By Ruby Martes
The American Museum of Natural History, one of the world's best and largest science museums, has captivated generations of children and adults and gained new fame from the 2006 movie "Night at the Museum." Attractions include the famous dinosaur fossils, the life-size dioramas and the planetarium.
History
The American Museum of Natural History was officially created on April 6, 1869. The first building on 77th Street opened on December 22, 1877.
Hours
The Museum is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Admission price
General admission is $15.00 for adults, $8.50 for children 2-12, and $11.00 for seniors and students with ID. General admission plus the space show, or a special exhibit or an IMAX show is $24.00 for adults, $14.00 for children, and $18.00 for students and seniors.
Hayden Planetarium
The Hayden Planetarium contains the Space Theater, the Big Bang theater and the Cosmic Pathway, which illustrates the 13-billion year history of the universe.
The 77th Street Lobby
The dramatic 77th Street lobby contains a 63-foot long canoe, the longest existing canoe of its type.
Fossil Halls
The Museum owns almost one million specimens of vertebrate fossils. More than 600 are displayed for the public.
Dioramas
Among the Museum's many habitat dioramas are those featuring gorillas, elephants, buffalo, lions, grizzly bears and chimpanzees.
Resources
About the Author:
Ruby Martes has been writing professionally since 1985, specializing in pop culture, quitting smoking and odd bits of trivia. Martes has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Arts in English/creative writing from San Francisco State and a Juris Doctor from University of California, Hastings, where she was a law journal editor.
