All admission to the Museum is by timed-entry, and must be reserved online.
This world-famous museum is comprised of several different Halls, each dedicated to a particular theme. The museum's exhibition-halls house a stunning array of artifacts a... more
All admission to the Museum is by timed-entry, and must be reserved online.
This world-famous museum is comprised of several different Halls, each dedicated to a particular theme. The museum's exhibition-halls house a stunning array of artifacts and specimens from all corners of the world and all historical periods. These illuminate the natural history of our planet and its myriad species, and bring the world's cultures to life.
The permanent exhibits include Halls dedicated to: Biodiversity, Human Biology and Evolution, Meteorites, Gems and Minerals, Ocean Life, Northwest Coast Indians, North American Mammals, African Mammals, African Peoples, Asian Peoples, Birds of the World, Oceanic Birds, South American Peoples, Mexico and Central America, Reptiles and Amphibians, Mollusks and Our World, Vertebrate Evolution
Exhibition schedules and availability may change quickly and without notice, so visitors are strongly urged to visit the official web site for current updates on exhibit availability and upcoming closures. To get the most up to date information, please call (212) 769-5100.
Insider tip: Make sure you don't miss the Butterfly Conservatory, home to more than 500 ... more
All admission to the Museum is by timed-entry, and must be reserved online.
This world-famous museum is comprised of several different Halls, each dedicated to a particular theme. The museum's exhibition-halls house a stunning array of artifacts and specimens from all corners of the world and all historical periods. These illuminate the natural history of our planet and its myriad species, and bring the world's cultures to life.
The permanent exhibits include Halls dedicated to: Biodiversity, Human Biology and Evolution, Meteorites, Gems and Minerals, Ocean Life, Northwest Coast Indians, North American Mammals, African Mammals, African Peoples, Asian Peoples, Birds of the World, Oceanic Birds, South American Peoples, Mexico and Central America, Reptiles and Amphibians, Mollusks and Our World, Vertebrate Evolution
Exhibition schedules and availability may change quickly and without notice, so visitors are strongly urged to visit the official web site for current updates on exhibit availability and upcoming closures. To get the most up to date information, please call (212) 769-5100.
Insider tip: Make sure you don't miss the Butterfly Conservatory, home to more than 500 live, free-flying tropical butterflies in an enclosed habitat--known as a vivarium--that approximates their natural environment with lush vegetation and live flowering plants.
Drag the street view to look around 360°.
Use the arrow buttons to navigate down the street and around the neighborhood!
Upper West Side Description
American Museum of Natural History is located in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan.
The home of diverse cultural attractions, the Upper West side is sandwiched between Riverside Park to the west and Central Park to the east. Both parks are excellent leisurely green spaces to spend a day. Central Park is especially notable, as it is New York’s "flagship" park. With over 843 acres of land, it is home to 275 species of birds. It’s quite easy to spend an entire day there too, as the park has several restaurants on its perimeter, a Boathouse, a Carousel, ball fields, a running track, reservoir, sculptures of Alice in Wonderland and Shakespeare, and a nearly endless list of events and other attractions.
In addition to being the most densely populated area of the United States, the Upper West Side is the home of several academic institutions and a litany of famous people too numerous to list here. The American Museum of Natural History is among the most notable museum in the neighborhood. This world-famous museum is comprised of several different Halls, each dedicated to a particular theme. The museum's exhibition-halls house a stunning array of artifacts and specimens from all corners of the world and all historical periods including some magnificent dinosaur fossils. Other nearby cultural institutions worth checking out include the New York Historical Society, and the new Rose Center for Earth and Space which houses the Hayden Planetarium; the most technologically advanced Space Theater in existence.
The Upper West Side also contains some of the greatest venues to hear classical music. There is the Metropolitan Opera House —one of the world’s leading opera companies since its opening in 1883—as well asAvery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall and the renowned New York City Opera. Additionally both The Julliard School and Fordham University grace the area.
