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Harvard Museum of Natural History

26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Description

The Harvard Museum of Natural History features 16 galleries with thousands of specimens drawn from the collections of three research museums from Harvard University: the Harvard University Herbaria (the highlight is the Ware Collection of Glass Models of Plants), the Museum of Comparative Zoology (from dinosaurs to mammals and invertebrates), and the Harvard Mineralogical Museum (meteorites, minerals, gemstones).

Access & Transport

The building is located 250m north of Harvard Yard, about 6km northeast of the centre of Boston. The Red metro line stops at Harvard station, 600m away, and only takes 13mins to bring visitors from 'Crossing' station in downtown Boston. Directions & parking info: https://hmnh.harvard.edu/directions-and-parking The accessible entrance and elevator are located at the North Entrance on the left side of the building. Accessibility info here: https://hmnh.harvard.edu/accessibility

Instructions & Recommendations

The museum is connected to the Peabody Museum, and admission to one museum admits ticket holders to both during regular hours

Meta review

Consistent online reviews for this museum which is described as "old style", academically oriented, and not interactive but very informative. The highlights are the glass flower exhibits and there are also recurring positive comments about the collections of geodes and gems.

Environmental & Social

No environmental data about the building. It does not appear to be extremely energy intensive, but it has not been renovated so is probably inefficient. Educational.

Conclusion

This is a good museum for those with an interest in the various branches of natural history but other visitors are likely to be a little put off by the lack of modern and engaging exhibits.

Key positive

Educational

A handful of high-quality sections / collections

Key negative

Not curated for younger children

Suitability

Accessible for wheelchair users

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

August 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit
Closed on Thanksgiving, 23-26 Dec, and 01 Jan

av. transport time:0h 45m

est. visit time:1h 20m

Regulated hours

Monday09:00 - 17:00

Tuesday09:00 - 17:00

Wednesday09:00 - 17:00

Thursday09:00 - 17:00

Friday09:00 - 17:00

Saturday09:00 - 17:00

Sunday09:00 - 17:00

Pricing
Age band
Age band
Regular price / pers.
Senior
65 - 99
US$13
Adult
19 - 64
US$15
Child
3 - 18
US$10
Infant
0 - 2
US$0

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