To serve as a point of reference for research or other educational objectives, a natural history museum is a scientific institution containing natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, ecosystems, paleontology, etc. Additionally, natural history museums act as open-air displays of the world’s past and present beauty. Natural museums also have collections relating to art, history, and other renaissance objects of curiosity.

Natural history museums did not exist before the 18th century, and people kept most of the collections required for research in university buildings. Early natural history museums were not accessible to the general public and were mostly private collections owned by scientific institutions or individuals.

The first recognized natural history museum belonged to a Swiss scholar, Conrad Gessner, in the mid-16th century. However, the first modern-day natural history museum was the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, established in 1635; the museum did not grant access to the general public. The first natural history museum to open its doors to the general public was the Ashmolean Museum opened in 1683.

The Natural History Museum, established in London in 1881, receives the most visitors from all over Europe. It is renowned for its architecture and world-class collection of more than 80 million items, ranging from the smallest invertebrates to rocks as old as the solar system. The museum is a center for taxonomy, identification, and conservation research. In addition to the museum’s architecture, one of its biggest draws is Dippy the diplodocus, a 292-bone plaster cast copy of a sauropod, and perfectly pickled animals collected and studied by people like Charles Darwin. Visitors can examine the skulls of the oldest ancestors in the Human Evolution museum or gaze at moon rocks that NASA’s Apollo 17 brought back to Earth.

The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1874 and situated in New York City, is the country’s most well-known natural history museum. With 45 permanent exhibition spaces, a planetarium, and a library, the museum is spread across 26 connected structures. One of the greatest natural history libraries in the world, the museum houses about 30 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, and other objects. About 200 scientists work in the museum’s three multidisciplinary centers and five active research divisions. Its attendance has increased to 5 million people annually, and exhibitions and performances are now seen across five continents.

Te Papa Tongarewa, often known as the Museum of New Zealand, is an internationally recognized natural history museum in Wellington. Following the merger of the National Museum of New Zealand and the National Art Gallery, the museum was inaugurated in 1998. With nearly 1.5 million visitors a year, Te Papa Tongarewa, which means “container of treasures,” is the 17th-most popular natural history museum worldwide. The Elgar Collection, a collection of English and French furniture and paintings dating back to the 17th century, is kept in the museum, along with the largest specimen of the endangered giant squid worldwide.

There are other natural history museums worldwide, each displaying various fascinating collections that enthrall visitors. Regardless of age, natural history museums can be beneficial to anyone traveling alone or with family, seeking pleasure or a little knowledge.