You’re bound to get hungry while visiting the neighborhood, but fear not -there are plenty of famous places to nosh or grab some classic New York smoked salmon in the Upper West Side. There’s Zabar’s—a heavenly deli if there ever was one; Fairway Market which has a huge, gourmet selection of just about everything; Citarella, with fresh fish and much more; and Murray’s Sturgeon Shop—just to name a few. If you're looking for a more substantial meal, head to Prohibition, an upscale restaurant and bar. The interior, which invokes the glamour and romance of the Prohibition-Era style of the twenties and early thirties, helps create terrific ambience. All of this has made Prohibition a mainstay on the Upper West Side. There's also the takeout booth at Carmine's. Carmine's simple and very popular concept is to serve every meal in the style of an Italian American wedding feast - which means large portions of homestyle antipasti, pastas, seafood and meat entrees served on large platters designed for sharing. And when we say large, we mean large; an entree here could easily feed three to four average eaters. After your weekend mid-day meal, take a walk back through Riverside Park or stroll down Riverside Drive and admire the impressive monuments, grand apartment buildings, and views of the Hudson River, all while burning off a few calories of course.
Given the number of attractions and cultural institutions in the neighborhood, the Upper West Side is an ideal location to spend your stay in New York. The charming Excelsior Hotel is located right near the Museum of Natural History and Central Park. Meanwhile, the cozy and reasonably priced Belnord Hotel is another conveniently located option for the budget conscious traveler, as is the Comfort Inn Central Park West.
The newly opened Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins presents the remarkable history of human evolution from our earliest ancestors millions of years ago to modern Homo sapiens. The innovative Spitzer Hall combines the most up-to-date discoveries in the fossil record with the latest in ge... [ + ]nomic science to explore the most profound mysteries of humankind: who we are, where we came from, and what is in store for the future of our species.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
Renowned for their colorful iridescence, opals’ unique internal structure creates their colors by scattering light. Opal gemstones used in jewelry are relatively soft and fragile; they need protection from scratching, bumping, and abrupt temperature changes. Opal most commonly forms by the action of... [ + ] warm water on volcanic glass. It can also form at low temperatures, when water rich with dissolved silica mixes with sediment or enters rocks.
Opal deposits are found around the globe, but about 85 percent of the world’s gem opals are mined in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. These opals come from a range of locations—Australia, Brazil, Honduras, Ethiopia, and the United States—and illustrate the gem’s diversity.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
A two-foot-long slice from a jadeite jade boulder provides a spectacular window into the dramatic process that formed this highly prized type of jade. This jadeite started as a small vein, or fracture, over 12 miles underground that was wrenched apart by the collision of two tectonic plates over 35 ... [ + ]million years ago. During the shakeup, mineral-rich fluids rose into cracks in Earth's mantle and deposited jadeite rock. As the tectonic plates continued to rub against one another, the veins of jadeite broke and reformed again and again, producing the remarkable emerald green and white swirls. The polished 55-pound slab was recovered from northern Burma.
The spectacular jade slab is now on display in the Museum's 77th Street Grand Gallery. Also on display are two delicately carved jade pieces from China, dating from the early 1900s—a nephrite jade vessel for incense and a jadeite jade carving of Guanyin, Buddhist goddess of mercy.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The Museum's habitat group dioramas, located extensively throughout its halls, are among the most renowned and beloved exhibits at the Museum. With precise depictions of geographical locations and the careful, anatomically correct mounting of specimens, these stunning dioramas are windows onto a wor... [ + ]ld of animals, their behavior, and their habitats. Moreover, since many of the environments represented have been exploited or degraded, some dioramas preserve places and animals as they no longer exist. The viewer of a habitat group diorama is able to travel not only across continents, but also, in some cases, through time.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
One of the premier attractions in New York City is the Museum's series of fossil halls, including its two famed dinosaur halls. The Museum is home to the world's largest collection of vertebrate fossils, totaling nearly one million specimens. More than 600 of these specimens, nearly 85 percent of wh... [ + ]ich are real fossils as opposed to casts, are on view. Completely renovated between 1994 and 1996, the fossil halls now stand as a continuous loop on the fourth floor, telling the story of vertebrate evolution. Unlike most fossil exhibits, which are arranged in chronological order, the Museum's fossil halls display the specimens according to evolutionary relationships, dramatically illustrating the complex branches of the tree of life, in which animals are grouped according to their shared physical characteristics. Such relationships are determined through a method of scientific analysis called cladistics, which the Museum helped pioneer. The halls' renovation also allowed for new scientific interpretations of favorite displays, as well as the restoration of the fourth floor to its original architectural grandeur.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The Hall of Biodiversity is a groundbreaking exhibition devoted to what many scientists believe is the most pressing environmental issue of our time: the need to protect and preserve our planet's biodiversity, the variety and interdependence of Earth's life forms. The 11,000-square-foot hall, which ... [ + ]opened in 1998, represents an important step in the Museum's efforts to expand public understanding of Earth's diverse and often endangered life forms, while painting a vivid and inspiring portrait of the breathtaking beauty and abundance of life on Earth.
