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Attraction >Museum
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Description and Basic Information ::
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 One of the biggest attractions in Washington D.C., the National Museum of Natural History is joins eight other Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall in downtown Washington. Housing over 120 million objects in its collection, it is considered one of the finest Natural History Museums in the world. Visitors of all ages enjoy the exhibits, but those looking for a quiet, more personal experience with theses amazing displays may be disappointed. Throngs of people are constantly milling around the museum, so silence and places to sit are at a premium. However, as one of the 'must-see' attractions in Washington, the exhibits are worth the slight aggravation.
To welcome you on your explorative journey through the museum will be a giant, eight-ton, 13-foot African Bull elephant that looms over all in the entrance foyer. Children dart into the first floor Dinosaur Hall to see the impressive collection of dinosaur fossils and displays, while adults often explore the galleries that attempt to explain the origin of the universe. In the Discovery Room visitors get to touch objects like petrified wood, rocks, seashells and elephant tusks.
A highlight of the museum is the interactive O. Orkin Insect Zoo. Here visitors learn how to handle over 60 species of insects, including tarantulas and dung beetles. Most children are mesmerized by the living exhibits. The Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals is home to some of the most impressive examples of precious stones in the world. Here the infamous 45.5-carat Hope Diamond is on display as well as the Logan Sapphire – the largest publicly displayed sapphire in the country (423 carats). |
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:: Washington >Downtown :: |
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