Natural History Museum in New York Tickets and Tours

New York's Natural History Museum 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 best science museums in the world.

Many will know it from the film Night at the Museum by Ben Stiller, especially the younger ones. Although in real life its collection doesn't come alive after dark, 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

Access the Natural History Museum by skipping the queues at the ticket office.

With this early bird 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 leisure.

From £28 at Hellotickets

With this ticket to the New York Museum of Natural History you can skip the queues at the ticket office and enjoy the permanent exhibitions. However, security checks are unavoidable and may delay your access to the collection, which I'll describe below.

Why I like this option: with this early bird ticket you are guaranteed access to the Museum of Natural History 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 an early bird ticket at the best price.

In Hellotickets you can buy online in advance tickets for the Museum of Natural History from £28 An option that, without a doubt, I recommend you, as it is one of the essential tourist attractions of the trip to New York and both children and adults like, so there are always many queues at the box office and a lot of time is lost if you don't have them bought.

Here is more information about the prices of the Natural History Museum.

To get the most out of your trip to New York you can book your New York Sightseeing Pass which offers you a sort of flat rate to visit the city's most popular attractions. You save time (in queues at the ticket office) and money, as the prices for each ticket are more cost-effective.

The New York City Sightseeing Cards that include access to the Museum of Natural History are:

Which pass to buy?

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

• Those that you pay per day: you have free entry to as many attractions as you can during those days.
• Those that you pay for the number of attractions: the most efficient if you already know what you want to see on your trip.

Location and directions to the New York Museum of Natural History

Opening hours of the Museum of Natural History in New York City

Guided tour of the Museum of Natural History in New York City

Good news, the guided tour of the Museum of Natural History is free. Just register at the information desk in 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 make sure you get a guided tour, I recommend you sign 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 in advance. When you buy your tickets for the Natural History Museum set aside at least 3 hours to explore at your leisure.

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

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

• Grand Gallery: This area features fossils and the Great Canoe, built by Native Americans in the late 19th century.
• Biodiversity and Environmental Halls: Offers a view of life on Earth and its beauty. In one of the rooms dedicated to life in the oceans, a 28-metre-long model of a blue whale is on display.
• Birds and Reptiles and Amphibians Halls: Its rooms represent the great variety of birds on the planet, with a special focus on those of North America and New York. On the other hand, this exhibition also deals with reptiles and amphibians.
• Earth and Planetary Sciences Halls: This exhibition has three rooms devoted to meteorites, minerals and gems. On display here are spectacular stones such as the Patricia Emerald, the Midnight Star Ruby and the largest sapphire on the planet: the Star of India, the subject of a robbery at the museum in the 1960s.
• Fossil Halls: The fossil exhibition has the largest collection of dinosaur and mammal relics. It is divided into six halls focusing on the origins of vertebrates, dinosaurs, large mammals and early 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 addresses 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 exhibition 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 room houses the official monument to Theodore Roosevelt, governor of the state of New York and president of the United States. It also exhibits the giant skeleton of a Barosaurus.
• Discovery Room: In this space, children from 5 to 12 years old can learn about science, research and nature in the company of adults by experimenting interactively with puzzles, artefacts and scientific challenges.

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

From then on, the museum team travelled to every continent and was involved in expeditions that discovered the North Pole, traversed Mongolia and the Gobi Desert, penetrated the thick forests of the Congo and charted unexplored areas of Siberia.

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

By now you should know that New York has a tourist offer that stands out from many other capitals in the world. And "museum-wise", it's no slouch. If you feel like visiting some of the most popular museums, don't hesitate to start your tour with the MoMa, one of the most famous museums in the world:

• The MoMa, one of the most important modern art museums in the world (you can read here how to organise your visit: MoMA in New York Tickets and Tours).
• The 9/11 Memorial/Museum, dedicated to the terrorist attacks that took place on 9/11. Here are my impressions of the visit and some tips for you: 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York Tickets and Tours.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the largest museums in the world. It houses works more than 5,000 years old, as well as pieces from different cultures and periods. If you want to get organised to see it, here is 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 you have a Guggenheim Museum in New York Tickets and Tours.