Dominating the hall is a spectacular diorama of the Dzanga-Sangha rain forest, which represents one of the most biodiversity-rich ecosystems on Earth. The diorama includes more than 160 species of flora and fauna and more than 500,000 leaves, each painstakingly made by hand. Representing a diorama "for the new millennium," the rain forest measures 90 feet long, 26 feet wide, and 18 feet high and invites visitors behind the glass into an immersive environment where high-resolution imagery, video, sound, and smell work together to create a habitat. The rain forest is depicted in three different states: pristine, altered by natural forces, and degraded by human intervention.
Another major element of the hall is the Spectrum of Life, the only exhibit of its kind in the world, showcasing the glorious diversity of life resulting from 3.5 billion years of evolution. Organized into 28 groups along a 100-foot-long installation are more than 1,500 specimens and models—microorganisms and mammals, bacteria and beetles, fungi and fish.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites features a circular layout centered around a massive 34-ton iron meteorite fragment called Ahnighito.
For thousands of years, people have been fascinated by streaks of light flashing across the night sky. These "shooting stars" are actually tiny grains of dust ... [ + ]from space that burn up in Earth's atmosphere before reaching the ground. But hundreds of times a year, a rock called a meteorite survives the fiery trip from space and lands on Earth. A small fraction of these "fallen stars"—really fallen rocks—are recovered each year from around the globe.
The vast majority of meteorites are pieces of asteroids, the small rocky bodies that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. And while meteorites are not from stars, they contain vital clues that help scientists understand how stars like our Sun formed and how planets, including Earth, took shape more than four billion years ago.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The Milstein Hall of Ocean Life at the American Museum of Natural History is one of New York's best-known grand spaces and home to a celebrated 94-foot-long model of a blue whale. The Hall's classic lines and visually arresting elegance have been restored and reinvigorated with cutting-edge exhibiti... [ + ]on technology and the latest scientific research on the mysteries of our vast water planet, of which only 5 percent of the deep ocean has been explored. The 29,000-square-foot Hall has been transformed into a fully immersive marine environment with high-definition video projections, interactive computer stations, hands-on models, 14 renovated classic dioramas, and eight new ocean ecosystem displays that transport visitors from the rainbow-hued profusion of life in the Indo-Pacific coral reefs to the flickering bioluminescence of fishes in the eerie darkness of the deep sea. The new Milstein Hall of Ocean Life highlights as never before the drama of the undersea world and its diverse and complex web of vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant life.
The monumental model of a blue whale, one of the most beloved icons in New York City, resculpted and repainted to more accurately reflect the look of blue whales at sea, now serves as ambassador to the open ocean—the largest habitable space on Earth, covering almost two-thirds of the planet. The Hall's original skylights have been retrofitted with a shimmering blue light effect, which, combined with an undersea soundscape, creates the illusion of the whale floating in a "virtual ocean"—from its sun-dappled surface waters through its darkest depths. The Hall is now home to models of more than 750 sea creatures, 80 percent of which (or about 600) are newly fabricated models, ranging from tiny green bubble algae to a 14-foot-long whale shark to computerized glowing jellyfishes.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth displays one of the most outstanding collections of geological specimens ever displayed in an exhibition hall. Between 1996 and 1998, Museum teams embarked on dozens of reconnaissance trips and 28 acquisition expeditions to distant locations, from Indonesian volcan... [ + ]oes to the Sahara Desert in West Africa. Each trip included working with local experts to uncover the most geologically significant rocks. Every specimen and model was chosen to illustrate an important aspect of Earth's dynamic story.
To tell the most significant stories of Earth, from its early evolution to the earthquakes and storms we encounter today, the 8,830-square-foot Hall is organized into exhibition zones based on five major questions.
1. How Has The Earth Evolved? 2. Why Are There Ocean Basins, Continents, And Mountains? 3. How Do We Read The Rocks? 4. What Causes Climate And Climate Change? 5. Why Is Earth Habitable?
