Discovery Room

© AMNH
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The Discovery Room offers families an interactive gateway to the wonders of the Museum and a hands-on, behind-the scenes look at its science. Every major field of Museum science and research, from anthropology to zoology, is represented. Children, accompanied by adults, can explore an array of artifacts and specimens, puzzles, and scientific challenges. Activities for older visitors are located on the upper level.

  • Hunt for animals in a majestic two-story replica of an African baobab tree filled with specimens of birds, insects, reptiles, and small mammals.
  • Create your own collection of minerals, skulls, or arthropods from a cabinet full of fascinating specimens.
  • Gather around an authentic Kwakwaka’wakw totem pole carved at the Museum in 1992. Learn about cultures in locations from Manhattan to Mumbai by examining traditional and contemporary artifacts from around the world.
  • Assemble a life-sized cast skeleton of Prestosuchus, a 14-foot long reptile from the late Triassic Period, handle real fossils, and unearth an Oviraptor nest in a re-creation of a paleontology field site.
  • Track real-time earthquakes anywhere in the world on our digital seismographic display and explore the natural world with sophisticated microscopes on the upper level.

To stay up to date on new programs and reopening plans, sign up for our Family Programs Newsletter.

Location and Cost

The Discovery Room is located on the 1st floor between the Grand Gallery and the Warburg Hall of New York State Environment.

Free 40-minute timed passes are available at the Discovery Room entrance.

Discovery Room Hours

School Year (through June 30)

Monday-Thursday: 1:30-5:10 pm
Friday: CLOSED
Saturday-Sunday: 10:30 am-1:25 pm and 2:15-5:10 pm

On public school holidays, weekend hours are observed.

Summer Hours (July 1 - Labor Day)

Monday–Sunday: 10:30 am-1:25 pm and 2:15-5:10 pm

Special Thanks

The Discovery Room was made possible by a grant from the Edward John Noble Foundation.

Additional support has been provided by the Ralph M. Cestone Foundation, the Louis and Virginia Clemente Foundation, the Ducommun and Gross Family Foundation, the Larkin Family, the V. and L. Marx Foundation, and the Jane and Frances Stein Foundation.