American Museum of Natural History
Move from fossils to living ecosystems and ask how researchers know what an exhibit can—and cannot—tell us.
Artwork inspired by Charles R. Knight
The American Museum of Natural History is not a single dinosaur hall. Fossils, cultural collections, biodiversity displays, and the Gilder Center offer different ways to investigate life and the universe. Choose a question—how an animal moved or how a habitat works—and follow it through contrasting halls. The Tyrannosaurus rex mount is spectacular, but comparative fossils reveal more than its silhouette.
General admission covers more than forty permanent halls; the butterfly vivarium, immersive experiences, and planetarium require add-on tickets. Entry at Central Park West or the Gilder Center places you in different parts of the complex, so select a route first. New York residents can pay what they wish for general admission with qualifying ID. Check temporary hall closures before planning around one room.
- Permanent halls
- More than 40
- Entry choices
- Central Park West or Gilder Center
- Resident policy
- NY pay-what-you-wish general admission
Quick guide
- Choose a question
- Follow one idea through a fossil hall and a living-world or science gallery.
- Check add-ons
- Select butterfly, immersive, or planetarium tickets only if they fit your route.
Know before you go
- Pick an entrance
- Start near the halls you care about instead of crossing the complex immediately.
- Read the evidence
- Look for the fossils, specimens, or comparisons behind a reconstruction.
- Use contrast
- Pair extinct-animal displays with a present-day biodiversity hall.
- Check closures
- Individual halls and experiences sometimes pause for maintenance or research.
Good to know
A general-admission ticket does not automatically include the planetarium show or butterfly vivarium. New York's pay-what-you-wish option applies to general admission, not those add-ons.
Notice these
- Fossil halls
- Gilder Center
- Hayden Planetarium