Natural History Museum Tickets and Tours

The Natural History Museum in New York is a must-see, one of the most visited museums in the United States. Since its founding in 1869, it has topped every list of the world's best science museums.

Many will know it from Ben Stiller's movie Night at the Museum, especially the little ones. Although in real life its collection doesn't come to life at nightfall, it's still worth a visit. I'll tell you everything you need to know!

The best option

NYC American Museum of Natural History Tickets

Skip the ticket lines and go straight into the Natural History Museum.

With this advance ticket, you can visit the Natural History Museum without having to wait at the ticket office. Once inside, take your time and explore the gallery at your own pace.

From $31 at Hellotickets

With this ticket to the American Museum of Natural History, you can skip the lines at the ticket office and enjoy the permanent exhibitions. However, security checks are unavoidable and may delay your access to the collection, which I will describe later.

Why I like this option: with this advance ticket, you are guaranteed access to the Natural History Museum without having to queue at the ticket office. What's more, you can stay inside for as long as you like and explore the gallery at your own pace.

Recommended if... you are thinking of visiting the Natural History Museum and want to get advance tickets at the best price.

At Hellotickets, you can buy tickets for the Natural History Museum online in advance, starting at $31 I definitely recommend this option, as it is one of the essential tourist attractions on any trip to New York and is loved by both children and adults alike, so there are always long lines at the ticket office and you'll waste a lot of time if you don't buy your tickets in advance.

On the other hand, if you want to enjoy a little extra on your visit, you can also book your ticket with access to one of the special exhibitions, starting at just $37 This ticket allows you to choose one of the following options:

• Special exhibition
• Admission to the butterfly garden
• 2D movie on a giant screen
• Space show at the Hayden Planetarium

To get the most out of your trip to New York, you can book your New York tourist pass, which offers a flat rate for visiting the city's most popular attractions. You'll save time (in ticket lines) and money, as the prices for each ticket are more affordable.

The New York tourist cards that include access to the Natural History Museum are:

Which pass should you buy?

In my article on the best tourist cards in New York, we help you choose the one that's right for you, but the most important thing to know before you choose your pass is that there are two types of cards:

• Those you pay for by the day: you have unlimited access to all the attractions you can during those days.
• Those you pay for by the number of attractions: the most efficient option if you already know what you want to see on your trip.

Location and how to get to the American Museum of Natural History

Opening hours of the New York Museum of Natural History

Guided tour of the American Museum of Natural History

Good news: the guided tour of the Natural History Museum is free. All you have to do is register at the information desk in the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall on the first floor. The guided tour lasts approximately 75 minutes and is offered in several languages. However, there are limited places per group, so if you want to be sure of getting a guided tour, I recommend signing up when you arrive.

It's huge and there's a lot to see, so it's a good idea to plan your visit well. When buying your tickets for the Natural History Museum, allow at least 3 hours to explore it at your leisure.

Located in a landscaped area opposite Central Park, the Natural History Museum consists of 28 interconnected buildings that house dozens of permanent exhibition halls, research laboratories, and its popular library. Its facilities house what is considered the world's largest collection of more than 35 million pieces, which, due to lack of space, cannot all be displayed at once.

If you book your ticket to the Natural History Museum, you will have access to the ten permanent exhibitions spread over more than forty rooms, as well as the temporary exhibitions and the planetarium:

• Grand Gallery: This area displays fossils and the Great Canoe, built by Native Americans in the late 19th century.
• Biodiversity and Environmental Halls: Offers a glimpse of life on Earth and its beauty. In one of the rooms dedicated to life in the oceans, there is a 28-meter-long model of a blue whale on display.
• Birds and Reptiles and Amphibians Halls: These rooms represent the great variety of birds on the planet, with special attention to those of North America and New York. This exhibition also covers reptiles and amphibians.
• Earth and Planetary Sciences Halls: This exhibition has three rooms dedicated to meteorites, minerals, and gems. Among other things, spectacular stones such as the Patricia Emerald, the Midnight Star Ruby, and the largest sapphire on the planet, the Star of India, which was stolen from the museum in the 1960s, are on display here.
• Fossil Halls: The fossil exhibit has the largest collection of dinosaur and mammal relics. It is divided into six rooms focusing on the origins of vertebrates, dinosaurs, large mammals, and primitive mammals. There are specimens of Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, and Brontosaurus, among others.
• Human Origins and Cultural Halls: This exhibition explores the history of human evolution, as well as the different cultures of peoples in Africa, Asia, North and South America, and the Pacific.
• Mammal Halls: The exhibition dedicated to mammals covers the characteristics of small mammals, Asian mammals, African mammals, North American mammals, New York mammals, and the primate hall.
• Rose Center for Earth and Space: The Rose Center is one of the museum's most unique exhibits. Its display is dedicated to the study of the universe, galaxies, planets, and stars. In this area, you can visit the Hayden Planetarium.
• Theodore Roosevelt Memorial: This hall houses the official memorial to Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York State and president of the United States. It also displays the giant skeleton of a Barosaurus.
• Discovery Room: In this space, children ages 5 to 12 can learn alongside adults about science, research, and nature through interactive puzzles, artifacts, and scientific challenges.

After gaining the support of figures such as Theodore Roosevelt Sr. (father of the famous US president and one of the institution's co-founders), naturalist Albert S. Bickmore fulfilled his dream of creating the New York Museum of Natural History in 1869 for the study of the universe, the Earth, human beings, and the dissemination of science.

From that moment on, the museum's team traveled to every continent and was involved in expeditions that discovered the North Pole, crossed Mongolia and the Gobi Desert, ventured into the dense forests of the Congo, and mapped unexplored areas of Siberia.

Since then, the museum has continued its efforts, sponsoring some 120 expeditions annually and employing more than 225 scientists.

By now you probably know that New York has more to offer tourists than many other capitals around the world. And when it comes to museums, it's no slouch either. If you'd like to visit some of the most popular museums, start your tour at:

• The MoMa, one of the most important modern art museums in the world (you can read here how to organize your visit: MoMA in New York Tickets and Tours).
• The 9/11 Memorial Museum, dedicated to the terrorist attacks that took place on September 11. Here are my impressions of the visit and some tips: 9/11 Memorial and Museum Tickets and Tours.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the largest museums in the world. It houses works dating back more than 5,000 years, as well as pieces from different cultures and periods. If you want to organize your visit, here's a little help: MET Museum in New York: Tickets and Tours.
• The Guggenheim, another modern art museum, located in the exclusive Upper East Side of Manhattan. Here's a Guggenheim Museum in New York: Tickets and Tours.