AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

The American Museum of Natural History - what to see, where to eat nearby and all there is to explore in the area. Visit the dinosaurs, the whale and explore space and finish at the Diana Ross playground in Central Park, dog watching at the local dog run, sampling some of the best cookies in the city or a swim at the JCC Manhattan.

Front entrance of the American Museum of Natural History often has long lines.  Check the entrance on 81st Street at the Rose Center for Earth for earth and space; if you don't see any school buses
emptying out it is will likely be quicker to get tickets

Length of trip: Minimum 2 hours

Subway Stop:  81st and Central Park West : C and B trains. 79th and Broadway: 1 Train
Nearest playground

Suitable for: All age groups 

Nearby eating:
Patsy's Pizza (traditional Italian American- 74th and Columbus);

Levain Bakery (NYCs best cookies -74th and Amsterdam);

Shake Shak (considered to make NYCs best burgers - 77th and Columbus),Red Farm (excellent and fresh chinese food- 78th and Broadway;

Serafina (more upmarket pizza, salads, Italian (78th and Broadway)
Emack & Bolio's Ice Cream -79th & Amsterdam, 

Ample Hills Creamery - 85th & Amst, 

16 Handles 75th & Amsterdam (self serve frozen yoghurt & toppings), 

Tacombi (mexican) 78th & Amsterdam, 

Gray's Papaya (famous for its hot dogs) 72nd & Amst - well worth trying. 

Vanessa's Dumpling House - Amsterdam & 82nd

Kee's Chcolate - Columbus betw 70th & 71st. (go early for creme brulee bon bon v. special)

Comments: 
-  To avoid crowds in summer go early or after 3pm when summer camp groups have left.
-  Read up a few of the dinosaur species before you go - the biology and physiology is fascinating and breaths life into the giant bones you will see.  There are some great short videos on the subject.
Highlights: the Hall of Dinosaurs (5th Floor), Akeley Hall of African Mammals (2nd Floor), Hayden Planetarium (Big Bang Space Show), Millstein Family Hall of Ocean Life - the whale (1st Floor), the Hall of Gems and Minerals (under renovation)  the giant screen 3D movies, the Butterfly exhibit
Events:  Check the AMNH website or central park website for events later

Advance Planning: 
Maps of Central Park, (these include running, biking and self guided walking tours.
https://www.amnh.org/plan-your-visit
Floor plan: https://www.amnh.org/plan-your-visit/museum-map 
Educational short AMNH videos  https://www.youtube.com/user/AMNHorg/videos
Best cookies: Levain Bakery Amsterdam & 74th Street https://www.levainbakery.com/

Best chocolates (in NYC!): Kee's Columbus 71st & 72nd https://keeschocolates.com/collections/bonbons

Flea Market on Sundays: Grand Bazaar NYC, Columbus 77th https://grandbazaarnyc.org/gallery/
Swim:at the lovely JCC pool after a visit.  Family swim is usually 2:30-6pm but check the website.  Day passes have to purchased in person and in advance and costs @ $35 per person.  Worth it for a wind down after sight seeing.https://www.jccmanhattan.org.
Check the Central Park blog for websites and Central Park events.
Reading and viewing:  "American Museum of Natural History: 125 Years of Expedition and Discovery" By Lyle Rexer, Rachel Klein, Edward O. Wilson and the AMNH
The AMNH is featured in the following movies:  Night at the Museum (2006) The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Wonderstruck (2017), Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and Malcolm X (1992)
Starting Point: 81st and Central Park West.

To avoid crowds go early or in the summer visit after

the yellow summer camp school buses have left usually after 3pm - the museum tends to

empty after 2:30pm

The real Indiana Jones and the History of the American Museum of Natural History  The museum was established in 1869 during an era of adventure expedition and renewed interest in nature (following the industrial revolution). The institution funded expeditions to the North Pole, unmapped areas of Siberia, Mongolia and the Gobi Desert as well as the Congo jungle.  The goal was to have explorers return with samples and drawings to educate the public.  In 1913 the Carl Akeley, also an explorer, came up with the idea of the diorama and created the African Mammals Hall at the Museum. Shortly before this the AMNH recruited Roy Chapman Andrews - the inspiration for Indiana Jones.  Andrews explored the Gobi desert looking for the origins of man and instead discovered the dinosaur bones that started the museum collection. You can read about his life and purchase books he wrote on the Roy Chapman Andrews Society website https://roychapmanandrewssociety.org/roy-chapman-andrews/

 

The gift from Indiana Jones - Untold Stories Eps. 1 from Natural History Museum Denmark on Vimeo.

The AMNH dioramas - the exhibits with painted scenic backgrounds and stuffed animals in the foreground, were part of the original exhibits and have recently been restored.  They are treasured by museum staff who understand the painstaking efforts taken by the original artists to recreate what they saw in the wild. They are scientifically accurate and will remain an important part of the museum.

Listen to Sir David Attenborough talk about important role these museums play.

The museum contains 32 million specimens and cultural artifacts and is considered one of the greatest natural history  collections in the world.

The Dinosaur exhibit is on the 5th Floor. It might be worth planning two visits since there is so much to see or simply focus on a few of the dinosaurs.  A few popular ones are T-Rex, Tricerotops and the Sauropods and the Titanosaurus.  Dinosaur facts are abundant on the internet.

The Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Science - the information is dense and hard to understand but the AMNH space video link below allows for a bit of preparation. In the Hall of the Universe you can check out how much you would weigh on different planets.  Don't miss the Birth of the Universe at the Bing Bang Theatre.  https://www.amnh.org/explore/videos/space/(offset)/12

Gem Heist at the AMNH- in 1964 $400,000 worth of gems were stolen from the museum by a surfing champion Jack Murphy and his accomplice Allan Dale Kuhn the story is well told in the Smithsonian Magazine article  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-three-amateur-jewel-thieves-made-new-yorks-most-precious-gems-180949885/ 

Murph the Surf - gem thief

Great places to eat near the American Museum of Natural History & other things to do nearby:

Farmers market on Sunday 77th Street side of AMNH 9am-5pm

• Pre-dinner swim at the JCC Manhattan at 76th and Amsterdam - family swim usually 2:30pm-6pm but requires the purchase of a day pass @ $35 per person. This needs to be done in advance and in person. See Advance Planning section above for link
• The Diana Ross Playground in Central Park. Near entrance on the North side of 81st and Central Park
• Visit the dog run to sit on shaded benches and dog watch in the park beside the museum on 81st Street next to the Rose Center for Earth and Science
• On Sundays - there's a farmers market situated on the 77th Street side of the museum runs from April until December from 9am-5pm
• Check Nearby Eating section above to restaurant option
• Visit Zabars one of the more famous delis in New York City and an institution -pick up cold cuts for a picnic in Central Park

The cheese counter at Zabars@ Broadway between 80th & 81st. 

Levain Bakery- 74th and Columbus