American Museum of Natural History and Rose Center for Earth and Space
West 81st Street and Central Park West
West 81st Street-Museum of Natural History station (B or C train)
212-769-5100 (information)
212-769-5200 (ticketing)
Founded by Theodore Roosevelt in the late 1800s, this museum is one of the city's gems. It's a must-see attraction for visitors of all ages, especially children. Currently it houses more than thirty-two million specimens and has a research staff of 200. It will take at least a half a day to hit the highlights of the museum with the new and improved Rose Center and Hayden Planetarium, the IMAX theater, and four floors of dinosaur bones, preserved animal specimens, gems, and scientific displays about life on this planet.
The most wonderful thing about this museum is how little and yet how much it has changed. You can show your kids your favorite exhibits, such as the nearly century-old model of a giant mosquito or the huge slice of a 1,300-year-old giant Sequoia tree — and yet there are always new discoveries, new wings, and new state-of-the-art exhibits. Look for the new Hall of Human Origins, which presents the most comprehensive evidence of human evolution ever assembled; the newly reorganized 3,700-specimen gem collection; and the newly refined shape of the ninety-four-foot giant blue whale suspended over the redone Hall of Ocean Life.
Remember to bring a student ID card or a card showing that you qualify for senior rates. Almost all sights have lower prices for seniors, and many do for students. There are often discounts for AAA members, and look for coupons in tourist brochures and on the Internet.
While exhibits change, some of the permanent exhibits to catch include the new Earth Event Wall, which broadcasts current news of earthquakes, volcanoes, storms, and other natural occurrences using live-action videos and computer animation. Also check out the Hall of Biodiversity on the first floor, where you can step into a rain forest and also see a twenty-odd-pound New Jersey lobster from the turn of the century while you learn about the changing environment and extinction. The museum's popular indoor butterfly exhibit opens in the winter months.
Other halls include African Mammals, Human Biology and Evolution, several fossil halls (including one on primitive mammals and two devoted to dinosaurs that are spectacular —
A huge skeleton of the awesome
The Star of India, weighing 563 karats, the world's largest star sapphire
The Cape York meteorite, the largest meteorite on display in the world (thirty-four tons) — so big that it has to be supported by beams planted in the bedrock beneath the museum
An actual skeleton of a dodo bird, extinct for more than 300 years
A fossilized dinosaur embryo and a dinosaur mummy, considered one of the greatest discoveries in the history of paleontology.
For sheer awesomeness and goggle-eyed wow-ability, nothing beats the new Rose Center for Earth and Space adjoining the Museum of Natural History. This is a twenty-first-century rebuild of the legendary Hayden Planetarium, and it has propelled the museum into the space age with a vengeance. The kids (and you too) will go ga-ga over the exhibits, the interactive areas, and the planetarium show itself. There is something to enthrall every member of your family; even teens will get excited over
The museums have an unusually good selection of food. The Museum Food Court, on the lower level next to the subway entrance, is large with many stations serving all kinds of vittles, from barbeque to vegetarian. The Starlight Café in the food court is great for lighter fare: wraps, sandwiches, salads, snacks, drinks, and a kids' menu. It is directly accessible from both the museum and Rose Center. The new Café on One in the Great Gallery near the West Seventy-seventh Street entrance is similar. Café on 4 is a trip. It's a bistro that changes its identity according to the major exhibit. On the first Friday of the month, from 5:30
There are many unusual shops in the museums: the Museum Shop, Dinostore, the Kiosk, the Butterfly Shop, the Planetarium Shop, and the Satellite Shop.
Hours and FeesAdmission to the museum is by a strongly suggested contribution of $14 for adults, $10.50 for seniors and students with ID, and $8 for children two to twelve. A combination ticket to the Rose Center is $22 for adults, $16.50 for seniors and students, and $13 for children two to twelve. There are several more packages offered involving the IMAX theater and special exhibitions. You can also use CityPass at the American Museum of Natural History (see page 162 for more information). Tickets may be purchased over the phone or online.
The Willamette meteorite — at fifteen and a half tons, the largest meteorite ever discovered in the United States — was once an object of reverence for the Inuit Indians, who come to the museum annually for a private ceremony. It is believed to be four billion years old. You can see it in the Rose Center's Hall of the Universe.
