National Museum of Natural History
add photosTake a free tour through the history of the world for which there were no words to describe. Don't miss the dinosaur exhibit!
29 Reviews for National Museum of Natural History
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1 family found this helpful
"Love the museum"
DC is probably one of the greatest cities to live in with kids. There is so much FREE stuff to do, you really can't beat all of the Smithsonians and the Zoo, the historical sites, the National Mall, etc. I love the Natural History museum, there is SO much to see and do, it's really educational and the exhibits are just plain COOL. We always went on weekdays so it wasn't too busy, but avoid the big exhibits like the Hope Diamond and you won't encounter too much of a crowd (I saw it once on a non-busy day though, I mean it's something to see, it's just not that cool to wait in a line).
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"Museum of Large Magnitude!"
This experience is one I won't soon forget! Walking into the museum, you are blown away by where your eye wants to take you! Look up! You shouldn't miss anything! Kids will absolutely adore this facility! Even with the massive amounts of visitors, I was still able to push a stroller around with ease, the stairs out front are the only difficulty!
0 families found this helpful
"so much to see"
You can literally go to this place 4 times and still see something new every time. To really get a good look this activity will take a bit of time. Not good for younger children as it is easy to loose them in this wonderfully distracting attraction. dont forget to stop by the gift shop and grab your souvenir to remember the day
0 families found this helpful
"Good museum, but be prepared for the secular perspective"
As a homeschooling and Christian family, we provide our children a faith-based education. However we understand that the world does not necessarily agree with our views, and we do not limit our visits to places that only agree with our worldview. Therefore, when we prepared to visit the Museum of Natural History, we prepared our children to see a secular perspective on the creation of the world, the evolution of animals and the evolution of man. We enjoyed the exhibits and the hands-on experiences, but it was filtered through the lens of our Christian worldview. It's a great museum, and an inexpensive, engaging place to visit for a day. Even if we do not agree with the narration of everything we saw, it led to engaging and fruitful discussion for our family.
0 families found this helpful
"Good part of a fun day at the National Mall"
The Natural history museum is one of the many located along the national mall. Free to the public, with 3 floors of exhibits, it provides an air conditioned learning experience. We have a young toddler, so we only spent a few hours walking around. Our youngster really enjoyed the dinosaur exhibit and the animals.
0 families found this helpful
"A must visit!"
i live in california, but in the summer of 2009, me and some of my family, including the little ones, went on a month long roadtrip acrossthe united states of america, and along that trip, we visited the amazing musuem and is a must visit for everyone
0 families found this helpful
"A Tried and True Favorite"
We have been here several times. We love it because we can find something new, and visit our old favorites. The fact that it's free doesn't hurt either :) Our kids especially love the animals exhibits, as well as the jewels/diamonds exhibit. Like other reviewers have said, it does get busy, but my kids don't even seem to notice because they are so excited about choosing where to go next!
0 families found this helpful
"Loved it!"
My kids were 3 and 1 when we went and they both loved going here. There was so many stuffed animals to see, dinosaurs, and much more! They loved the butterfly exhibit too. I recommend this to anyone in the area especially with kids. It is worth taking the time to go and see. We didn't even look at the whole museum and were there for a few hours. You can take lunch and they have a place to eat too.
1 family found this helpful
"Amazing museum!"
The National Museum of Natural History is an amazing museum with something for the whole family. You can look at dinosaur bones and rare jewels all in the same day! The museum is well laid out and the exhibits are fantastic.
The downside is the crowds. If you go on the weekends or during any school break, prepare for it to be busy. Certain areas can actually get so busy it is uncomfortable. However, the museum is worth this minor inconvenience (which can be avoided by visiting at off times if possible). One note -- the cafe is ultra-expensive. While there is a dearth of restaurants right near the mall, a walk of a few blocks will find you better and cheaper food.
0 families found this helpful
"Busy, but worth it!"
Busy, but worth it"
This is one of my daughter's favorite museums to visit when we are in the DC area. The floor plan is well thought out and easy to move from one area to the next. It can get very busy during holidays and summer, so prepare for that. We usually walk around the first floor, where the ocean and animal areas are located, but we started on the second floor to view the gems and the infamous, Hope diamond.
1 family found this helpful
"Prepare for crowds"
It almost goes without saying that parking in DC, especially around the Smithsonian museums, is a nightmare. Tourists abound all year round -- from buses full of foreign visitors to massive groups of teenagers in identical shirts to individuals and families taking in DC's rich history and offerings.
If it's possible, plan to take metro or walk to the Museum of Natural History. If it isn't, just be prepared to make a few circles to find a metered spot and/ or to walk a bit.
Keep on your toes -- the museum has a number of smallish spaces that fill with bustling crowds. And those big groups of tourists often include at least a few folks who are so involved in seeing everything that they forget it's rude to walk between a little kid and a parent. I advise dressing the kids in easily-spotted bright colors and giving the "stay where I can see you" lecture on the way in.
