Visiting the American Museum of Natural History NYC – A Complete Guide For Families
If you’ve landed here, you’re probably planning a family vacation and are looking for a great weather-proof family activity for when you’re in New York! You’re possibly wondering if visiting the American Museum of Natural History NYC is suitable with kids.
If you’re on a budget, you might be wondering if the American Museum of Natural History is free? Or perhaps, you’re just curious about their opening hours.
Luckily, this blog should hopefully answer all your questions – and more – so you can really enjoy your family day out visiting the American Museum of Natural History!
👀 At a Glance. Here are my top tips for visiting the American Museum of Natural History
How to get there:
- While the car is king in the rest of the USA, as always, you can avoid parking hassle in NYC by using the excellent MTA public transport options!
- Subway: Take the B (weekdays only) or C to 81st Street. Two blocks west of the Museum, the 1 train stops at Broadway and West 79th Street. For a complete subway map, visit the MTA website.
- Bus: The M79 bus travels east/west on West 79th Street across Central Park, with a stop next to the Museum on West 81st Street. Other buses also stop at or near the Museum, including the M7, M10, M11, M86, and M104 buses. For complete bus information, visit the MTA website.
- Train: From North of New York City: See the Metro North Railroad website for maps and schedule information.
- 🚗 Taxis and Ubers are also available, but check the price before you get in!
Top Tips:
- Strollers (prams!) are welcome throughout the Museum, except in theatres. The recommended Museum entrance for strollers is 81st Street/Rose Centre.
- Don’t come directly from the airport as large bags or backpacks (more than 11” x 17”) or luggage are not permitted.
- The Museum Food Court (open from 10:45 am to 4:45 pm on the Lower level has a huge variety of selections for all ages and palates, with gluten-free and nut-free choices, and a menu that changes daily if you get hungry!
- Weekday mornings (especially Tuesday through Thursday) tend to be less crowded.
- Avoid school holidays if possible—the museum becomes very busy during spring break and summer vacation.
- Plan for at least 3-4 hours to see the highlights, though you could easily spend an entire day exploring.
So… is visiting the American Museum of Natural History NYC Free?
Sadly, unless you are a Member of the New York Natural History Museum, you’ll normally have to pay an entrance fee when visiting. However, there are some exceptions to the normal rules, and these are:
- Children under 3.
- All members of the U.S. military and their families during the Blue Star program from Armed Forces Day to Labor Day.
- At other times of the year, free general admission is provided to members of the U.S. military and one guest.
- Cool Culture pass holders.
- Caregivers accompanying visitors with disabilities.
- Museum staff and museum sector staff.
- Visitors who enter the Museum during the last hour of the day.
So, if you’re on a money saving trip – or perhaps you’ve got young kids with you who wouldn’t last very long in a Museum (no matter how interesting the exhibits may be) then the biggest pro-tip is to pop along in the last hour of the day for a quick and free look round.
The only problem with this method is that an hour really isn’t long enough to look at everything on display when visiting the American Museum of Natural History, unless you’re only wanting to look at one or two specific things!
So if you really want to have a good look around as a tourist, then paying for a ticket might be the only way. If you really are strapped for cash, though, why not check out my other blog, 11 Free Things to Do in New York – A City Break.
However, if you’re willing to part with some dollars in exchange for an excellent education, compared to some things to do in NYC, visiting the American Museum of Natural History is a pretty reasonable priced day out.
American Museum of Natural History Tickets
Adult Admission is priced at $30, Child Admission (Ages 3-12) is $18, Student Admission (with valid ID) is $24, as is Senior Admission (Ages 60+).
If you’re reading this in the States, there are reduced rates for New York State residents who can visit on a “pay what you wish” basis, although the recommended prices are suggested at $25 for adults, $20 for students with ID, $20 for seniors (again, ages 60 and up), and $14 for children (ages 3–12). Make sure to bring along some state-recognised ID to be eligible for this benefit, though.
If you live nearby, it’s also well worth considering Membership if you’re considering regularly visiting the American Museum of Natural History, as not only does it grant you free entry, you can also get free tickets to all exhibitions and shows on every visit.
Members Only Previews and Evening and Morning Hours as well as the use of a Member Entrance and Shop, Food Court, and parking discounts are all included.
Full details of people eligible for free admission, discounts, and membership can be found on the excellent official website.
TICKETS
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
American Museum of Natural History
✔️ Access to permanent exhibits
✔️ Access to the new Gilder Center
✔️ Timed entry to 1 or all special exhibitions
What to See at the American Museum of Natural History
With over 45 permanent exhibition halls spread across several interconnected buildings, the museum can feel a bit overwhelming at first.
For Dinosaur Enthusiasts (All Ages)
The fossil halls on the fourth floor are a guaranteed hit. The kids loved seeing:
- The massive Titanosaur that’s so large its head extends out into the hallway
- The iconic T. rex fossil (a museum treasure)
- The dramatic Barosaurus display in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda, showing a mother protecting her young from an Allosaurus
The exhibits do a wonderful job explaining dinosaur science in kid-friendly ways.
