The natural wonders of the world are waiting beneath the dome of this neoclassical 1910 building. This museum holds more than 126 million specimens, some recently acquired and some collected a century or more ago on the early scientific voyages and investigations of the age of exploration. The museum's 18 exhibition halls contain tens of thousands of artifacts and specimens that together tell the story of the earth and its evolution into the world of today.
Support the Natural History Museum.
Talk with volunteers at our two information desks (on the ground floor near the Constitution Avenue entrance and on the first floor in the rotunda) to learn about daily events.
Eat at the Atrium Café, avoiding the busy hours between noon and 2 p.m. if possible.
Buy your IMAX® movie tickets in advance; then arrange your schedule around the showtime.
Meet in the rotunda for free hour-long tours, Tuesday through Thursday at 10:30 a.m. and at 1:30 p.m., and Friday at 10:30 a.m. (Tours are subject to docent availability.)
Use the stairs—located around the perimeter of the rotunda—instead of taking the elevators for better enjoyment of the grand architecture of the building.
The Atrium Café, located on the ground floor, serves healthy food, using locally sourced produce. Ten percent discounts are available to Smithsonian members. The Fossil Café, located on the first floor at the end of the Dinosaur Hall, offers fresh salads, sandwiches, pastries and beverages—and one-of-a-kind tabletop exhibits. For dessert, try the Gelato Italian Ice Cream and Espresso Bar at the entrance to the Atrium Café.
(walk-in; meet in Rotunda, near information desk, 1st floor)
Note: Tours subject to docent availability
September-June:
• Every Tues.-Thurs., 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM
• Every Fri., 10:30 AM (and 1:30 PM tour as announced by docent)
Except
• Federal holidays, no tours
• Tues., Jan. 15, no 10:30 AM tour
(by appointment only, 2-week notice required; call Mon.-Fri., 9 AM-5 PM, except federal holidays: 202-633-1077 (voice) or 202-633-9287 (TTY))
Join us for a family butterfly event on May 10th from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Purchase tickets >>
The Museum of Natural History store offers costume jewelry, home accents, tabletop items, toys, clothing, accessories, gems and evolutionary treasures. Don't miss the wonderful selection of multi-colored amber necklaces; some amber is 40 million years old.
Museum of Natural History cafes:
Add an IMAX® adventure to your museum experience.
Let the Johnson IMAX® Theater take you on an incredible adventure back through time to the days of pre-historic aquatic Sea Monsters.
Evening feature-length films often available.
Click here to view the full film schedule!
