Top Natural History Museums - 2

Top International Natural History Museums

1. Florence

While in Florence, you’ll most likely be drawn to its famous art museums, but save some time for the Museum of Natural History at the University of Florence, which was founded in 1775 and has millions of items in its collection. There are fossil elephant skeletons, a huge collection of butterflies, enormous tourmaline crystals, Aztec artifacts, and the world’s largest collection of anatomical waxworks made between 1770 and 1850. It is also home to Europe’s third oldest botanical garden.

Via La Pira 4, tel. +39-05-5234-6760. www.msn.unifi.it/index.html. Open Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri., Sun. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets: Adults, 6 euro (US $8); kids ages 6 to 14, 3 euro (US $4); family pass, 10 euro (US $13).

2. Beijing

The Beijing Museum of Natural History has 11 galleries to explore and invariably kids will want to head straight to Dinosaur World. Just as popular are the Aquarium Houses, with living aquatic life and the “Animal—the Friend of Human Being” exhibit. There are many interactive activities in this exhibit and even more in the Discovery Room, which has a new theme every week. Another exhibit that’s sure to interest children is the Cell Park, which is a model cell 400,000 times the size of a normal one.

126 Tianqiao South St., tel.+86-010-6702-4431. www.bmnh.org.cn/web/en/index.htm. Open daily 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets: adults, 15 yuan (US $1.80); children, 10 yuan (US $1.20).

 

• In the Blue Zone of London's Natural History Museum, learn about and compare a variety of mammals—everything from gophers to blue whales.

Courtesy of The Natural History Museum, London

3. London

The vast Natural History Museum is divided into color zones to help you navigate through the exhibits. Visit the Red Zone to learn about our planet. Inside, you can take an escalator up through a giant Earth sculpture made from iron, zinc and copper. In the Blue Zone, learn about human biology and mammals. The Green Zone focuses on ecology and in the Orange Zone, you’ll find a wildlife garden and the Darwin Centre (which opens in September 2009).

In the Central Hall, check out a replica of a Diplodocus dinosaur that lived 150 million years ago. There’s also a section of trunk from an enormous giant sequoia tree that was more than 1,300 years old when it was felled. There are dozens of ongoing programs and tours, but a lifesaver for parents is the “survival guide” found online that provides a lot of helpful information to plan a visit.

Cromwell Road at Exhibition Road, tel.+44-(0)20-7942-5000. www.nhm.ac.uk. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Free admission.

 

• The Botanic Garden & Museum, part of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, is home to the country’s largest collection of living plants.

Jens Astrup, Natural History Museum of Denmark

4. Copenhagen

The Natural History Museum of Denmark is actually a collection of museums: the Botanic Garden and the Botanical Museum & Library (now known as the Botanic Garden & Museum), the Geological Museum and the Zoological Museum. They are spread throughout the city. Depending on your interest, you can visit just one or all of the sites.

At the Geological Museum, the origin and evolution of everything from the origin of the universe to the evolution of man is explored. At the Zoological Museum, there are more than 10 million specimens, including mammoth and whale skeletons, among many others. The Botanical Garden & Museum, located in the heart of the city, is home to the largest collection of living plants in Denmark. The museum also houses one of the largest herbaria of plants and fungi from all over the world.

Københavns Universitet, Universitetsparken 15; tel. +45-3532-1032. snm.ku.dk/english. Each museum has different hours and fees. Visit the main Web site for information.

 

• Two children examine one of the Canadian Museum of Nature’s 25 complete dinosaur skeletons.

Martin Lipman

5. Ottawa

The Canadian Museum of Nature is undergoing renovations, which will last until 2010, but as updates are done, new sections open up. There is more than enough to keep any visitor occupied. Check out the Talisman Energy Fossil Gallery, where you can see 25 complete skeletons from the end of the dinosaur era, 65 to 85 million years ago. The Bird Gallery lets you identify most of the birds of Canada, with 500 specimens while the Discovery Zone offers hands-on activities. In the Mammal Gallery, dozens of diorama scenes depict Canada’s wildlife in action, such as grizzlies, bison, moose, caribou, pronghorn antelope, cougars and others.

240 McLeod St., tel. 613-566-4700. nature.ca/nature_e.cfm. From Sept. to April, open Tues. through Sun. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Thurs., when the museum is open until 8 p.m. May through Sept., open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours to 8 p.m. on Wed. and Thurs. Tickets: CA$5; under age 3, free; family pass (5 people), CA$13.

Hours and prices were accurate at time of publication, but please verify before your visit as they often change. 

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