Accessibility at the Museum

The American Museum of Natural History is committed to ensuring that its facilities, exhibitions, and services are accessible to all individuals, including those with disabilities.

Two rows of graphic images, each comprised of six icons that indicate the presence of accessible resources.

Please visit the Health and Safety page to see updated visitor requirements. If you require any accommodations, please contact [email protected] before your visit to discuss your needs.

Caregivers accompanying visitors with disabilities receive complimentary Museum admission. To make your timed-ticket reservation, go to the ticketing reservation page and select the complimentary ticket reservation path below the three main ticket types.

All of the Museum's exhibitions are accessible by wheelchair, and all public floors of the Museum can be reached by elevator. Public elevators near the Central Park West and 77th Street entrances and those in the Rose Center are equipped with Braille signage and give auditory signals.
All theaters are temporarily unavailable.
Service animals are welcome to visit the Museum.
Strollers are welcome throughout the Museum.
- The recommended Museum entrance for strollers is 81st Street/Rose Center for Earth and Space.
- Double strollers are not typically permitted in the special exhibition galleries due to space constraints. Where strollers are not permitted, stroller parking is provided.
Visitors can use the Museum’s free Explorer app to find routes that include elevators. Choose the accessible route and receive turn-by-turn directions.
Onsite tours are paused but online programs are available. Please check the calendar for upcoming programs.

All school trips are temporarily unavailable, but please see our virtual field trip offerings.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about accessibility at the Museum or would like to request an accommodation, please contact us at [email protected] or 212-769-5250. In addition, if the format of any material on the Museum’s website interferes with your ability to access that material, please contact us for assistance.

In order for us to respond in a manner most helpful to you, please provide information about the best way to contact you.

Please click on the tabs below to obtain details about Museum facilities, resources, tours, and programs.

Accessible Entrances

81st Street/Rose Center for Earth and Space: Enter the Rose Center at 81st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. Coat check is temporarily unavailable. Accessible by wheelchair.

For Access-A-Ride service and GPS devices use the following address:

56 West 81st Street, New York, NY 10024

*Please note: The 81st Street/Museum of Natural History (B and C trains) subway station and subway entrance to the Museum are not wheelchair accessible. The closest accessible subway station is the 72nd Street station (1, 2, and 3 trains), with a connection on the northbound M7 on Amsterdam Avenue.

Accessible Restrooms

Wheelchair Availability

Non-motorized wheelchairs are available for visitors to use at no cost, on a first-come, first-served basis. Wheelchairs undergo enhanced cleaning procedures as part of the Museum's health and safety measures.

You can find them in three places:

At the Membership Desk directly inside the 81st Street/Rose Center entrance
At the main entrance on Central Park West (upstairs)
In the parking garage

Visitors borrowing a wheelchair must present a photo ID and provide a telephone number.

For Visitors Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

CAPTIONING AND LISTENING DEVICES

Transcripts for the Space Show and the Big Bang presentation in the Hayden Planetarium, and for LeFrak Theater films are available as downloadable PDFs (below). Please note, the Space Show and the LeFrak Theater films are temporarily unavailable during the fall 2020 reopening period.

Worlds Beyond Earth Large Print

Discovering the Universe Prelude Transcript

Big Bang Theater Show Transcript

It is is suggested to bring your own headphones or neck loops for use with assisted listening devices. However,

Induction loop hearing systems are available upon request in the following locations:

Special Exhibition Gallery 3
Special Exhibition Gallery 4 (The LeFrak Family Gallery)

Infrared assistive listening devices (headsets and/or neck loops) are available upon request in the following locations:

Special Exhibition Gallery 3
Special Exhibition Gallery 4 (The LeFrak Family Gallery)

SIGN LANGUAGE TOURS

All onsite tours are paused. To request virtual ASL interpretation, please contact [email protected].

For Visitors Who Are Blind/Partially Sighted

SCIENCE SENSE TOURS

Visitors who are blind or partially sighted are invited to attend this program, held monthly in the halls of the American Museum of Natural History. Specially trained Museum tour guides highlight specific themes and exhibits, engaging participants through extensive verbal descriptions and touchable objects.

All onsite Science Sense tours are paused but online programs are available. Please check the calendar for upcoming programs.

TOUCHABLE EXHIBITS

Touchable exhibits are temporarily unavailable.

For Children on the Autism Spectrum

VISITING THE MUSEUM

A social story is available to help visitors on the autism spectrum or sensory difficulties prepare for their visit:

Social Story AMNH

If you’re not feeling well, please reschedule your visit to another day (visit amnh.org/health-safety for more information about health and safety during COVID-19. ).

DISCOVERY SQUAD TOURS

The Discovery Squad is a unique tour program designed for families affected by autism spectrum disorders. The program was developed in collaboration with the Seaver Autism Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

All onsite Discovery Squad tours are paused but online programs are available. Please check the calendar for upcoming programs.

Discovery Squad Tours

Volunteer guides children to investigate the vertebrae of dinosaur model.

Volunteer helps child use a brush to uncover "fossils" in a display that is a recreation of a fossil dig.

Adult guides the hand of a child to touch a model of a dinosaur as another child watches.

Website Accessibility

The American Museum of Natural History is also committed to making its website accessible to individuals with disabilities, consistent with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. For more information on the WCAG 2.0 Guidelines, please visit the Web Accessibility Initiative.

Support for accessibility initiatives at the American Museum of Natural History has been provided by the Filomen M. D’Agostino Foundation.