Despite the typical problems, the Natural History museum is a real winner for families. Dinosaur fossils, including a big T-rex, are a huge attraction. Be sure to see if anyone is working on a project in the glassed-in work zone! The Hope Diamond is always eye-popping as well. Another favorite is the more recently opened Butterfly exhibit with living, flying butterflies. Smaller visitors will really love the Discovery Room, which allows for hands-on interaction with a variety of materials. They'll never know they're learning!
The museum has a terrific website, including a site for kids.
0 families found this helpful
"Fantastic museum!"
The National Museum of Natural History is one of the greatest museums I've ever been lucky enough to experience with my family. It's free, so thats one huge plus, especially for big families. The sights at this museum are absolutely breathtaking and seem to leave my children mesmerized every single time we visit. I must say that it gets really busy so it may be uncomfortable for parents with babies or young children.
2 families found this helpful
"LOVE this museum...who can beat FREE"
We recently made the trip to WA D.C with our 5yr old daughter and had a GREAT trip. This museums was one of my favorites and probably one of our daughters too. With so many animals and prehistoric things to look at it was hard to know where to start. And sadly our daughter got tired before we could finish the entire museum, we had already been to several that day. So plan this as a FIRST museum of the day so your kids can truly enjoy it. I'd say this one is for all ages! Just bring a small stroller because the walking can be overwhelming, even for a 5-6yr old.
2 families found this helpful
"Simply the best Smithsonian for Small Children!"
What's not to love? Butterflies, dinosaurs and diamonds!!
The highlight of the trip was most definitely the only part of the Smithsonian experience that cost an incremental fee: the Butterfly pavilion. This amazing experience allows you to walk inside a chamber which is home to hundreds of butterflies. This rare experience allows you to touch butterflies from all over the world. If you're a mom who likes to take photos, this is the place for you. Warning! One little boy who was in the pavilion at the same time (looked to be around 4) was very scared because the butterflies do land on you and they are flying all around you.
The Hope Diamond is an amazing sight to see and will be of interest to both boys and girls--the display is well laid out and the storytelling of the Hope Diamond, it's "curse" and history are well told. The diamond (when I went) is having an anniversary, and it temporarily not in its setting. To that end, it is i a case that will be eye level for most elementary school kids and spins around so everyone "gets a turn" to see it--literally. Highly recommend.
There are so many other great thing to see in this museum--the African Elephant who greets you with his trunk raised when you walk in, the hall of dinosaurs, and the very amazing Sant Ocean Hall. In short, this is an amazing museum, great for school aged children and is equally interesting for both boys and girls. I would suggest planning for three hours to see all of the things you're interested in. A good museum to go to before of after a meal.
0 families found this helpful
"Great for kids, can be hard on mom and dad"
Dinosaurs, mastadons, giant squids and butterflies. What more could kids want? It's a great museum, with lots to see, and the admission is free. However, it can get VERY crowded over the weekend and is hard to navigate if you have a stroller or small toddler-age kids who need to be held/strolled. Parking in DC is always challenging.
3 families found this helpful
"Butterflies and Diamonds Oh My! at the National Museum of Natural History"
The National Museum of Natural History is part of the FREE museums (your tax dollars at work) open to all as part of the Smithsonian Institution. It's located right on the National Mall, and you'll know you're in right place because you'll see a gigantic mammoth when you enter. Of course you'll see the stunning Hope Diamond, giant pickeled squid, and the scary Mastadon jaw, but be sure to stop by the Butterfly exhibit on the 2nd floor. This requires a fee to enter but is FREE ON TUESDAYS. This amazing exhibit allows you to see hundreds of butterflies, and you can even try your hand at feeding a few. Bonus during the winter months: this warm, humid room can be a welcome respite from an afternoon of walking along the wind-swept Mall.
1 family found this helpful
"Dinosaurs and More"
My son and I spent at least 30 minutes exploring the exhibit in the center of the Natural History Museum -- the elephants and its animal neighbors and plants. The museum has exhibits ranging from dinosaurs to fossils to undersea creatures to a series of exhibits that were featured in the Ben Stiller film "Night at the Museum: Smithsonian."
0 families found this helpful
"Must see"
This is one of the must see places when visiting DC. It's the best museum on the mall for kids small and large. Kids love the dinosaurs, mammals, and the new sea creatures exhibits. This museum can get very crowded, especially during holiday weekends. The food area is much improved recently. Like most places on the mall in DC, parking is a challenge.
0 families found this helpful
"natural history museum"
As far as kids go, this is one of the top ones to see at the Smithsonian. One word: DINOSAURS!! Our preschoolers loved this one and found it totally fascinating. It has so much to look at that it will hold their attention for longer than your average museum!
1 family found this helpful
"And it's free"
Though all free museums can be expected to be crowded on the weekends, we were still able to get around the exhibits with our stroller adequately. I was surprised how much my almost two year old enjoyed it. At the zoo animals are so far away or many times sleeping, but here my child could get very close up and get a good look at every animal. Because of this, she enjoyed her time. Naturally, her attention span didn't allow us to read all the gem descriptions we wanted, but hey, it's free!
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