One of the things on my bucket list was to visit the American Museum of Natural History. I had been teased with it by the Kratt Brothers on their television show, seen it in movies like The Day After Tomorrow and just knew I belonged inside it. I knew it would be Nirvana.
Guess What?
I was correct!
The American Museum of Natural History has a hall of Gems the size of the top floor of my house that had radioactive gems, gems that glowed in the dark, and rare gem statues. Plus gold from the California Gold Rush, at least 15 different pieces of sulfur, and a large mineral hunk at the center of the main room. And of course the hall of meteors was RIGHT NEXT DOOR so yeah, it was like heaven!
The Hall of Biodiversity was the one place I wanted to go in there. When I entered the Museum if someone asked me where I wanted to go first I would have said Hall of Biodiversity. Of course, they moved the Dodo bird to one of the showcases and the Tasmanian tiger who-knows-where but I loved it anyway
My mom scored tickets for us that were all inclusive for the special events and displays inside it. We started at the top floor to see the dinosaur fun as we geared up for Dinosaurs Among Us. (Mom had to drag me out)
The Dinosaur event was a hands on and interactive situation. You had a visitor’s guide for each kiddo that you collected four stamps in as you worked your way through the exhibits. There were fun things like sitting in a dino nest to help hatch eggs.
Dark Universe was in the planetarium. It was and incredible show and included comfortable seats. It teaches about dark matter and how the universe is ever expanding. ( It took all of my energy not to cry when it was over)
National Parks Adventure was beyond surprising. I learned about climbing ice, the redwood forests, how Teddy Roosevelt was so awesome and that fire is the friend of the forest. (My apologies to Smokey the Bear ) It was awesome even though we missed part of it
🙂
Crocs: Ancient Predators was another hands-on style event that let you wander through the series of educational videos, live critters and interactive displays. (But whats the point of live crocodiles on display? They don’t move anyway! Or, at least they didn’t move when I was around…) I now know little things like crocodiles have salt glands in their mouths and Alligators do not. Crocodiles have slender jaws and Alligators have rounded snouts. I’m not going to tell you more because you need to get there and see it all for yourself! (At this point I used every muscle in my body to keep a straight face and not cry because my parents wanted to move on to the next item… (sigh)
The Secret World Inside You was the one that we did NOT see as we were running behind and my parents were getting overloaded. Personally? I could have slept there overnight and kept going for a few more days.
I know New York has a ton of amazing museums, but this one really is a “must see” for your science lover. Pop for the extra events on your ticket and you will have an incredible time.
All this science, if you know me, you’d know it was my heaven.
So BEAUTIFUL!!!
disclosure: While we were offered free tickets for this experience, all thoughts are entirely our own.
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