The Call of the Wild
Written By Nancy Pick
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Ye olde curiosity shoppe
The American Museum of Natural History in New York City is the ne plus ultra of natural history museums. Go there. Now. Head straight to the habitat dioramas. Jacob would stand mesmerized before the huge Alaska brown bears in their snowy wilderness.
Milo was happiest in the Hall of African Mammals, among the mandrills, gorillas, and chimps. And who can forget the blue whale hanging in the Hall of Ocean Life, impossibly gigantic, with weirdly tiny eyes?
Consider splurging on a sleepover. Children must be at least 8 to attend "A Night at the Museum." But plan far in advance; it fills up fast.
Wild Kingdoms
Some natural history museums are so extraordinary, they're worth a special trip (even if it's only virtual). The Field Museum in Chicago is home to "Sue," the world's largest skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex.
The Page Museum of La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles has a fantastic collection of Ice Age fossils, and archaeological digs are held on the grounds.
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., has 126 million specimens, from lichens to whales.
About the Author
Nancy Pick is author of The Rarest of the Rare: Stories Behind the Treasures at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
