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National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC

10th Street Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia

Description

The National Museum of Natural History of Washington DC collections include millions of specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts. It is one of the most comprehensive natural history collections in the world. Exhibits are divided into sections such as the Dinosaurs/Hall of Paleobiology, Hall of Human Origins, Mammals, Insects, Ocean, Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals, Africa's peoples and cultures, Butterfly + Plants, Hall of Bones and Q?rius (the museum's interactive and educational area).

Access & Transport

The museum is on the northern side of the National Mall, between the American History Museum and the National Gallery of Art. It is roughly in the middle of a triangle formed by the following metro stations: ''Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter' (Green, Yellow lines), 'Federal Triangle' (Blue, Orange and Silver lines) and 'Smithsonian' (Blue, Orange and Silver lines). There are also bus services along Constitution Ave. Accessibility info: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/accessibility

Instructions & Recommendations

This activity is easily combined with a walk along the National Mall and the following museums: National Museum of American History, National Gallery of Art, and National Museum of African Art.

Meta review

The museum is by far one of the most popular in the city, most likely because of its appeal to families and this shows: the crowds are the main complaints of online reviewers, followed by the unhelpful and rude staff, the lack of info for individual exhibits and the price of F&B. That being said, the comments are overwhelmingly positive, on account of the size and variety of the collections with plenty of world-class exhibits.

Environmental & Social

No environmental data - we expect the carbon footprint to be reasonable on a per visitor basis. Positive from a social perspective by helping spread culture.

Conclusion

The Natural History Museum is, in our opinion, the best educational activity for families in Washington DC. It is crowded though, so bear that in mind and try to go at opening time. If it is too packed, we suggest the National Gallery of Art next door instead.

Key positive

Very impressive and wide collections

Family friendly

Free admission and central location

Key negative

Very crowded

Recurring negative comments about staff / service

Suitability

Suitable for all ages and accessible to visitors with reduced mobility

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

Updated in August 2023

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit
Closed on 25 Dec.

av. transport time:0h 20m

est. visit time:2h 15m

Regulated hours

Monday10:00 - 17:30

Tuesday10:00 - 17:30

Wednesday10:00 - 17:30

Thursday10:00 - 17:30

Friday10:00 - 17:30

Saturday10:00 - 17:30

Sunday10:00 - 17:30

Pricing
Free

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