Smithsonian institution national museum of natural history

The National Museum of Natural History is part of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s preeminent museum and research complex. The Museum is dedicated to inspiring curiosity, discovery, and learning about the natural world through its unparalleled research, collections, exhibitions, and education outreach programs.

Opened in 1910, the green-domed museum on the National Mall was among the first Smithsonian buildings constructed exclusively to house the national collections and research facilities. The Museum’s temporary and permanent exhibitions serve to educate, enlighten, and entertain millions of visitors each year.

The main building on the National Mall contains 1.5 million square feet of space overall and 325,000 square feet of exhibition and public space. At the center of the Museum’s exhibition and research programs are its expertly documented collections: more than 126 million natural science specimens and cultural artifacts.

Just to name a few museum holdings, the collections include 30 million insects carefully pinned into tiny boxes; 4.5 million plants pressed onto sheets of paper in the Museum’s herbarium; seven million fish in liquid-filled jars; and two million cultural artifacts, including 400,000 photographs housed in the National Anthropological Archives.

What is the Smithsonian Natural History Museum known for?

Why is the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History closed?

Is the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History free?

What exhibits are at the Smithsonian natural history?