The museum holds the holotype of Diplodocus carnegii, a specimen that redefined 20th-century understanding of sauropod anatomy.
The Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibit is organized chronologically, transitioning from the Triassic through the Cretaceous periods.
The Alcoa Foundation Hall of American Indians features a collection of over 10,000 ethnographic items from across the continent.
The museum serves as an active research institution, with curators overseeing one of the largest natural history research collections in the United States.
The Benedum Hall of Geology displays a reconstruction of a Pennsylvania coal forest dating back 300 million years.
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History is renowned for its Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibition, which features one of the largest collections of real dinosaur fossils in North America. The facility houses a working paleontology lab where visitors can observe scientists processing specimens in real-time. Its Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems showcases over 1,300 specimens, including a significant collection of fluorescent minerals. The museum maintains a vast scientific collection totaling more than 22 million specimens across various disciplines. Notable displays include a scientifically accurate recreation of a Jurassic landscape and the Cenozoic Hall featuring extinct mammal fossils. The museum is integrated within the Carnegie Institute, sharing a massive complex with the Carnegie Museum of Art. Research and educational programs are central to its mission, focusing on biodiversity, evolution, and environmental science.
The skeletal mount of the Apatosaurus in the Dinosaurs in Their Time hall.
Visit the 'PaleoLab' viewing window early in your trip to see if paleontologists are currently prepping new fossil finds.
Check the museum's calendar for 'Discovery Basecamp' programming if you are traveling with children.
Allow extra time to explore the connecting Carnegie Museum of Art if you have a reciprocal membership.
Attempting to see both the Natural History and Art museums in a single short afternoon; each requires significant time to appreciate fully.
Closed on Tuesdays.