American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street
Manhattan
(212) 769-5100

What You'll See
Made possible, in part, by Theodore Roosevelt, this museum is probably most famous for its dramatic dinosaur exhibits and for its historic animal dioramas, which display animals from all over the world in naturalistic settings. The mineral collection, which includes the 563 carat sapphire called the Star of India, should be on your "must see" list, too. We also enjoyed the presentation of human evolution. And try to fit in a screening of one of the museum's IMAX shows -- they are far superior to anything we have seen at the Sony IMAX theater (see IMAX Disappointment).

The Museum of Natural History is also the home of the Rose Center for Earth and Space, which includes the revamped Hayden Planetarium. Admission to the Rose Center is included in the museum price, but there is an additional fee to see the Space Show in the planetarium.

Kid Stuff
While most of the museum is extremely kid-friendly, we especially love the Discovery Room, located near the canoe by the 77th Street entrance. Designed for children ages 5-12, the Discovery Room is well-suited for pre-schoolers, too, who may be tired of the look-but-don't-touch refrain that dominates much of the other museum exhibits. Children who loved the dinosaur exhibit will be delighted to handle real fossils, participate in a "dig" that uncovers the nest of baby Oviraptors they saw elsewhere in the museum, and assemble the cast skeleton of a Prestosuchus—a 14-foot-long reptile from the late Triassic Period. Other highlights of this hands-on, behind-the-scenes look at science include a 2-story high African baobab tree filled with specimens of tropical birds, insects, reptiles, and small mammals; an authentic Kwakiutl totem pole; and real specimens of a large number of bugs and other animals. School-age children who have computer familiarity will especially like the activities on the uppper level.

Starry Nights Live Jazz
Don't miss Strarry Nights, the enormously popular series of live jazz performances in the Museum's spectacular Rose Center. Some of the world's greatest musicians play one-hour sets at 5:30 and 7 pm on the first Friday of each month. An extensive menu of tapas and beverages is also available.

Insider Tip
Sometimes you really have to know exactly where to look to see some of the museum's most interesting displays. For example, in the center Hall of Biodiversity on the first floor is a jungle thick with foliage and vines. If you bring a flashlight with you and shine it into the darkness of the display, you'll see how the display teems with animal life, too. If you head through the room from the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall to the North American Forests with the jungle on your left, about a third of the way down, you'll actually see a huge gorilla just a couple feet into the jungle. But without a flashlight, he is very hard to see!

Directions and Other Details
To get there by subway, take the B (weekdays) or C train to 81st Street ; or take the 1or 9 to 79th Street. By bus, take the M7, M10, M11 or M104 to 79th Street; or the M79 to Central Park West. A 3-story underground parking garage is part of the Museum campus; enter from West 81st Street.

The Museum Food Court (located on the lower level) has a nice variety of offerings (including a great salad bar) designed to please the palates of both the young and sophisticated foodies. You'll find everything from California rolls to dino-shaped chicken nuggets, with a tempting selection of desserts to boot.

The 77th Street and the Rose Center entrances are handicapped accessible (but avoid the steps on the Central Park West entrance). All public areas are accessible to wheelchairs; all video displays are captioned for the hearing impaired; infrared hearing aids are avialable in theaters.

For the latest information about hours, admission fees and special exhibits, visit the museum's web site.

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