It's a Wonderful Time to Visit the American Museum of Natural History

 


During the holidays, the American Museum of Natural History is a fun and exciting destination for visitors to New York City. This year, the Museum will offer extended hours from 9am–5:30pm, beginning December 26 through December 29. The Museum is closed on Christmas Day but open all other days this seasonincluding New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish for residents of New York State.

Apex Stegosaurus Fossil

Thought to be the largest and one of the most complete Stegosaurus specimens ever uncovered, Apex was recently unveiled at the Museum. The extraordinary specimen, which measures 11.5 feet tall and 27 feet long and is nearly 80 percent complete, greets visitors just inside the entrance to the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation in the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploration Atrium. It's a wonderful addition to the Museum's collection of dinosaurs, gems, meteorites, geodes and other precious minerals.

 


Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry

Closing Sunday, January 5

On view in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery in the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, Ice Cold celebrates hip-hop’s cultural influence through spectacular custom-made jewelry worn by some of its most iconic stars. The exhibition features dozens of pieces that trace the history of hip-hop from the 1980s to today, including one of Slick Rick’s dazzling crowns, the Notorious B.I.G.’s legendary gold ‘Jesus piece,’ Nicki Minaj’s sparkling ‘Barbie’ pendant, and pieces from Erykah Badu, Ghostface Killah, Joey Bada$$, FERG, and Tyler, the Creator among others. 

 


Origami Holiday Tree

On view through Wednesday, January 22

This year the museum's beloved 13-foot origami Christmas tree, Jumping for Joy, celebrates the many animals with a particular prowess that sets them apart —hopping, pouncing, and leaping. Among the more than 1000 origami pieces decorating the tree are intricately designed models of rabbits, kangaroos, grasshoppers, frogs, a leaping leech and cicadas. Also on display are models depicting Museum exhibits including the iconic Blue Whale and Tyrannosaurus rex. Produced in partnership with OrigamiUSA, the Origami Holiday Tree is decorated with hand-folded paper models created by local, national, and international origami artists. 

 


Turtle Odyssey

Closing Sunday, January 5
Narrated by Academy Award winner Russell Crowe, Turtle Odyssey discovers the wondrous life of an Australian green sea turtle named Bunji from hatchling to adulthood and the great migration undertaken by generations before her. As Bunji leaves the rookery on the Great Barrier Reef and swims hundreds of miles, she encounters many marine animals including humpback whales, parrot fish,and a great white shark along with inanimate threats to her survival like plastic waste. The film plays in the Museum’s LeFrak Theate on a 40-foot-high, 66-foot-wide screen with a state-of-the-art digital sound system.

 

All photos by Meryl Pearlstein

 

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