Four years in the making, HoPE features 168 rock specimens and 11 full-scale models of classic outcroppings from 25 countries — including Australia, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Scotland, Switzerland, and Venezuela — and five ocean floor regions, as well as an array of specially created videos and computer interactives that allow visitors to both explore geologic time and gain an understanding of the methods scientists use to study vast Earth systems.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The earliest-known dinosaurs appeared about 228 million years ago; their fossils have been found on every continent. They dominated the land until about 65 million years ago, when an episode of extinction eliminated the non-avian dinosaurs (but not the birds) as well as many other animals and plants... [ + ], both on the land and in the seas. Possible causes for these extinctions include the impact of an extraterrestrial object or a major, global peak in volcanic activity. Tyrannosaurus Rex
The American Museum of Natural History is home to the single largest collection of dinosaur fossils in the world, with more than 100 specimens featured in its halls. The Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs examines the branches of dinosaurs that possess the trait of a grasping hand, with fingers that differ in size and shape. This hall features some of the Museum's most beloved and terrifying specimens, including Tyrannosaurus rex and Apatosaurus. Both of the displays have been revised to represent new scientific thinking: T-rex, once presented upright, is now positioned in a low, stalking pose with its tail in the air, while Apatosaurus—previously known as Brontosaurus—has a new skull, additional neck bones, and a longer, elevated tail. Also featured in this hall is the group of dinosaurs—maniraptors—that includes on its evolutionary branch living birds.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs examines the branches of dinosaurs that possess a backward pointing pubis bone. Additional features found within the Ornithischians include inset tooth rows forming cheeks and the uneven covering of enamel on the teeth. It is believed that both these traits allowe... [ + ]d for increased efficiency in holding and chewing food. This hall includes such favorites as Stegosaurus, a 140-million-year-old dinosaur with distinctive rows of plates down the center of its back and large spikes in the end of its tail (along with a cast of the only juvenile Stegosaurus ever found) and the 65-million-year-old horned and shield-headed dinosaur Triceratops. This specimen has a partly healed injury on its three-horned skull, possibly caused by another Triceratops. On view nearby are the "mummy" specimens of Edmontosaurus and Corythosaurus, whose fossils have preserved large areas of skin impressions, allowing us a rare glimpse of what these creatures might have looked like alive.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The Hall of Primitive Mammals traces the lower branches of the evolutionary tree of mammals, including such features as the synapsid opening in the skull (a large hole behind the eye socket for muscles that extend to the jaw, found also in early relatives of mammals), the three middle ear bones (use... [ + ]d to classify all mammals), and the placenta. These traits correspond to eating, hearing, and reproduction functions, and each represents an evolutionary branch. Included in this hall are monotremes, marsupials, sloths, and armadillos. Some living animals from these groups, such as the platypus, have so many primitive features that they are called "living fossils."
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
Paul and Irma Milstein Hall of Advanced Mammals features advanced mammals with such traits as hoofs and eye sockets near the snout, in addition to those traits featured in the Hall of Primitive Mammals. A wide range of animals is represented along these evolutionary branches, including cats, seals, ... [ + ]bears, primates, horses, whales, and elephants, along with their extinct relatives. Up until about 10,000 years ago, mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed cats, camels, and giant ground sloths roamed across North America. Then, an episode of extinction wiped all those animals out. The cause of this wave of extinction is unclear, but possible explanations include dramatic climate changes at the end of the last ice age, hunting by humans, and infectious disease.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The Hall of Vertebrate Origins tells the story of the burgeoning of vertebrates through the oceans and onto land, an evolutionary sequence stretching back more than 500 million years. The development of some of the most basic, yet revolutionary, physical characteristics—the backbone, jaws, limbs, an... [ + ]d the ability to reproduce without returning to the water—was key to the evolution of life on Earth and is examined in the Hall of Vertebrate Origins. The Hall traces the evolution of such stunningly varied creatures as the first vertebrates to walk on land, the first vertebrates to live entirely on land, and the first flying vertebrates. Highlights include Buettneria, one of the earliest four-limbed animals; the massive armored early fish Dunkleosteus; the gigantic aquatic turtle known as Stupendemys; and Pteranodon, a flying reptile, or pterosaur, with a wingspan of 23 feet.