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Exterior of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History on the National Mall, its domed Beaux-Arts rotunda above a columned portico

National Museum of Natural History

HistoryArchaeologyScienceOpens 10amFreeFederal Triangle (Metro Blue/Orange/Silver)

Opened in 1910 as the first Smithsonian building raised purely for the national collections, this Beaux-Arts landmark on the National Mall holds more than 148 million specimens and artifacts across seven research departments. Visitors pass Henry the African bush elephant in the domed rotunda on their way to the Hope Diamond, a Tyrannosaurus locked in combat with a Triceratops, a 45-foot right whale and 274 mounted mammals. Behind the galleries, several hundred scientists study everything from meteorites to human origins. Admission is free and no ticket is required.

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Entrance to the Bison: Standing Strong exhibit with the title wall and a photograph of four bison

Bison: Standing Strong

America's national mammal, from 100,000 years of shaping the prairie to near-extinction and recovery. A six-foot bull bison, an ancient bison skull and a North American prairie soundscape.

Now showing7 May – 31 May 2029Free
Exhibit case in From These Lands containing a bison, kelp and a beaver skin

From These Lands: Sharing Our Natural and Cultural Heritage

More than 600 specimens and cultural belongings from all 50 states, DC and five US territories — fossils, minerals and treasures chosen to represent every corner of the country.

Now showing18 Jun – 31 Dec 2029Free
Audubon illustration of an American bison

Imagining Bison

Paintings, photographs and sculpture showing how bison came to embody wildness, resilience and the American West. On the Ground Floor, on view until summer 2027.

Now showingOngoingFree
Darkened gallery in Lights Out with an illuminated wall of nocturnal animal photographs

Lights Out: Recovering Our Night Sky

The vanishing dark: the moon, a field of stars and the Milky Way, how light pollution disrupts nocturnal animals, and what communities are doing to win the night back. Closes December 2026.

Now showingUntil 31 DecFree
A cellphone photographing a cellphone photo of two women wearing masks, from the Cellphone: Unseen Connections exhibit

Cellphone: Unseen Connections

What is actually inside your phone. A 3-D periodic table of its elements, the people and infrastructure behind the network, and a graphic-novel mural on how teens live through their screens.

Now showingOngoingFree

Permanent Collections

Life-sized North Atlantic right whale model suspended in the Sant Ocean Hall

Sant Ocean Hall

The ocean from sunlit shallows to the dark sea floor: 600-plus specimens, a life-sized model of the right whale Phoenix, walking whale ancestors and the fossil jaws of C. megalodon.

Permanent collectionFree
Four coloured gems - green, yellow, red and pink - on a black background

Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals

Home of the Hope Diamond — 45.5 carats of deep blue on a rotating pedestal — alongside some 2,500 gems, crystals and minerals drawn from one of the world's largest collections.

Permanent collectionFree
Mounted Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton biting into a Triceratops skeleton

David H. Koch Hall of Fossils — Deep Time

31,000 square feet and 3.7 billion years, from the first life to the woolly mammoth. Some 700 fossils, including a Tyrannosaurus locked in a fight to the death with a Triceratops.

Permanent collectionFree
Illustration of an early human ancestor from the Hall of Human Origins

David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins

Six million years of human evolution, told through more than 75 exact replicas of the most complete early human skulls ever found, plus reconstructed faces of your closest extinct relatives.

Permanent collectionFree
Mounted mammal specimens in habitat displays in the Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals

Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals

274 mounted mammals and dozens of fossils staged in habitats from every continent — a leaping tiger, a pink fairy armadillo, a South American kinkajou.

Permanent collectionFree

Plan Your Visit

Getting there

10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, United States

Nearest station: Federal Triangle (Metro Blue/Orange/Silver), Archives–Navy Memorial–Penn Quarter (Metro Green/Yellow) and Smithsonian (Metro Blue/Orange/Silver)

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Hours

Mon10:00–17:30
Tue10:00–17:30
Wed10:00–17:30
Thu10:00–17:30
Fri10:00–17:30
SatToday10:00–17:30
Sun10:00–17:30

Admission

Free

Admission is free and no passes or tickets are required.

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Nearby

The neoclassical National Archives Building with its Corinthian colonnade, seen from Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC

National Archives Museum

ArchitectureFree4 min walk
Aerial view of the National Museum of American History on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

National Museum of American History

HistoryFree4 min walk
The granite south entrance of the Freer Gallery of Art, the Italian Renaissance-style west building of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC

National Museum of Asian Art

DesignFree5 min walk
The cylindrical concrete exterior of the Hirshhorn Museum, raised on four piers, on the National Mall in Washington, DC

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

DesignFree5 min walk

Visitor Information

Is National Museum of Natural History free to visit?
Yes, general admission to National Museum of Natural History is free. Admission is free and no passes or tickets are required.. Some special exhibitions may charge a separate ticket, so check the museum's website before visiting.
What are the opening hours of National Museum of Natural History?
National Museum of Natural History is open Open daily 10:00–17:30, including public holidays. Closed 25 December. Doors close at 17:30 and all visitors must exit.. Holiday hours can vary, so check the museum's website before you go.
Where is National Museum of Natural History?
National Museum of Natural History is located at 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, United States, in the National Mall area of Washington, DC. The nearest stations are Federal Triangle (Metro Blue/Orange/Silver), Archives–Navy Memorial–Penn Quarter (Metro Green/Yellow) and Smithsonian (Metro Blue/Orange/Silver).
What can I see at National Museum of Natural History?
The Hope Diamond, a T. rex mid-kill and 148 million specimens under one great green dome — free, every day, on the Mall. Current highlights include Sant Ocean Hall, Imagining Bison and Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals.
Do I need to book National Museum of Natural History in advance?
National Museum of Natural History is free to enter and most days you can walk in. Admission is free and no passes or tickets are required.. For special exhibitions, weekends, and school holidays, booking a timed slot can help you skip queues. Check the museum's website for current requirements.
When is the best time to visit National Museum of Natural History?
Weekday mornings shortly after opening are typically the quietest, especially mid-week. Late afternoons can also be calmer. Weekends, school holidays, and the lunch rush are the busiest periods.

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