Making the Most of Your Museum Membership

by AMNH on

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Thinking of joining the Museum? Here are a few tips to maximize a Museum membership.

Two visitors view the Alaska Brown Bear diorama.
Visitors study the Alaska Brown Bear diorama in the Bernard Family Hall of North American Mammals. 
D. Finnin/© AMNH

General Admission Is Free for Members 

As a Member, general admission to the Museum is free—so time is on your side. Exploring the American Museum of Natural History is not unlike exploring New York City: far more revealing and far less exhausting when taken a little at a time. With unlimited free admission, you can visit on a whim, take in something new, and walk out with great memories before overload sets in.

two moose battling over female (painted in the back left)

As Member Jeff Bower puts it, “With my membership card in my wallet even a quick pop-in to visit my daughter’s favorite moose is 15 minutes well spent.”

Special Exhibition Admission Is Free for Members

Special exhibitions are always worth a repeat visit. Members see them first, and they see them for free.

Illuminating topics from poison to pterosaurs, the Museum’s special exhibitions are packed with information brought to you by world-renowned scientists, writers, artists, designers, and model makers.

Visitors in Poison iPad Gallery

With unlimited free admission to special exhibitions, Members can come back as often as they like to study every display, marvel at every model, or try their hand at their favorite interactive exhibit one more time.

And before each special exhibition opens to the public, Members are invited to a special preview after Museum hours. 

Members Can Go Behind the Scenes

Behind the scenes in Herpetology
Members go behind the scenes in the Department of Herpetology.
© AMNH/D. Finnin

Follow an expert behind the scenes. For Members ages 10 and up, a behind-the-scenes tour with a curator or collections manager is the perfect way to get a scientist’s-eye-view of the Museum’s world-class collections—from the smallest invertebrates to the largest extinct mammal bones. Check our calendar for upcoming tours. 

Members-Only Excursions, Walks, and Tours

Eager to go farther afield? Member excursions offer fantastic options for naturalists and city-lovers alike. Learn about the history and ecology of greater New York City on guided walking tours, join a bird-watching trip to a nearby park, or preserve with a Museum ornithologist, or roll up your sleeves for a fossil dig across the river in New Jersey. 

Belvedere Castle, Central Park
Belvedere Castle, Central Park
Credit: Stig Nygaard

Check our calendar for upcoming tours and excursions.

Discounts on Parking, Shopping, and Dining

Members can park in the Museum's garage from 4 pm to 11 pm for just $10—an amazing deal in the heart of Manhattan. So stay and enjoy the city or visit some local friends after the Museum closes. Inside the Museum, Members receive 10 percent off all Museum shop purchases onsite and online, with double-discount days several times each year. And don't forget to show your Membership card in the Museum's cafés for a 15 percent discount. 

Become a Member today.