Accessibility at the Museum

Museum tickets must be purchased in advance, either through the Museum website or by calling Central Reservations at 212-769-5200. 

Caregivers accompanying visitors with disabilities receive complimentary Museum admission. To reserve a caregiver ticket, purchase the number of tickets needed without the caregiver; then, email [email protected] with your order number or call 212-769-5200 to have the caregiver ticket added to your reservation. 

For more information about ticketing, visit the Plan Your Visit page. 

Public Transportation 

The closest accessible subway station to the Museum is the 1/2/3 at 72nd Street. There are also several buses with stops around the Museum, including the M79-SBS, M7, M10, M11, and BxM2. 

The 81st St-Museum of Natural History subway stop on the B/C line is a stairs-only station. 

Driving 

Ride shares and Access-A-Ride can drop off and pick up passengers at the entrance to the Rose Center for Earth and Space at 54 West 81st Street, which is an accessible entrance. 

Parking is available in the Museum parking garage from 6am-11pm on weekdays and 8am-11pm on weekends. Accessible parking spaces are available on the ground level of the garage with direct, step-free access into the Museum. 

The following Museum entrances are ADA-compliant and step-free:

Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation (415 Columbus Ave at 79th Street)

• No passenger loading zone
• Automatic doors, operated via hand-waving

Parking Garage (54 West 81st Street)

• Accessible parking spaces available on the ground floor.
• No automatic doors, but doors are always staffed during Museum hours.

The following Museum entrances are also step-free:

Rose Center for Earth and Space (54 West 81st Street, between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue)

• Passenger loading zone for vehicle drop-off/pick-up (if arriving in a vehicle, this entrance is fully ADA-compliant)
• Automatic doors, operated via push buttons
• Vehicle-free access to this entrance requires traveling down a sloped driveway with a sidewalk and handrails.

Member Entrance (200 Central Park West, under the steps of the Main Entrance)

• For Members and special events only
• No passenger loading zone
• No automatic doors, but doors are always staffed during Museum hours
• This entrance is down a sloped driveway with handrails.

77th Street Entrance (77th Street, between Central Park West and Columbus Ave)

• For special events only
• No passenger loading zone
• No automatic doors, but doors are always staffed during Museum hours
• This entrance is down a sloped driveway with no handrails.

There are accessible restrooms on every floor of the Museum. There are also all-gender family restrooms on Floors 1-4, lactation rooms on the Lower Level and Floor 3, and a companion care room with an adult changing table on Floor 1. These locations are ADA-accessible. 

All locations are marked on the Museum Map. A text-only list of locations is below. 

Lower Level 

• Accessible Multi-Stall Restroom: Next to the subway entrance 
• Lactation Room: Next to the Hall of the Universe 

Floor 1 

• Accessible Family/All-Gender Restroom and Companion Care Room: Gilder Center next to Collections Core 
  • The Companion Care room contains a sink and an adult changing table.
• Accessible Multi-Stall Restroom: Milstein Hall of Ocean Life lower level 
• Accessible Multi-Stall Restroom: Across from the Planetarium 
• Accessible Family/All-Gender Restroom: Across from the Cafe on 1 

Floor 2 

• Accessible Family/All-Gender Restroom: Gilder Center next to Collections Core 
• Accessible Family/All-Gender Restroom: Across from the Restaurant at Gilder 

Floor 3 

• Accessible Family/All-Gender Restroom: Gilder Center next to Collections Core 
• Accessible Multi-Stall Restroom: At the exit to Invisible Worlds 
• Lactation Room: Gilder Center next to the elevators 

Floor 4 

• Accessible Family/All-Gender Restroom: Gilder Center next to the Research Library and Learning Center 
• Accessible Multi-Stall Restroom: Wallach Orientation Center 

Audio Description 

Audio Description is temporarily unavailable for the Hayden Planetarium Space Show.

Science Sense Tours 

Blind and low vision visitors who want a guided Museum experience are encouraged to sign up for a Science Sense tour. These 75-minute tours, led by Museum's expert tour guides, use verbal description and tactile objects to provide an accessible and engaging tour experience. Science Sense tours are open to all ages and can be tailored to the participants’ interests. 

Science Sense tours are available by request with at least two weeks’ notice and are free with the purchase of Museum admission. To request a tour, email [email protected] or call Central Reservations at 212-769-5200. 