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The Hall of Northwest Coast Indians, the Museum's oldest hall, showcases the research conducted during the Museum's first major field expedition, the Jesup North Pacific Expedition (1897-1902), considered one of the most important anthropological field studies ever made. Organized by Museum Presiden... [ + ]t Morris K. Jesup and led by Franz Boas (1858-1942), known as the "father of American anthropology," the expedition set out to investigate the cultural and biological links between people living on both sides of the Bering Strait, with the hope of determining whether or not America was first populated by migrations from Asia. The cultures featured in the hall occupy North America's shores from Washington State to southern Alaska. The artifacts, folklore, and artwork displayed document and celebrate the customs and artistry of the Kwakiutl, Haida, Tlingit, Bella Coola, and other peoples. Exhibits include exquisite totem carvings, clothing, tools, and masks.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
These halls showcase artifacts such as cooking utensils, clothing, weapons, and jewelry from traditional Native American cultures in the East and in the Plains. The Hall of Eastern Woodlands Indians focuses on the traditional cultures of the Mohegan, Ojibwa, Cree, and other Native American peoples l... [ + ]iving in the Eastern Woodlands of North America. In addition to artifacts, this hall features models of Eastern Woodlands lodgings, from the wigwam of the Ojibwa to the longhouse of the Iroquois. The Hall of Plains Indians focuses on the cultures of the mid-19th-century Blackfeet, Hidatsa, Dakota (Sioux), and other peoples of the North American Plains, and is also home to one of the Museum's greatest treasures, the Folsom Point. This flint arrowhead, found near Folsom, New Mexico, in 1926, provides irrefutable evidence that there were humans in the Americas as early as the last ice age.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
Africa, a continent of nearly 12 million square miles and more than 700 million inhabitants, boasts a rich array of cultures. The Hall of African Peoples explores this great diversity, highlighting the traditional lifestyles and customs of people living in Africa's grasslands, deserts, forests, and ... [ + ]river regions. The religious, political, economic, and domestic aspects of life are highlighted through artifacts and dioramas. On display are masks, musical instruments, farming tools, religious idols, ceremonial costumes, and more. Dioramas depict a variety of scenes, from the Berbers of the desert in North Africa to the Mbuti pygmies in the Congo. Also featured are the Yoruba, Pokot, and Bira peoples, among others.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The Museum's holdings in Asian ethnology constitute one of the finest such collections in the Western Hemisphere. This extensive collection provides the foundation for the Hall of Asian Peoples, the Museum's largest cultural hall. The hall explores such topics as prehistoric Eurasia and the rise of ... [ + ]civilization, early Asian cultures, and Asian trade, and includes such vastly different and diverse regions as Korea, China, India, Armenia, and Siberia. The hall also documents the rise of the great world religions of Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Confucianism. Highlights include the shaman diorama, which faithfully re-creates a late 19th-century healing ceremony of the Yakut of Eastern Siberia. The scene depicts a shaman who has come to heal a woman whose soul has been captured by evil spirits. Also featured in the hall is an ornate wedding chair, which would have carried a traditional Chinese bride to her new life with her husband's family. The chair is covered with auspicious symbols to invite good fortune.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The diverse art, architecture, and traditions of the Maya, Toltec, Olmec, Aztec, and other Mesoamerican pre-Columbian cultures are the subjects of this hall. The outstanding collections on display include monuments, figurines, pottery, and jewelry that span from around 1200 B.C. to the early 1500s. ... [ + ]Each object provides clues about the political and religious symbols, social traits, and artistic styles of its cultural group. Especially striking works on view include Costa Rican gold ornaments and a 3,000-year-old Olmec jade sculpture called the Kunz Axe, which may represent a chief or a shaman who transformed himself into a jaguar to partake of the animal's power. Also displayed are 9th-century Mayan stone carvings depicting scenes of conquest. Existing as early as 1500 B.C., the Mayan culture did not consist of a single empire, but rather was a collection of independent city-states that alternately warred and traded with one another.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