For Ocean Lovers (Ages 3+)
The Milstein Hall of Ocean Life on the first floor is magical for children of all ages:
- The 94-foot blue whale model suspended from the ceiling is absolutely awe-inspiring
- The immersive dioramas showing underwater ecosystems
- The darkened, blue-lit atmosphere that makes kids feel like they’re underwater
This hall also offers plenty of bench seating where parents can rest while kids marvel at the displays.
For Budding Astronomers (Ages 6+)
The Rose Center for Earth and Space is a stunning addition to the museum:
- The Hayden Planetarium Space Show is well worth the extra ticket
- The “Scales of the Universe” exhibit helps kids understand the vastness of space
- The 87-foot sphere housing the planetarium itself is a marvel of architecture
The space shows are about 25 minutes long—perfect for shorter attention spans while still being immensely educational.
For Insect Enthusiasts (All Ages)
The relatively new Susan and Peter J. Solomon Family Insectarium in the Gilder Center is fascinating:
- Live insects including the largest leafcutter ant display in the U.S.
- Interactive exhibits where kids can learn about insect adaptations
- The stunning Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium where hundreds of free-flying butterflies might land right on you (this requires a special ticket)
This area is particularly good for younger children who enjoy the movement and activity of living creatures.
Is Visiting the American Museum of Natural History Good with Kids?
Is the American Museum of Natural History good with kids? Oh my goodness, it is excellent for kids. Look, my own kids (10 and 11, going on 19) are not natural natural museum enjoyers, and especially not after an 8-hour transatlantic flight, but even they were enraptured by the displays.
There are five floors crammed with something for everyone, and if you’re travelling with very young children, you’ll be pleased to hear strollers (prams!) are welcome throughout the Museum. Visiting the American Museum of Natural History is very kid-friendly!
Visitors with strollers should enter through one of the Museum’s accessible entrances: the Rose Center at 54 West 81st Street, the Gilder Center at 415 Columbus Ave, or the Members’ entrance.
Visitors with strollers who would like to enter through the main entrance at 200 Central Park West must collapse the stroller before taking it up the entrance steps.
Parents should note that strollers are not permitted in the Hayden Planetarium, Big Bang Theater, Invisible Worlds Immersive Experience, or Butterfly Vivarium. Where strollers are not permitted, stroller parking is provided.
All Museum exhibitions are accessible for strollers, and all public areas of the Museum can be reached by elevator (lifts!).
Be aware that carrying your children on your shoulders isn’t permitted for health and safety reasons. Similarly, large bags or backpacks (more than 11” x 17”) or luggage will not be permitted, so if you’re visiting the American Museum of Natural History on your way to or from the airport, make use of a left luggage locker service like Bounce before you arrive!
If your children are slightly older and past the stroller stage, then they’ll really enjoy the open layout and interactive displays and shows on offer. My daughter is a creative type of girl and absolutely loved the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals. Much to her dismay, they do not give out free samples!
My son was particularly taken with the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton in the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs, where his imagination ran riot with how dinosaurs used to live. Seeing that smile alone made visiting the American Museum of Natural History worthwhile!
It’s at this point that it’s worth mentioning that for an additional $6 (adults) or $4 (kids), there are some additional ticketed exhibitions you can visit. We opted for “Invisible Worlds“, a 12 minute long looping immersive experience where we explored how all life on Earth is connected, from the networks of roots of the rainforest to the neurons firing in the human brain!
All of the ticked exhibitions are available to check out on the museum website, but the ones included in your entrance fee are just as exciting and interesting.
Food and Facilities
Dining Options
You have several choices for refuelling:
- The Food Court offers kid-friendly options like pizza, burgers, and sandwiches
- The new Restaurant at Gilder provides table service for a more relaxed meal
- Café on 1 serves coffee, pastries, and light snacks
- Cafe on 4 serves sandwiches, soups, salads, fruit, desserts, espresso, and cold beverages.
Prices are typical “attraction food” (read: somewhat expensive), so budget accordingly.
I’m Sold! What Are the American Museum of Natural History Hours?
The good news is that the American Museum of Natural History is open pretty much every day, between 10 am until 5:30 pm, so visiting should be possible no matter what day you have free in your diary!
It is only closed on the obvious days (Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day), but some exhibitions and amenities may be temporarily closed for maintenance or special events. Your best bet is to check the Museum website before you go to see what’s open and what’s closed that day.
We also highly recommend getting the New York City Pass, where you can save up to 41% at 5 Top Attractions, including the Natural History Museum.
#1 TOP PICK
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New York City Pass
✔️ Visit 5 major New York City attractions at significant savings
✔️ Get instant delivery of mobile tickets
✔️ Ride the Statue City Cruises ferry, visit the Guggenheim Museum, and more
Final Thoughts – Visiting the American Museum of Natural History
As I alluded to at the start of this blog, I am absolutely not much of a museum fan, and that’s rubbed off onto my kids somehow. But, even for us, it was a really enjoyable day out, learning all about not only the natural history of America, but also the other exhibits showcasing the natural planets.
When you walk into the reception area of the Museum, you’re confronted by enormous stone tablets, into which quotes by the great American, Theodore Roosevelt, are carved.
In the one addressed to “Youth”, he urges young people to “keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground.
Luckily, the New York Natural History Museum is a place where you can do both at the same time.
Enjoy your visit.
