Why visit / Interesting facts:
- Incredibly diverse collection of life on earth
- The University's most visited museum
- Collection of highly-realistic glass models of plants
Time required: 90 minutes
Phone: +1-617-495-3045
Web site: http://www.hmnh.harvard....
Opening hours:
| Time period | Opening hours |
|---|---|
| Daily: | 9am - 5pm |
| Thanksgiving, Dec 24, Dec 25, Jan 1: | Closed |
Admission:
| Ticket type | Charge |
|---|---|
| General: | 9 $ |
| Non-Harvard Students with I.D.: | 7 $ |
| Seniors (65+): | 7 $ |
| Children (3-18): | 6 $ |
Public transport:
- Subway Red Line: Harvard Square
Address: 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA - USA
Photos: (see more photos)
Photo: eszter
Things you need to know:
- The Harvard Museum of Natural History is - you guessed it - a natural history museum, located at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- The museum consists of three parts: the Harvard University Herbaria, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and the Harvard Mineralogical Museum
- The HMNH gets more than 180,000 visitors per year, making it the University's most visited museum
- The permanent collection represents an incredibly diverse collection of life on earth, including dinosaurs, fossil invertebrates and reptiles, large mammals, birds, and fish, and the only mounted Kronosaurus. The museum also hosts a large display of meteorites, minerals, and gemstones, among others
- One of the most popular galleries contains the set of highly-realistic glass models of plants, often referred to as the Glass Flowers. They were made by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka from 1887 through 1936, in Hosterwitz, Germany. The collection of over 3,000 models (of 847 different plant species) were meant for teaching botany
- Hosts over twenty free public lectures every year, given by Harvard biologists, international conservationists, and popular authors
What to do there:
- When you enter the museum, turn right to find the vast collection of gemstones, minerals, and meteorites
- Heading back into the main hall, turn right into the Glass Flowers room - an exhibit that really shouldn't be missed
- From the entrance, on the left you will find a huge set of fossils of all types, as well as some colorful nature photography
Tips & Insights:
- Current Harvard I.D. holders and one guest are admitted free
- Visiting the museum is free to Massachusetts residents every Sunday morning from 9am to noon, and on Wednesdays from 3-5pm (September through May). Be sure to bring proof of residency
- Bank of America cardholders can visit the museum for free on the first full weekend of every month. Again, bring your B of A card in order to get the free ticket
