The museum's blue whale model in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life is a 94-foot-long fiberglass sculpture originally installed in 1969.
The museum holds the Star of India, a 563-carat star sapphire, which was stolen in a notorious 1964 heist and later recovered.
The museum's library collection houses over 500,000 volumes, including rare manuscripts and scientific journals.
The museum's taxidermy displays use traditional techniques combined with modern materials to create hyper-realistic habitat dioramas.
The museum complex is composed of 25 interconnected buildings, representing various architectural styles from Romanesque Revival to modern glass.
The American Museum of Natural History, located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, is one of the world's largest natural history institutions, comprising 45 permanent exhibition halls. It is renowned for its vast collection of over 34 million specimens and artifacts, though only a small fraction are displayed at any given time. The institution is famous for its extensive dinosaur fossil halls, including the massive Barosaurus mount in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda. The Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation is the museum's newest architectural addition, featuring a distinct, cavernous design that connects previously disparate parts of the complex. The Hayden Planetarium is integrated into the museum's campus, focusing on astrophysics and space exploration. The institution serves as an active research center with a staff of over 200 scientists and ongoing scientific expeditions. It occupies several city blocks, with its primary entrance situated directly across from Central Park.
The Barosaurus skeleton in the center of the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda.
Download the official museum map and app before arrival to navigate the sprawling interconnected halls effectively.
Prioritize two or three specific exhibition wings rather than attempting to see the entire museum in a single visit.
Visit the Gilder Center section to see the insectarium and the butterfly vivarium.
Attempting to see every hall in one day, which leads to fatigue; ignoring the museum's digital schedule for special film screenings.
Open daily throughout the year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Maintain a quiet volume in exhibition halls; photography is generally permitted for personal use without flash, but tripods are prohibited.
