Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC

Are you thinking of taking to our nation’s capital for the day? If so, make sure to stop by the Museum of Natural History! While I am sure most people are have heard of this fantastic museum, most could probably only point out that it has a huge stuffed elephant in the rotunda of the building. However, this building contains so many interesting exhibits, that our children were entertained for hours.

While there are many new and changing exhibits at this museum, some of the most impressive features are part of the permanent collection. On the first floor currently, they have Natures best photography, a discovery room, ocean, mammals, a massive fossil exhibit (including plants and animals), human origins, and of course the dinosaurs! This floor was definitely fun to look at and with such great big open spaces, there were plenty of places to roam. 

On the second level, exhibits on display included an area on genomes, a lot of the rocks and gems (including the Hope Diamond), an amazing insect zoo, which our kids were allowed to hold a few of, and a live butterfly exhibit (for a fee). My kids truly loved this floor as one child loved the large number of different rocks of various colors, while the other enjoyed holding huge bugs! There are several other wonderful exhibits in this museum as well, some that are permanent, and others that are temporary, and meant to keep the museum fresh and new.

The main level had a very large café, and there were multiple gift shops in the building. One of my favorite parts about living in this area are the wide array of activities to do, and one of my true favorite parts, is the amazing culture and history that is free and available to the public. While this museum is usually crowded throughout the day, this is worth the experience!

Website: http://www.mnh.si.edu/

Cost: Free

Closest Metro station: Smithsonian

Wheelchair accessibility: Yes (there is a ramp to get into the building on at least one side, ramps throughout the museum when necessary, and several elevators to go from floor to floor.)