Tactile Objects 

Several of the Museum's permanent halls and special exhibitions feature touchable objects. This list is not intended to define or describe the objects, but to lead visitors to their locations. This list has been created for a sighted person to assist visitors who are blind or have low vision.  

Objects in each hall are listed in alphabetical order. Please note: Objects may be off display for repair, or not accessible due to special events. 

Download this PDF list of tactile objects or read the text-only list of objects below. 

Download a PDF or view the list below:

Lower Level

Cullman Hall of the Universe

• Willamette Meteorite (real)

Floor 1

Ross Hall of Meteorites: All touchable objects in this hall are real meteorite fragments. 

• Ahnighito (Cape York) - AMNH 867
• Canyon Diablo - AMNH 2235
• Canyon Diablo - AMNH 5030
• Dog (Cape York) - AMNH 869
• Estacado - AMNH 660
• Gibeon - AMNH 285 
• Gibeon (Mass) - AMNH 3752
• Guffey (Mass) - AMNH 213
• Woman (Cape York) - AMNH 868

Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth

• 168 Specimens on display, most of which are touchable and real. This includes a banded iron formation, petrified wood, sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks. 
• Bronze Planet Earth model 

Hall of Biodiversity

• Chloroplast (model)
• Cyanobacteria (model)
• Diatom (model)
• Earthworm (model)
• Frog head (model)
• Front leg of a honeybee (model)
• Fungi decomposing a leaf (model)
• Nematode head (model)
• Roots (model)

Lincoln Ellsworth Corridor (on the first floor between the Grand Gallery and Warburg Hall of New York State Environment)

• Bust of Lincoln Ellsworth

Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals 

• Almandine 
• Almandine in Amphibolite 
• Brazil Topaz 
• Bumpus Beryls - four specimens
• Butterfly wings (model)
• Crystal Structure (models)
• Garnite Slab 
• Human hands (model) 
• Labrodorite 
• Microcline var. Amazonite 
• Obsidian 
• Orbicular Granite 
• Petrified Wood - Metasequoia Glyptostroboides 
• Pinwheel blades (model) 
• Plagioclase Feldspar 
• Potassium Feldspar 
• Quartz var. agate 
• Quartz var. smoky 
• Spinel 
• Topaz 

Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life

Entrance to this hall is on the 1st Floor, but all the tactile objects are found on the lower level. Please use stairs or elevator to reach the lower level.

• Common Loon webbed foot (bronze model)
• Coral polyps (bronze model)
• Dolphin flipper skeleton (bronze model)
• Oyster shell with pearl (bronze model)
• Squid tentacle (bronze model)
• Turtle Shell (bronze model)
• Walrus tusk (model)

Rose Center for Earth and Space, exit of Heilbrunn Cosmic Pathway: 

• Bronze Moon 

Spitzer Hall of Human Origins

• Australopithecus africanus upper jaw and teeth (cast)
• Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) limb (cast)
• Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) foot (cast)
• Family Tree - 16 Hominidae skull casts (not all are in reach)
• Goliath frog (Conraua goliath) limb (cast)
• Hammerheaded fruit bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus) limb (cast)
• Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) limb (cast)
• Homo habilis foot (cast)
• Human (Homo sapiens) foot (cast)
• Human (Homo sapiens) limb (2) (cast)
• Human(Homo sapiens) left hand (cast)
• Methanococcus jannaschii, Archaea (model)
• Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis) foot (cast)
• Notharctus tenebrosus grasping hand on deck (cast)
• Nuclear DNA and Cell (parts of cell are indistinguishable by touch) (model)
• Paranthropus boisei upper jaw and teeth (cast)
• Paranthropus robustus skullcap (cast)
• Plesiadapis cookei jaw/teeth on deck (cast)
• Spider monkey hand and tail grasping branch (model)
• Streptococcus agalactiae bacteria (model)

Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall

• Theodore Roosevelt sculpture 

Floor 2

Akeley Hall of African Mammals

• Ivory elephant tusks (real)

Stout Hall of Asian Peoples

• Code of Hammurabi (cast)
• Wood carving of the God Vishnu's world dance (real)
• Wood carving of Lakshmi, consort of Vishnu, in cosmic dance (real)

Hall of Mexico and Central America

• Colossal Olmec Head (plaster replica)
• Replicas of Stela E and Stela F monuments

