by Serenity Hildebrandt

Created on: December 09, 2010   Last Updated: December 10, 2010

The Natural History Museum is not just a place made famous by various motion pictures, but an adventurous wonder to behold. It’s planetarium thrusts you into the massive reaches of outer space, where it feels like your on a thrilling plane ride to the milky way. The stars themselves look so close that you could reach out and touch them. As you watch these massive balls of light explode, the explosion itself, vibrates through your entire body.

In the main hall you have your choice of seeing the North American  forest, ocean life, or going up one  level to see the Hall of African Mammals or Dinosaurs. Contrary to what movie goers might believe, there is no wax statue of the great Theodore Roosevelt, or Dexter the capuchin monkey, in the New York branch. However, there are many great replicas to see in the Hall of African Mammals including Zebras, Lions, tigers, camels, and antelope. Not far from the Hall of African Mammals is the Teddy Roosevelt Rotunda,  housing quite a few relics.

When one hears the words Hall of Dinosaurs, flash backs of Jurassic Park start to fill your head. Seeing the giant dinosaur fossils as you enter the room help to make those visions come alive. Not only that, but the bones and various information displayed about the room are just mind boggling; for kids the main attraction of this exhibit is the fossils.

The Native American exhibit offered a refreshing take on what one might believe life was like before settlers arrived in North America. Not only is one exposed  to clothing worn by Native Americans to help them survive the cold winter on the plains, but also how they creatively used materials they found in their environment. It becomes obvious that  the Native American culture was much more refined that their depiction by Hollywood as lowly savages.

As one ambles through the North American forest the trees appear absolutely monstrous evoking an over powering sense of actually walking through a real forest. The entrance  to the Hall of Ocean Life is actually located with this forest exhibit. There the main attraction is the giant whale, but as you meander further into the exhibit you will be quickly over taken by the beauty of the underwater experience.

Well, the Natural History Museum goes on and on and I  could too in describing it to you. But it is much better to experience it all for yourself. So, if your going to be in Manhattan anyway, don’t forget to include a trip to the Museum of Natural History on your itinerary.

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