A Freebie but a Goodie (Natural History Museum (London))

Member Name: captain cave

Product:	Natural History Museum (London)
Date:	28/01/06 (173 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free to Enter, Loads to see

Disadvantages: Needs to be a whole day or two to get round everything

The Natural History Museum. London. England

Situated in the South Kensington area of London, the Great attraction is so packed full of information, artefacts, and attractions, that one day is never enough.

The best thing about the Museum is it’s free to enter, although some temporary exhibits do require a fee on entering.
I would advise you to purchase a programme and/or a floor plan when you enter, as it does have some good information inside it, and it’s also a nice memento of your day, it will also help you navigate the many rooms and corridors of the museum itself. Donations are welcome and there are several points around the entrance where you can donate.

The architecture of the building is a show in itself with its wonderfully high ceilings and colourful brickwork. Just the entrance hall with its dinosaur bones is enough to keep you standing there in awe. From the main entrance there are many smaller arch ways, which either lead to other rooms or little cubby hole exhibits.
If you are pressed for time, the best unmissable displays include the Dinosaur exhibit, with it huge bones, and reconstructed animatronics dinosaurs.
The mammals and Whale hall where you can measure yourself against the size of a full grown blue whale, suspended from the ceiling, or Hippo’s, Lions, Elephants or killer whales.
The Earthquake exhibit, where you can experience indoors, what a real earthquake would feel like, and the Earth Gallery, with its hundreds of Rocks, Crystal formations and Minerals from around the globe.

But if you do have more time there are many more places in the museum to explore.
The Darwin Centre, has hundreds of animals in jars and bottles, all perfectly preserved in alcohol, you can even schedule your visit to this room to co-inside with the Live sessions where the Curators and Scientists will happily answer any questions you have about the progress of science or what exactly is in those thousands of jars.
The Marine Invertebrates Room, with its different coral specimens and sea life specimens, find out interesting information about what humans have done to cause devastation in their environment. Continue through the corridors and view the glass cabinets full of Fish, Amphibians and Reptile’s, see the wondrous things that were discovered and removed from a Nile crocodile’s Stomach. See just what chemical reactions cause fish to illuminate the great depths of the sea. Carry on to the mammal’s exhibit, with its perfectly preserved and reconstructed animals in glass cabinets, Monkey’s Polar Bears and even a Sabre Tooth Tiger. Read all about how they survive or how they became extinct.
If Insects are more your thing, then visit the creepy crawlies section, with its hundreds of perfectly conserved moths, butterflies, ants and termites. Find out how insects collect pollen from plants, or how the leaf cutter ants live in their fully contained live habitat. See the Bird exhibit, where you can view the world’s largest bird the Ostrich or the world’s smallest bird the Hummingbird. Get a look at the now extinct dodo of Mauritius. Find out why some birds remain flightless while others beat their wings so fast you cannot even see it with the naked eye.
Visit the Plants display where you will find out just how much plants are used in everyday life, see how they are used in items like fuel, food, and cosmetics. Trust me when I say after seeing this exhibit you will never underestimate Flowers and plants again.

The Earth Galleries are a well constructed series of rooms which run through Life, Evolution, Earth, the Planets that surround us and the effect humans have to these things. The entrance is a stunning piece of art, which include sculptures and pieces of Moon rock, after moving through these wonderful pieces, travel up the escalators to the exhibits behind.

There are rooms in the museum where Children and Adults alike can touch, feel, and see certain items up close like shells and rocks, use the microscopes to examine the specimens closer and ask the scientists questions about what you find. This is a good place for the children to learn things they may not otherwise ever know.

If you get overwhelmed by the mountain of information indoors and feel the need to escape, go into the museum’s wildlife garden, with its many insects and flowers. Why not stop and have a picnic or just go for a calming stroll (due to seasonal weather you may want to phone the museum and check if the garden will be open during your visit)

There is a small restaurant on site, although as with most things in London, it is overpriced and the selection is not great, my advice would be to take a lunch and snacks with you, and if it’s a nice day sit in the garden or on the grounds in front of the museum to eat.

As mentioned before there are also special one off exhibits, Art, Jewel and sculpture shows, but you may wish to visit the website before you go to check if any of these types of displays will be on during your trip.

Website. www.nhm.ac.uk/index.html

Current Opening times
Monday to Saturday 10:00 - 17:50
Sunday 11:00 - 17:50
The Museum is open every day except 24-26 December. Last admission is at 17:30.
Address
Natural History Museum,
Cromwell Road,
London
SW7 5BD,
UK.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5000
Directions on how to get there
By tube We are within walking distance of South Kensington station on the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines
By bus Routes 14, 49, 70, 74, 345, 360, 414 and C1 stop near us. Some tour buses also pass nearby
By bicycle There are cycle parking facilities at the Cromwell Road entrance, on the east lawn next to the Garden Kiosk
By coach Victoria Coach Station is within walking distance of Victoria train and tube station on the Circle or District lines. For groups traveling by coach, there is a coach drop-off point outside the Cromwell Road entrance
By car Driving to the Museum is not easy and parking is expensive, there is limited meter parking on Exhibition Road

Summary: So Much to see it will blow your mind