Hall of South American Peoples

• Giant tree with plank buttresses spotted with fungi (model)

Scales of the Universe

Models:

• Blue Supergiant Star Rigel
• Earth
• Globular Star Cluster
• Hayden Sphere
• Human brain
• Hydrogen atom
• Kuiper belt of comets
• Local group of galaxies
• Meteor crater
• Milky Way Galaxy
• Oort cloud of comets
• Raindrop
• Red blood cell
• Rhinovirus
• Saturn's moon Janus
• Sun
• Virgo Supercluster of Galaxies

Floor 3

Hall of Primates

• Bust of "The Old Man of Mikeno" 

Floor 4

Breezeway between the Halls of Vertebrate Origins and Saurischian Dinosaurs

• Grasping hand (plastic model)

Hall of Vertebrate Origins

• Amniotic egg (plastic model)
• Antorbital openings in the head (plastic model)
• Great white shark tooth (real)
• Jaws (plastic model)
• Palatal openings in the mouth (plastic model)
• Plesiosaur vertebra (real)
• Teleost fish with enameled scales (real)
• Tetrapod (four limbs) (plastic model)

Milstein Hall of Advanced Mammals

• Amphicyon footprint (cast)
• Elephant tooth comparison display; modern elephant, mammoth and mastodon (real)
• Eyesockets near front of skull (model)
• Horse tooth comparison display - Equus, Mesohippus, Merychippus, and Hydracotherium (real)
• Stirrup-shaped stapes (model)
• Ungulates hoof (model)

Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs

• Ankylosaur armor plate (real)
• Backward pointing pubis bone (model)
• Dinosaur egg (real)
• Inset rows of teeth (model)
• Pachycephalosaurus wyomingenis skull (real)
• Stegosaurus stenops dorsal plate (real)

Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs

• Deinonychus antirrhopus claw (cast)
• Juvenile Apatosaurus excelsus humerus (real)
• Three-fingered hand (model)
• Three-toed foot (model)
• Coelurosaur Long Arm (model)

Wallace Wing of Mammals and Their Extinct Relatives: 

• Amniotic egg (plastic model)
• Gomphotherium productum humerus (real) 
• Placenta (plastic model) 
• Synapsid opening (plastic model)
• Three middle ear bones (plastic model)

Exhibition Halls with No Touchable Objects on Display

Floor 1

• Felix Warburg Hall of New York State Environment
• Hall of North American Forests
• Northwest Coast Hall
• Bernard Family Hall of North American Mammals

Floor 2

• Hall of Birds of the World
• Hall of African Peoples
• Hall of Asian Mammals
• Akeley Hall of African Mammals

Floor 3

• Leonard C. Sanford Hall of North American Birds
• Hall of New York State Mammals
• Hall of New York City Birds
• Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians

Assistive Listening

Assistive Listening Devices are available in the following locations:

• Hayden Planetarium Space Show
• Big Bang Theater
• Invisible Worlds
• LeFrak Giant Screen Theater
• Kaufmann & Linder Theaters

Speak to a representative at any of these locations to request a device.

The following locations are also equipped with T-coil compatible hearing loop systems:

• Big Bang Theater
• Invisible Worlds
• Gallery 4 (special exhibitions)
• Hall of Northwest Coast
• Hall of Biodiversity
• Hall of Gems and Minerals
• Hall of Meteorites

Captioning 

Caption glasses are available in the following locations: 

• Hayden Planetarium Space Show (temporarily unavailable) 
• Big Bang Theater
• Invisible Worlds
• LeFrak Giant Screen Theater

Speak to a representative at any of these locations to request a pair of glasses. Captions are available in multiple languages; for a full list of languages available at each location, visit our Languages & Translations page.

Closed captions are also available via QR code for the Big Bang Theater and the Invisible Worlds Immersive Experience; visitors must be connected to AMNH-GUEST WiFi to access the captions on their device. 

All in-gallery videos around the Museum have open captions.

Tours 

AMNH tour guides use microphones and Assistive Listening Devices for all Museum tours. 

ASL-interpreted tours are available by request with at least two weeks’ notice and are free with the purchase of Museum admission. To request a tour, email [email protected] or call Central Reservations at 212-769-5200. 

