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Discover: The National Museum of Natural History, DC {A Photo Tour}

Rotunda
The National Museum of Natural History is one of the museums included in the Smithsonian Institution and also on the list of 100 Free Things To Do in Washington DC. It’s located just off the National Mall on Constitution Ave. in Washington D.C. Many of the Smithsonian Museums were included in the movie Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, including this one. This museum has 3 floors, but only 2 really have exhibits. It encompasses all of natural history including evolution of man, animals of different regions, underwater life (including a giant squid!), fossils and dinosaurs (which was closed when we went), gems & minerals (including the Hope Diamond), and live insect and butterfly pavilions. There is also an IMAX theater, but we didn’t watch.  
We entered the museum form Constitution Ave, rather than from the National Mall side. Just inside this entrance, you will find the T.rex skull, the Easter Island stone figure above, and the totem pole stair case below. 

On the first floor, Human Origins is full of figures depicting the evolution of man. It includes many interactive exhibits, and head shots like the one below. Very interesting!
The Ocean Hall houses a giant squid, fossils and bones of various ancient marine animals, and the evolution of whales.

There are no less than 5 different regions displaying the mammals of that area in the Mammals hall, including this guy in the African section. Rawr! There’s also a little area with a video about the animals.

The Rotunda is breathtaking! I am a serious architecture admirer, so this was my favorite part! If you enter the museum from the National Mall side, this is where you would start. Beautiful!

The dinosaur exhibit is closed until 2019 so all the dinosaurs are gone too. The Rex Room is supposed to have some to view, but it was also closed when we visited. 

Hope Diamond
In the Gem & Mineral Gallery on the second floor, you will find many precious gems and priceless pieces, including the Hope Diamond! I had to see this! And so did everyone else! It was crowded and you had to wait your turn to take a photo. There were also some Royal jewels on display like this 263 carat diamond necklace and 700 carat diamond and turquoise diadem gifted from Napoleon to his second wife Empress Marie-Louise. 

This concluded our visit to the Natural History Museum, but there is so much more to see! This is a wonderfully interactive museum, and it is not incredibly huge, so it would be a great museum for kids in my opinion. I would recommend allowing yourself at least 2-3 hours to visit, depending on what kind of visitor you are. We do a lot of looking; not a lot of reading. But if you must read everything, and watch every video, then take the whole day to enjoy it!

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