AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Founded in 1869, The American Museum of Natural History yields a venerable timeline full of milestones all its own. Comprising 25 buildings across the street from Central Park, the collections contain over 32 million specimens, of which only a small fraction can be displayed at any given time. Wander in wonder through rooms filled with taxidermy replicas of what once was, and expect to spend several hours along at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, widely considered another museum in itself. Last, but certainly not least, be sure to check out the museum’s crowning glory, the dinosaur floor, of course. Showcasing over 600 dinosaur fossils, the T. Rex is a roaring reminder to humans of our size and mortality. Essentially a field guide to the entire planet, the American Museum of Natural History is an essential New York collection of the human origin story’s most exciting chapters.