Transcripts 

Transcripts for Invisible Worlds at the Gilder Center, the Space Show and the Big Bang presentation in the Hayden Planetarium, and for LeFrak Theater films are available as downloadable PDFs. 

Invisible Worlds

Giant Screen Film 

Space Show

All Museum exhibitions are accessible for wheelchairs, and all public areas of the Museum can be reached by elevator. 

Wheelchair Rental 

Manual wheelchairs are available at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis at all public Museum entrances, including in the parking garage. 

Visitors should speak to a member of the Museum Security team in order to check out a wheelchair. Visitors borrowing a wheelchair must present a photo ID and provide a telephone number. 

Theaters 

All Museum theaters (Hayden Planetarium, LeFrak Theater, Kaufmann Theater, and Linder Theater) have wheelchair seating areas with companion seats. The Hayden Planetarium has aisle seats with swing-out armrests for visitors who prefer to transfer out of their wheelchair and into a theater seat. 

Invisible Worlds 

Invisible Worlds is a 12-minute immersive experience with no seating. Folding stools are available for visitors who cannot stand for the duration of the experience; visitors can speak to a representative at the entrance to Invisible Worlds to request a stool. 

Social Narrative 

This social narrative provides step-by-step information about what it is like to visit the American Museum of Natural History. If you would like more information about what to expect from your visit that is not included in the social narrative, email [email protected] or call 212-769-5200. 

Sensory Bags 

© AMNH

Sensory Bags are available to all visitors at the Museum. These drawstring backpacks contain tools to support a range of sensory needs, including: 

• Noise-reducing headphones (size adjustable) 
• Fidget tools 
• Adult-sized sunglasses (child-sized also available) 

Visitors can check out a Sensory Bag from the Membership Desks located at any Museum entrance, as well as at the: 

• Hayden Planetarium Space Show 
• Invisible Worlds Immersive Experience 
• LeFrak Theater 
• 4th Floor Information Desk 

Visitors are expected to return their Sensory Bags at the end of their visit. 

To provide feedback or ask questions about Sensory Bags at AMNH, please email [email protected] or call 212-769-5200. 

Discovery Squad 

Discovery Squad is an engaging, hands-on program designed for neurodivergent children ages 5-12 and their families; this includes autistic children, as well as children with other intellectual or developmental disabilities. Before the Museum opens to the public, families can attend a 45-minute tour of select halls that fit the theme of that month’s program, followed by 45 minutes of free play and exploration in the Discovery Room. Participants can expect a sensory-friendly, neurodiversity-affirming experience where curiosity is welcomed in all its forms.  

Time: 9–10:30 am, Third Saturday of every month 
Price: Free; Advance registration required 

Upcoming Dates: 

• SOLD OUT! July 19 - Discover Elephants: This session will include a tour of our special exhibition, The Secret World of Elephants.
• SOLD OUT! August 16 - Discover Insects: This session will include a visit to the Solomon Family Insectarium as well as the Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium. Participants will have the option to interact with live insects.

To register for Discovery Squad, please call Central Reservations at 212-769-5200 or email [email protected]. 

Discovery Squad was developed in collaboration with the Seaver Autism Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. 

Service animals are welcome at the Museum. All other animals, including emotional support animals, are not permitted. 

Certain flea treatments can be fatal to the butterflies in the Butterfly Vivarium. To ensure the safety of these live specimens, service animal handlers will be asked to speak with a staff member before entering the Vivarium. 

Service animals may relieve themselves in Theodore Roosevelt Park, which wraps around the 81st St and Columbus Ave sides of the Museum. Visitors who exit the building must re-enter through the 81st St/Rose Center entrance and go through the security line. 

Strollers are welcome throughout the Museum. Visitors with strollers should enter through one of the Museum’s accessible entrances: the Rose Center at 54 West 81st Street, the Gilder Center at 415 Columbus Ave, or the Members’ entrance. Visitors with strollers who would like to enter through the main entrance at 200 Central Park West must collapse the stroller before taking it up the entrance steps. 

Strollers are not permitted in the Hayden Planetarium, Big Bang Theater, Invisible Worlds Immersive Experience, Butterfly Vivarium, or Restaurant at Gilder. Where strollers are not permitted, stroller parking is provided. 

The American Museum of Natural History is committed to making its website accessible to individuals with disabilities, consistent with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.  If you encounter any challenges while using this website, please let us know by emailing [email protected].