National Museum of Natural History

My kids are grown, but without question, if you have kids with you when you are visiting the National Mall in DC, you will pretty much have to visit the Smithsonian’s Natural Museum of Natural History.

National Museum of Natural History

But even if you don’t have kids and are interested in a scientific spin on the natural world, or just want to be awed, this is the place to see. Provided of course, you can handle big crowds. By one company’s count, D.C.’s Natural History Museum was the second most visited museum in the world in 2012.  

The museum has undergone a lot of transformation in recent years, but one artifact that is unchanged is everybody’s favorite meet-up place at the huge 8 ton 14 foot African elephant in the Rotunda.  And the transformation continues with the renovation of the National Fossil Hall (dinosaur exhibits) until 2019. But just because it’s closed shouldn’t discourage anyone, because there are plenty of things to do and see for both young and old.

For some kids and adults, the Live Insect Zoo on the second floor is a great place to start with display cases of lots of live insects. Also check at the desk or online to see when the daily tarantula feeding will take place. You might get to see the insect petting zoo where museum volunteers bring out a number of jars with various insects, some of which can be held.  And just around the corner is the Butterfly Pavilion. For extra charge visitors can enter a warm damp environment filled with flowering plants and lots of butterflies flying around. Tickets can be purchased in the same area.

Staying on the second floor is a small section about ancient Egypt, including a mummified cat and then a larger gallery of bones, skeletons of many different kinds of modern animals. On the other side of the Rotunda is the Hope Diamond and Dom Pedro Aquamarine, the world’s largest cut aquamarine gem, standing 14 inches tall and 4 inches wide. Beyond it are the Gems and Minerals and Geology displays. There is also a section displaying Korean art and artifacts and several sections for temporary displays.  Two of the current exhibits are on the genome and Asian Indians in America called “Beyond Bollywood”.

Then going downstairs is the impressive Mammal Hall, the Ocean Hall and the Hall of Human Origins. On weekends there are guided tours of the Ocean and Human Origins Halls. There is still a replica of a whale hanging from the ceiling in the Ocean Hall, and the giant squid in case in the middle is pretty impressive. There are also some very ancient marine fossils nearby.

Just across from the Mammal Hall is the new Rex Room where visitors can see the museum staff work on the bones of the new T. Rex until they are shipped off for reassembly in October of 2014.

There are also two Q?rius areas of interactive exploration. One smaller one for kids nine and under and the larger one for tweens and teens. They both have some interesting hands-on activities for young scientists. And then there’s the ginormous IMAX theater, the cafeteria and several gift shops.  Plan on at least half a day if not longer. The official website for the museum is here and they have their own YouTube channel here.

Links: Official website National Museum of Natural History
          You Tube channel for the National Museum of Natural History