New Websites
- Antarctic Marine Invertebrates - Bundle up to explore the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean. Meet the clawed, tentacled, spiky, gelatinous, many-legged, shelled and shell-less residents. Follow the missions of Antarctic research ships from the 1800s to the present day.
New Exhibitions
- Written in Bone, Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake - examines history through bone biographies, including those of colonists at Jamestown, VA, and those living in the wealthy and well-established settlement of St. Mary’s City, MD. Open Sat. Feb. 7 through Feb. 2011.
- The Sant Ocean Hall is our largest permanent exhibition. It explores the ancient, diverse, and constantly changing nature of the ocean, the historical connections humans have had with it, and ways in which we are impacting the ocean today.
- Dig It! The Secrets of Soil - journey into the skin of the earth and explore the amazing world of soil in this exciting new exhibit. Discover the amazing connections between soils and everyday life, and think about this hidden world in a whole new way. Open through Jan. 2010.
- Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution - explore a living butterfly house and observe the many ways in which butterflies and other animals have evolved and adapted together with their plant partners over tens of millions of years. [Ticket Sales]
Natural History Highlights
- Homo floresiensis - Walking, but not running, with the real 'Hobbits' - scientists are a big step closer to understanding the evolution of walking in humans. Bipedalism has long been considered one of the hallmarks of human evolution, signaling the transition from an ape-like reliance on arms and hands for locomotion to an upright gait using the legs and feet.
- Giant Squid - whether living or extinct, on land or at sea, in literature or in life, large animals have long fascinated people.The largest animals have all been hunted since prehistory. One giant animal, however, has remained almost unnoticed and unobserved in its habitat, the giant squid.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Located at 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, in Washington, D.C. 20560 [MAPS]
Free admission. No tickets are required for entrance. For more call 202-633-1000.
Open every day except December 25.
Regular hours are 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Through Labor Day 9/7/09, Museum’s hours are 10 am until 7:30. Please check our hours calendar for special early closings
- IMAX® Deep Sea 3D - get an up-close and personal encounter with some of the strangest and most exotic creatures on Earth.