National Museum of Natural History - Washington Museum

Full Amenity List

• Restaurant

Descriptions from Across the Web

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• Before you step inside the museum, stop outside first, on the 9th Street side of the building, to visit the butterfly garden. Four habitats -- wetland, meadow, wood's edge, and urban garden -- are on view, designed to beckon butterflies and visitors alike. The garden is at its best in warm weather, but it's open year-round. Now go inside. Children refer to this Smithsonian showcase as "the dinosaur museum," since there's a dinosaur hall, or as "the elephant museum," since a huge African bush elephant is the first thing you see in the Rotunda, if you enter from the Mall. Whatever you call it, the National Museum of Natural History is the largest of its kind in the world, and one of the most visited museums in Washington. It contains more than 125 million artifacts and specimens, everything from Ice Age mammoths to the legendary Hope Diamond. Note: The museum is in the middle of an extensive renovation, including the creation of a brand new, 22,000-square-foot Ocean Hall (designed by the same firm that created the ... more on frommers.com
• This museum gift shop carries a wonderful selection of books on American ... more on frommers.com

Directions

Metro: Federal Triangle or Smithsonian

Constitution Ave. between 12th and 14th sts. NW

Hours

Daily 10am-5:30pm. In summer the museum often stays open until 8pm, but call to confirm. Free highlight tours Tues-Fri 10:30am and 1:30pm, but not in July/Aug

Miscellaneous

• Admission: Open daily, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed December 25. Admission is free.
• Collections: The museum's extensive collections, assembled largely by George Gustav Heye (1874��1957), encompass a vast range of cultural material��including more that 800,000 works of extraordinary aesthetic, religious, and historical significance, as well as article

Other Web Resources

• Read more about National Museum of Natural History on Yahoo! Travel
• www.mnh.si.edu
• http://www.virginia.org