10 Things to Know Before Visiting the American Museum of Natural History

If you’ve been to the American Museum of Natural History with kids, you know the level of exhaustion I am currently operating under. The recovery from the museum takes an entire day to get over, but it is still my favorite place in NYC to take kids. People visiting NYC ask me often about where are the best places to take kids, and I always start out my list with the Museum of Natural History.

If you are planning on visiting the Museum of Natural History, here are 10 things you should know.

1. Go to AMNH.org to buy your tickets ahead of time or show up and get in line. Depending on the day, the lines can get long, so you might want to visit the website first. If you are a member, you can skip the line and enter through the member’s entrance.
2. Remember the old days when you visited the museum with your kids and even though there were signs up that said “No Eating and Drinking,” we all did it anyway? If you find your normal corner or spot where you snack, you’ll be asked to put your stuff away.
3. Don’t park in the parking garage. I rarely drove to the museum to begin with, but I did this time and regretted it instantly. It seemed everyone else that lives here drove rather than take public transportation and the garage was overflowing. It took a while to get out and with a lot of cars double-parked; it was a bit of a tight maze to get through. I’ll take the subway next time.
4. The special exhibitions sell out quickly. If you’re thinking about going to the museum and then buy the exhibition tickets, you’ll be out of luck. Purchase them ahead of time when you book your visit.
5. Drinking fountains tend to be in repair often, so bring a water bottle.
6. Let the kids take their time with the touch screens, unless there is a long line. My kids often remember the information from those screens.
7. Check the Discovery Room times even if you are familiar. They can be closed at any given time for repair or cleaning.
8. There’s no coat check and you’ll have to carry around everything you carried in.
9. Using a stroller can be a pain in the butt, so you might want to use a baby carrier. But, if you go to use one, go ahead. Which takes me to…
10. The elevators are not fun to ride in. They get packed and can be slow. I usually like to take the stairs because of my claustrophobia.

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