This hall explores the pre-Columbian cultures of South America as well as the traditional cultures living in the region today, encompassing the ancient Inka, Moche, Chavin, and Chancay cultures as well as the many peoples of modern Amazonia. Especially evident in this hall is the exceeding importanc... [ + ]e of textile art among the ancient Andeans; this artistic tradition, which conveyed status and identity, harks back at least 5,000 years. Andean achievements in metallurgy were also remarkable. Throughout the hall, works of exquisite craftsmanship abound, as in the Royal Llama of the Inka from Bolivia. The figure, approximately 500 years old, is made of silver and its blanket is cinnabar trimmed with gold. Also on view are examples of spectacular Amazonian featherwork, including a headdress made from toucan and macaw feathers that once adorned a young man from the Rikbaktsa tribe. This object and others like it demonstrate the importance of ornamentation among the indigenous cultures of the Amazonian rain forest.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978) worked in the Museum's Anthropology Department from 1926 until her death. Through her groundbreaking expeditions to Samoa, New Guinea, and Bali, Mead brought anthropological work into the public consciousness. Her studies provide the foundation f... [ + ]or the Hall of Pacific Peoples, which reflects a remarkable geographic and cultural diversity. The Hall explores the cultures of the South Pacific islands, which range from tiny stretches of land to the island continent of Australia and include Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. Highlights include a display of elaborately painted and adorned dance masks from Northern New Ireland, part of Papua New Guinea. Made of wood and bark fibers, the masks represent specific spirits and are used in traditional dance ceremonies. Also on view are intricately detailed shadow puppets from Java. Originating in the 11th century, Javanese puppet theater is used as an educational tool to communicate information about religious tenets, moral codes, history, and myths.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
Between 1922 and 1928, Museum Trustee Arthur S. Vernay and British Colonel John C. Faunthorpe conducted six expeditions to collect animal specimens in India, Burma (now Myanmar), and Siam (now Thailand). The specimens were then donated to the Museum and formed the foundation for this hall, which ope... [ + ]ned in 1930. The mounting of the animals in the Hall of Asian Mammals was overseen by James L. Clark using Carl Akeley's methods, and the hall's layout is similar to that of the Akeley Hall of African Mammals. As in the Akeley Hall, a group of elephants forms the centerpiece. These complementary exhibits allow the visitor to note the differences between the two types of elephant: The Asian elephant is generally smaller in size, with smaller ears and a higher forehead. The animals featured in this hall also include the water buffalo, gaur, leopard, and rhinoceros, and many represent species threatened by poaching and loss of habitat. Two examples of Asian mammals, the Siberian tiger and the giant panda, were among the animals relocated to the Endangered Case in the Hall of Biodiversity when it opened in 1998.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
More than 25 Museum expeditions, ranging from Mexico to Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic and from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans, produced the magnificent examples of North American mammals displayed in this hall. James Perry Wilson (1889-1976), a master of artful illusion, painted the ba... [ + ]ckgrounds for many of the dioramas at the Museum, including those in the Hall of North American Mammals. In addition to accurately capturing every detail, his paintings evoke the intangible feel of the places they depict. This is owed in part to Wilson's dizzyingly precise perspective, one of his signature qualities. In his dioramas the real materials of the foreground merge impeccably with the painted background, uniting the two- and three-dimensional into a seamless whole. Jaguar Diorama
Creating these illusions involved a great deal of research. To prepare the bison diorama, Wilson traveled to Wyoming in 1938 with a scientific specialist and another artist. There Wilson made color sketches, took photographs, and collected specimens for the foreground of the scene. On his return he painstakingly reproduced the Wyoming plains on the curved walls of the diorama. Other dioramas in the hall feature bighorn sheep, two moose locked in combat, and watchful jaguars.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
Since its opening in 1936, the Akeley Hall of African Mammals has been considered one of the world's greatest museum displays. The hall is named after Carl Akeley (1864-1926), the explorer, conservationist, taxidermist, sculptor, and photographer who conceived of, designed, and collected for the hal... [ + ]l. All the mammal dioramas in the Museum were created using his highly refined taxidermy and mounting techniques. The animals have been reconstructed with such scientific accuracy and detail that they appear astoundingly lifelike. Akeley's meticulous attention to veracity, which was applied to the plants, the painted backgrounds, and even the lighting in the dioramas, resulted in faithful and vivid reproductions of the worlds that he wanted to preserve.
