lived on the ground instead of in trees.
The real Lucy is preserved at the National Museum of Ethiopia, but several casts were made, including the one on display in New York City.
9. Giant Sequoia
It was at a natural history museum where I first learned that you can count a tree’s rings to find out its age, but there’s no way I’d want to count the rings on this enormous tree that was around 1,400 years old when it was felled.
The Giant Sequoia are native to California – and are the largest trees on earth. They are so large, in fact, that people didn’t believe they were real. To prove their existence, one of the trees was cut down (an illegal act today) and parts sent to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, which is what you see on display today.
10. Central atrium of the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation
It isn’t just the museum’s collection of priceless specimens that’s impressive – the building itself is also worth admiring. My favorite is perhaps the latest addition – the central atrium of the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, which opened in 2023.
Constructed using shotcrete, the atrium gives the feeling of being in a cave or other geological structure. The exterior, in keeping with the museum’s mission of preserving the natural world, is outfitted with bird-safe glass to prevent birds from flying into the structure.
How to visit the American Museum of Natural History
Opening times
Open daily from 10:00am to 5:30pm
Closed Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November) and Christmas Day (December 25)
Ticket prices
$30 for Adults
$24 for Seniors (60+) and College Students (with valid ID)
$18 for Children (3-12)
For most up-to-date prices, be sure to check out the website.
Please note that certain special exhibitions are not included in the standard ticket price.
The American Museum of Natural History is one of the attractions included in the New York CityPass and the New York Pass. You may need to make a reservation.
Location and how to get there
Address: 200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024
The closest bus stop is the M79, which stops next to the museum.
The closest subway stop is 81st street, serviced by B (on weekdays only) and C trains.
If you’re short on time
The museum is huge, so unless you’re really into space and minerals, I recommend sticking with the Dinosaur fossils, the Hall of African Mammals, and the Hall of Ocean Life if you’re short on time and don’t have anything specific you want to see.
While you’re in town, don’t forget to check out some of the other best sights New York has to offer!
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