The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History will extend its hours this weekend in observance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Friday through Sunday, Jan. 18-20, the museum will stay open until 7:30 p.m. Admission to the museum is free.

These special extended hours will enable visitors to further enjoy the museum's world famous exhibits, including the Dinosaur Hall, African Voices, the Mammal Hall, the O. Orkin Insect Zoo and the National Gem Collection, home to the renowned Hope Diamond.

The Johnson IMAX Theater, Atrium Café and museum's retail shops, including the Gems and Minerals Store and the Mammal Hall Store, also will remain open until 7:30 p.m.

On Friday nights, visitors can celebrate the week's end with live music, fine dining and large-format films at the Smithsonian Jazz Café and Johnson IMAX Theater. The full-service cash bar opens at 5:30 p.m. A changing roster of nationally recognized jazz musicians is featured from 6:30 to 10 p.m. in the Atrium Café, where an a la carte menu features seasonal specialties. The cash bar opens at 6:30 p.m. For more information about the jazz performance schedule, visit www.smithsonianjazzcafe.org or call (202) 633-8801. Admission is $12. Children 12 and younger are admitted free of charge. For more information about IMAX films and tickets, visit www.si.edu/imax.

Next month, the Natural History Museum opens the new exhibit, "Butterflies and Plants: Partners in Evolution." This exhibit includes a free-admission exploration into how insects and other animals have co-evolved with plants and a walk-through exhibit of living butterflies (admission charge applies). For more information about this exhibit, its hours and tickets, visit www.butterflies.si.edu.

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