The 28 dioramas in this hall, true works of art, depict some of the many animals and habitats of Africa, from the bongo and mandrill of the dense rain forests to the impala and elephant of the savannah. Carl Akeley had a lifelong devotion to the continent of Africa and the conservation of its beautiful wilderness areas. He traveled there many times, embarking on three expeditions for the Museum. During his final expedition, he fell ill and died. He was buried in Albert National Park (now Virunga National Park), the first wildlife sanctuary in central Africa, which he had helped to establish. The mountain location of his grave is near the scene depicted in the gorilla diorama in this hall.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
This hall's dioramas represent the bird life of the far-flung islands of the Pacific. These islands are geologically diverse, ranging from low coral to high mountains. One of the dioramas represents the bird population of the Guano Islands, named after the birds excretion, or guano, that coats the i... [ + ]slands rocks. Boobies, cormorants, pelicans, and terns are attracted by the huge population of fish in the area. Specimens ranging from New Guinea to Galapagos Islands can also be found in the hall.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
Amphibians were the first vertebrates to live on land. From them evolved reptiles, which in turn gave rise to mammals and birds. This hall reviews the relationships, life histories, habits, behavior, and various adaptations of the coldblooded vertebrates. The display of specimens includes a group of... [ + ] ten-foot Komodo Dragons, the largest and most ferocious lizards in the world, brought to the Museum from a 1926 expedition to the Indonesian Island of Komodo.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
Although some bird species cross the boundaries of oceans and mountains and a few are found worldwide, each area of the world has its indigenous birds. The Birds of the World Hall shows some major faunal areas and their characteristic birds. Its purpose is to give visitors an idea of the diversity o... [ + ]f birds and an appreciation of their graceful presence in every corner of the globe. A presence often threatened, as this extinct Dodo specimen seems to suggest.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The Hall of North American Birds is named for Frank M. Chapman (1864-1945), the Museum's renowned ornithologist. Under the direction of Chapman, a leader in the study of bird speciation and distribution in the Western Hemisphere, the Museum's bird collection grew to become one of the greatest in the... [ + ] world and now holds 99 percent of all known species. The peregrine falcon diorama in this hall is one of many that Chapman conceived, and it re-creates a scene he actually saw on the Hudson River Palisades. The diorama shows an adult arriving at a nest site with a newly caught pigeon.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
This hall exploring the ecology of North American forests features a piece of a giant sequoia tree. The sequoia, which was cut down in 1891, had survived for more than 1,300 years and its full height exceeded 300 feet. Around the central point of the tree slice are concentric rings, some of which ar... [ + ]e invisible to the naked eye; each of these represents one year's growth. Conveying the immense age of the tree are markers on some of the growth rings corresponding to significant historical events, such as Charlemagne being crowned Holy Roman Emperor (800 A.D.).
Traveling through scale rather than time, a diorama of the forest floor represents a cross section of the soil, enlarged to 24 times its actual size. This scene demonstrates the process of decomposition, by which natural debris is broken down into new substances, which exist in the soil as nutrients. While bacteria and fungi help break the debris down, so do some of the creatures re-created in the diorama.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The primate order, one of the many subdivisions of mammals, includes monkeys, apes, and humans. This hall provides an overview of primates through skeletons, mounted specimens, and artwork. The order is broken down into families, in displays that trace both their shared characteristics and those uni... [ + ]que to each group, demonstrating a fascinating variety of animals. Primates range in size from the pygmy marmoset to the orangutan and gorilla, and include species such as tree shrews that more closely resemble rodents. While the apes, which are specialized for swinging by their hands, do not have tails, many primates such as spider monkeys have long tails they use for grasping. Some species live predominantly among the trees while others inhabit the forest floor, and primates' habitats are found from South America to Southeast Asia to Africa. The visitor can explore the relationship of hominids, or humans, to other primates through these characteristics and others, including posture, the amount of body hair, and the shape of the hand and especially the thumb.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
This hall chronicles the development of New York State's natural landscape over time. It describes the geological history from Precambrian times (2 billion years ago) to the present day, including glaciation, and displays of local fossils showing that New York was a marine environment at one time. T... [ + ]he hall uses the area of Stissing Mountain and the Village of Pine Plains in the Hudson Valley as an example because of its varied terrain: mountains, natural lakes, forests, variety of rock formations, and both wild and cultivated land.
The hall also describes New York State agriculture and ecology, and how these affect the evolution of the landscape. Agricultural exhibits explain the processes of soil creation and soil conservation, the importance of crop rotation, the use of natural fertilizers in the soil (nitrogen-fixing bacteria), the structure of a bean plant, root structure of a plant, and life in the soil-an important factor in the existence of life above.
