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American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History, New York City: Hours, Address, American Museum of Natural History Reviews: 4.5/5

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American Museum of Natural History

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American Museum of Natural History
4.5
25,816
#21 of 1,390 things to do in New York City
Natural History Museums
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10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
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About
The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s preeminent scientific and cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1869, the Museum has advanced its global mission to discover, interpret, and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education, and exhibition. The Museum is renowned for its exhibitions and scientific collections, which serve as a field guide to the entire planet and present a panorama of the world's cultures.
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
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Admission tickets
from MYR 102.22
All you need to step foot in the door.
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Upper West Side
Nestled between Central Park and the Hudson River, the Upper West Side offers iconic architecture and a quiet, residential respite from the buzzing energy of downtown. Along Central Park West are many of the city’s most iconic apartment buildings, as well as the American Museum of Natural History, which has been welcoming visitors to its historic exhibit halls for over 140 years. Culture fans will love Lincoln Center, home to some of the world’s best opera, dance, film, and theatre performances, all centrally located around a beautiful fountain. Spanning the entire length of the Upper West Side, Riverside Park is ideal for a long, leisurely stroll in a quiet green space.
How to get there
  • 81st St – Museum of Natural History • 3 min walk
  • 72nd St • 8 min walk
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
25,817 reviews
Excellent
15,110
Very good
6,345
Average
2,978
Poor
936
Terrible
453
Muhammad Tariq
10 contributions
History or some one’s imagination
I had visited British Museum of Natural History a few years back. When I compare the two, I felt AMNH lacks depth. Many areas are covered but details on the exhibits are inadequate. For example it does not mention if exhibits are original, replicas and what is the origin and date / time of these exhibits.

Also very limited digital content.

I was left guessing whether I am looking at history or some one’s imagination of history.
Written 12 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Zkopp1
1 contribution
10 of 10 on museum, not trip advisor
Friends
The museum was AMAZING. The app didn’t tell you that they sell you a ticket that requires you still stand in an hour long plus line and lose precious time. Would have been better to just pay the venue. Won’t be using trip advisor again without getting someone to analyze what must have been in the fine print. From my experience they didn’t mention this detail until you had paid the NON refundable ticket. So disappointed
Written 11 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
mutguy
Singapore, Singapore177 contributions
Okay only. Be selective.
Some tips:

- download the museum's app. It points out the highlights in each area which then helps you to focus or zoom into the important or famous exhibits. They usually also are the ones which are the actual real object ... i.e. the real McCoy.
- do the planetarium show at the Rose Center. And the exhibits around the Hayden Sphere include moon rocks and a weighing machine on the floor which gives you your weight on the moon. Definitely worth it
- go see the Gems and Minerals. Another worthwhile exhibit. Your kids will enjoy the interactive screen where they can combine chemical elements to form new elements.
- eat outside the museum as the food outside is way better than the food inside. There is a Shake Shake nearby. You can exit at W 77th Street which has nice shade provided by trees and you can sit around there to eat your takeaway. But be warned that you will have to re-enter at the main entrance along Central Park West.
- I didn't care much for the animal exhibits because if I wanted to see animals, I would go to the zoo for live animals instead of the stuffed ones and models of animals which are in the museum.
- the dinosaur exhibits are predominantly casts or replicas of the actual dinosaur bones. There are some real fossils and dinosaur bones but these were largely the smaller displays. If anything, the exhibit is good to get a sense of scale.
- the Sharks exhibit was small and relied largely on digital exhibits. Not impressed by it.
- the Asia peoples and South American exhibits felt very old/dated/dusty. Combined with either very low or very bright light levels / old wood panelling, it made it feel like an old basement or attic.

So be selective of what you want to see. There are exhibits which you will enjoy more than others or me. Know what you are interested in and zoom in to there. And briskly walk through exhibits which give you the old ho-hum.

