A Visit to the American Museum of Natural History

Spending one single day at the American Museum of Natural History is not enough. You could literally spend days, even weeks visiting the museum's many amazing exhibits. The museum has an Earth and Space Hall, Animal Hall, Fossil Hall, Environment Hall, Human and Culture Hall. So, yeah...the museum is BIG! And the exhibits are so incredibly life-like! Trust us when we say, there is plenty at this museum to keep kids engaged for hours on end. We're talking lions, buffalo, gorillas, grizzly and polar bears, not to mention a gigantic life-sized blue whale...and that's just a short list of the animals on display. And if you'd like to imagine what might happen if the museum sculptures actually came to life, be sure to check out the movie A Night at the Museum.One of the most inspiring things we saw while visiting was a message to "Youth" from President Theodore Roosevelt. It is etched into a marble wall just beyond the museum entrance and reads:

YOUTH

I want to see you game boys. I want to see you brave and manly and I also want to see you gentle and tender. Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground. Courage, hard work, self mastery and intelligent effort are all essential to a successful life. Character in the long run is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of and of nations alike.

Unfortunately our time in New York City was limited, so we only had one afternoon to tour the museum. Still, we made the most of it, visiting every floor and photographing as many of the spectacularly life-like dioramas as we could. Our hope is that these photos will inspire you to make your own trip to the American Museum of Natural History next time you visit the Big Apple. It's definitely worth the time!Happy travels!