The Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven
I’m a little intimidated writing about the Peabody Museum of Natural History. Afterall, it is THE Peabody Museum and anybody who knows New Haven knows the Peabody.
Since its inception, the Peabody has largely influenced the field of paleontology, period. To date, the Peabody boasts an extensive collection of over 12 million specimens, including one of the most historically important fossil collections in the country. Impressive, indeed. But why do families really love the Peabody?
Well, it’s FREE on Thursday afternoons*, for one.
photo from yale.edu
More importantly, the Peabody has dinosaurs. Lots of dinosaurs. The star of the collection is the large and long-necked Apatosaurus (a.k.a. Brontosaurus), with the giant sea turtle a close second. Sometimes we get so caught up looking at the dinosaurs, we never even make it out of the Great Hall. However, now that M knows the museum so well, no visit to the Peabody is complete without a stop at the Discovery Room on the Second Floor and the Dioramas on the Third Floor.
At first sight, the Discovery Room seems like a quick stop. However, there are lots of drawers for kids to open and discover many “touchable specimens.” Finding all the not-poisonous-anymore dart frogs is a ‘Where’s Waldo’ sort of game that we’re yet to finish. And of course, there’s the ants. The extensive ant display is awesome. If you’re lucky, the young “ant expert” will be working and she can tell you everything and anything you ever wanted to know about these ants. We once caught her on a day when she saw the queen ant make a very rare appearance. It really was a thrill to listen to her go on and on about it. Geeky, but in a cool sort of way.
The Dioramas on the Third Floor are a must-see. They are beautifully constructed with an impressive attention to detail. There are soooo many animals to discover with kiddos while looking at each of the Dioramas. I swear we play “I Spy” every single time we visit, but every time we “spy” a whole slew of different things.
Mind you, these are just the highlights of the Peabody when visiting with kids. There’s lots more to see and do, including special on-going programs and presentations. Visit the Peabody online for more information, and in person for the real deal.
the essentials:
New Haven, Science Hill, 170 Whitney Avenue, #203.432.5050 or #203.432.8987
Open M-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12pm-5pm
Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for children 3 and over, FREE to Yale University community with I.D.
*Admission is FREE for the general public on Thursdays from 2pm-5pm September thru June