I enjoyed the Met Museum of Art more than the AMNH ... but that's just me. :)
Written 9 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Carsten B
2 contributions
Shocking wait times and ticket system
Absolutely shocking ticketing! Reserve a time and still cue 1.5 hours to get in!! Not recommended at all..............
Written 7 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
ellewehrung
Myrtle Beach, SC20 contributions
Poorly managed, horrible crowds
Museum requires advance purchase of tickets with timed entry online prior to arriving, however, there was no one actually implementing the time slots so it was a free for all. We arrived thirty minutes prior to our time slot to find hundreds of people queued around the building. It was a circus. They let way too many people in and it was impossible to absorb anything from the exhibits due to the high volume of foot traffic and noise. DC museums are much better. Lots of things under construction or closed, which was surprising given it’s summertime. Too many dead, stuffed animals. Would not recommend.
Written 6 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Steph N
Whitehall, MI2 contributions
Inappropriate Behavior by the Staff
Family
The museum is quite large, has various cultures, habitats, and animals to explore.
Wasn’t impressed with the staff! The man in the snack area directing people through the line is rude and loud and not appropriate for children to have to witness his lack of politeness. It is hard to find restrooms and the food court lacks cleanliness. I would also like to point out the man today as well at the entrance who was rude and telling people to “get moving” “hurry up” I’m sure this is due to the difference in cultures, but kindness is everywhere.
Written 4 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Farisathul Hashna
1 contribution
Awesome
How my first virtual tour hit the heart

Virtual tour, a wonderful journey through a land we have never seen before. However, it was an amazing experience for me. Because it was the first virtual tour that I experienced with huge excitement. Well, are you interested to hear about my experience with virtual tours? Let’s start our virtual tour with my words.
I visited the ‘Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History ‘. there was a huge collection of different types of exhibitions and others. I selected the past exhibits. Because I always wondered about the ancient period, the dinosaurs, life in the ancient sea and the period before the dinosaurs and everything.
It was such a friendly journey that can touch our hearts with the virtual visuals. Every visual they exhibited is really of high quality. When we are going through inside the museum we feel like we are really walking down the floor. Such a clear picture!
When we are enjoying the visuals there are some valuable notes also they include for us. It is really amazing how the fossils of dinosaurs were sequenced and the varieties of dinosaur categories. The attractiveness of the exhibition is they are revealing the exact year of every fossil and ancient things. It is a wonder that we are chanced to view a fossil or something which was before millions of years.
The life of the ancient sea they exhibited was before 570 million ago. What a wonder! I was really excited about visiting the famous museum. And they have a great collection of snails and limpet. Everything was a visual treat.
I realized something that how a virtual tour can also treat us well. The digital scenario is a wonder. the only difference I found is we can’t touch it with our hands. And a compliment I can express is we can analyze everything by zooming out and in.
So, my first journey on a virtual tour was awesome. And the ‘Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History ‘did it very well. The way of presentation, visualization, and detailing, everything was impressive.
If you are a person like me, who never visited a virtual tour, go now and do it.
“we can explore our world from our limitations”
Written 4 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
JCnubis
Casselberry, FL77 contributions
Great museum awful food
Family
The food was terrible. The chicken fingers looked and tasted prehistoric. The fries were cold and the gentleman ( I use the term loosely) telling people were to walk was rude to everyone
Written 29 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Jatiel I
49 contributions
Good time with family
We had a great time as a family. There are plenty of exhibitions for everyone. We got there early, so we did not have any issues getting in. If you want to do the museum right (taking your time absorbing everything) you will need more that 3 hours. trying to get our was a little problematic with no signs and the the staff was not friendly.
Written 28 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Daniel M
12 contributions
Overcrowded, extremely slow queues, unhelpful staff.
Couples
Overcrowded, the queue took forever to get through. We were automatically assigned a time of 4pm (without our knowledge) to see the planetarium, despite the fact we entered at 12pm. When we tried to go to the earlier 2pm showing, on account that we had to leave at 4pm, they said no. If we knew it would have been so manic then we never would have gone, it needs to have a maximum capacity on how many people they can allow in each day, as it is crazy.
Written 28 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Frequently Asked Questions about American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History is open:
  • Wed - Sun 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.
American Museum of Natural History admission prices can vary. Entrance tickets currently cost RM 102.46, while a popular guided tour starts around RM 33.05 per person. See all 29 American Museum of Natural History tickets and tours on Tripadvisor
American Museum of Natural History can be crowded, so we recommend booking e-tickets ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund. See all 29 American Museum of Natural History tickets and tours on Tripadvisor
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