The ecological exhibits cover the water cycle, the relationship of plants to geology, the cycle of nutrition and decay, photosynthesis and respiration, life in a pond as a closed system, and changes to the environment through the seasons.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
These halls contain exquisite treasures, which can be systematically arranged according to their similarities and differences in the same manner as animals and plants. In the Hall of Minerals the visitor finds minerals composed of a single element, such as gold and copper, and groups that combine se... [ + ]veral elements, such as the silicates quartz, amethyst, and mica. The Hall of Gems displays groups of stones that showcase an extraordinary range of size, color, and shape. Among these specimens is the 563-carat Star of India, the largest and most famous star sapphire in the world. Formed some two billion years ago, the Star of India was discovered several centuries ago and donated to the Museum by J. P. Morgan in 1900. Also featured in the Hall of Gems is the Patricia Emerald, a 632-carat specimen that is one of the very few large, gem-quality emeralds that have been preserved uncut. The specimen is exceedingly rare not only because of its size and color, but also because of its dihexagonal, or twelve-sided, shape.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
This hall is a tribute to Theodore Roosevelt (1858—1919), and the contributions he made to city, state, and nation through the many roles he played during his life. Born in New York City and raised in Oyster Bay, Long Island, Roosevelt became involved in New York City and State government, and went ... [ + ]on to serve as Vice President and later, President of the United States. He was a pioneer of the conservation movement and had been involved with the American Museum of Natural History since his childhood—the original charter creating the Museum was signed in his family home in 1869.
Roosevelt's many accomplishments include winning the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize for a treaty that ended the Russo-Japanese War; and leading a Museum expedition to South America to chart the unknown course of the River of Doubt, found to be a branch of the Amazon (later renamed Rio Teodoro in his honor). Roosevelt's refusal to shoot a bear for sport while on a hunt led to the creation of the famous toy Teddy Bear.
The four dioramas in the hall depict Roosevelt's Elk Horn Ranch, in the badlands of North Dakota; an Adirondacks forest scene representing his support for conservation of both wildlife and forests; the Roosevelt Bird Sanctuary in Oyster Bay, New York, which is also Roosevelt's final resting place; and lastly, a scene from Old New York in 1660, depicting Peter Stuyvesant, Governor of New York, receiving a delegation of Hackensack Indians from New Jersey. Theodore Roosevelt's ancestors settled in lower Manhattan around 1644, and he also served as Governor of New York State.
This hall also features an insect collection case showing various beetles and entomology photos.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The newly opened Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins presents the remarkable history of human evolution from our earliest ancestors millions of years ago to modern Homo sapiens. The innovative Spitzer Hall combines the most up-to-date discoveries in the fossil record with the latest in ge... [ + ]nomic science to explore the most profound mysteries of humankind: who we are, where we came from, and what is in store for the future of our species.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
Renowned for their colorful iridescence, opals’ unique internal structure creates their colors by scattering light. Opal gemstones used in jewelry are relatively soft and fragile; they need protection from scratching, bumping, and abrupt temperature changes. Opal most commonly forms by the action of... [ + ] warm water on volcanic glass. It can also form at low temperatures, when water rich with dissolved silica mixes with sediment or enters rocks.
Opal deposits are found around the globe, but about 85 percent of the world’s gem opals are mined in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. These opals come from a range of locations—Australia, Brazil, Honduras, Ethiopia, and the United States—and illustrate the gem’s diversity.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
A two-foot-long slice from a jadeite jade boulder provides a spectacular window into the dramatic process that formed this highly prized type of jade. This jadeite started as a small vein, or fracture, over 12 miles underground that was wrenched apart by the collision of two tectonic plates over 35 ... [ + ]million years ago. During the shakeup, mineral-rich fluids rose into cracks in Earth's mantle and deposited jadeite rock. As the tectonic plates continued to rub against one another, the veins of jadeite broke and reformed again and again, producing the remarkable emerald green and white swirls. The polished 55-pound slab was recovered from northern Burma.
The spectacular jade slab is now on display in the Museum's 77th Street Grand Gallery. Also on display are two delicately carved jade pieces from China, dating from the early 1900s—a nephrite jade vessel for incense and a jadeite jade carving of Guanyin, Buddhist goddess of mercy.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
The Museum's habitat group dioramas, located extensively throughout its halls, are among the most renowned and beloved exhibits at the Museum. With precise depictions of geographical locations and the careful, anatomically correct mounting of specimens, these stunning dioramas are windows onto a wor... [ + ]ld of animals, their behavior, and their habitats. Moreover, since many of the environments represented have been exploited or degraded, some dioramas preserve places and animals as they no longer exist. The viewer of a habitat group diorama is able to travel not only across continents, but also, in some cases, through time.
05/13/2021 10:00 AM
Thu, May 13
10:00AM
$
Three tiers based on access to Special Exhibits, Giant-Screen Film and Space exhibit.
Includes admission to all 45 halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space but does not include special exhibitions, giant-screen film, or Space Show. Pay-what-you-wish admission is available only at ticket counters, where the amount you pay is up to you.
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