Current Exhibitions

My Visit

NASA’s Earth Information Center @ NMNH

Explore high-resolution data visualizations, interactive experiences, and videos that share how scientists collect and interpret data.

October 8, 2024 Through 2028

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Dazzling Diversity

Celebrate the vast and varied insect world through the pages of early natural history books from the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.

September 10, 2024 – May 11, 2026

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Cellphone: Unseen Connections

Through authentic artifacts, immersive and digital experiences, and data visualization, Unseen Connections illuminates the world of cell phones.

June 23, 2023 Through 2026

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Lights Out: Recovering Our Night Sky

Discover why dark nights matter, rekindle your connection with the night sky, and consider how much light at night is enough.

March 23, 2023 – December 2026

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Berns Quartz

At seven feet tall and more than 8,000 pounds in weight, the Berns Quartz is among the largest examples of quartz specimens on display in any museum in America.

October 27, 2021 – Indefinitely

Natural History Museum
My Visit

The David H. Koch Hall of Fossils—Deep Time

Learn how life on Earth evolved and see highlights from the museum's unrivaled collection of 46 million fossils.

June 8, 2019 – Permanent

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Mega-toothed Shark

Come face-to-face with a 52-foot-long model of a female mega-toothed shark suspended above our new dining area.

May 24, 2019 – Permanent

Natural History Museum
My Visit

The Garden Lounge

The Garden Lounge serves as a welcoming interior garden rest and recharge area for visitors featuring live plants and a relaxing atmosphere.

November 16, 2017 – Indefinitely

Natural History Museum
My Visit

African Elephant

Our iconic 12-ton, 14-foot-tall African Elephant has undergone a remake! The new setting explores the evolution of elephants from their earliest predecessors to the three modern-day species.

September 4, 2015 – Permanent

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Mud Masons of Mali

Discover how mud masons maintain the spectacular traditional architecture of Djenne, Mali, in the modern world.

August 31, 2013 – Indefinitely

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt

Learn about Egyptian burial ritual and cosmology and what they reveal about life in ancient Egypt.

November 17, 2011 – Permanent

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Added to My Visit Removed from My Visit

The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human? Added

~~The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human?~~ Removed

View My Visit

The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human?

Meet your closest ancestors and relatives in this interactive exploration of human evolution.

March 17, 2010 – Permanent

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Sant Ocean Hall

Dive in with Phoenix—a model of an actual North Atlantic right whale—and discover how the ocean is a global system essential to all life.

September 27, 2008 – Permanent

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Butterfly Pavilion

The Butterfly Pavilion is temporarily closed due to unplanned maintenance. This exhibition shows how butterflies have evolved, adapted, and diversified with their plant partners over millions of years. Includes a live butterfly experience (tickets required).

February 15, 2008 – Ongoing

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals

Travel to four continents to see some 274 mammals in lifelike poses in their natural habitat.

November 15, 2003 – Permanent

Natural History Museum
My Visit

African Voices

This exhibition examines the diversity, dynamism, and global influence of Africa's peoples and cultures.

December 15, 1999 – Permanent

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals

This hall features 2,500 minerals and gems, including the Hope Diamond, Hooker Emerald Brooch, and a sample from the Bennu asteroid.

September 20, 1997 – Permanent

Natural History Museum
My Visit

FossiLab

Watch museum paleontologists and trained volunteers extract fossils from rock and construct fossil casts and molds.

1995 – Permanent

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Insect Zoo, O. Orkin

The Insect Zoo features many species of live insects, a "nursery" room where visitors can peek at insect larvae and pupae.

September 10, 1993 – Permanent

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Birds of the District of Columbia

Year-round and seasonal residents, migrants and vagrants—hundreds of bird species—are displayed.

August 24, 1979 – Permanent

Natural History Museum
My Visit

Bone Hall

Hundreds of skeletons of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians are shown in characteristic poses.

1964 – Permanent

Natural History Museum