Recently Viewed
Smithsonian Museum Tour: Explore Natural History
4.9
148 Ratings
Washington
Become a part of a 2-hour guided journey through the National Museum of Natural History that caters to a group of no more than 8 guests. Explore the fascinating world of minerals, mammals, and mummies that have been captivating spectators for more than 100 years.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History - Your guide will take you to visit the highlights of the collection, housed in a massive building that covers the area of 18 football fields. Gaze into the world-famous Hope Diamond, whose brilliant blue sparkle, and immodest size at 46 karats, captured the attention of former owner Marie Antoinette. Wander through the displays of gems and minerals, including the Dom Pedro Aquamarine, the world’s largest gem of its type, which glows brilliantly from within. Travel back in time to learn about death rituals while exploring real mummies from Ancient Egypt. Then step out of the past into the wild, exploring the mighty polar bears, elephants, and giraffes that roam across earth’s surface. From the land, jump into the sea at the Ocean Hall, where you’ll discover a live coral reef exhibit as well as a 45-ton whale, Phoenix, which is a replica of a real living what that the museum tracks. By the end, you’ll understand why so many people come to visit the 126.5 million artefacts housed at the National Museum of Natural History.
![](https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/attractions-splice-spp-720x480/07/1c/79/e3.jpg)
What's Included
- 2-hour tour duration
- Semi-private museum experience
- Expert guidance by a professional art historian
- Small group size with a maximum of 8 guests
What's Not Included
- Tour price does NOT include hotel pickup or drop-off (we recommend UBER or Taxi)
- Tour price does NOT include gratuities (optional)
- Tour is NOT available for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair
Additional Information
- It is imperative that you provide us with guests MOBILE PHONE NUMBER (including country code)
- A maximum of 8 people permitted per tour allowed
- A moderate amount of walking is involved, comfortable clothing and shoes recommended
- Notes: National Museum of Natural History and other attractions or museums in DC may be subjected to occasional closures without previous warning from the museum management. When this occurs, we will provide guests with an appropriate alternative if the museum opening time is delayed more than 1h from the tour starting time. In these cases we are unable to provide refunds or discounts. Appropriate dress is required for entry into some sites on this tour. No large bags or suitcases are allowed inside the museum, only handbags or small thin bag packs are allowed through security. Due to increased security measures at many attractions some lines may form on tours with ‘Skip the Line’ or ‘No Wait’ access. Some specific rooms inside the museum are subjected to a very quiet or restricted right to speak inside, in this cases your guide will provide the information about this places before entering the specific rooms where this rule applies. Some collections may vary along the year.
Location
1010 Madison Dr NW
Madison Drive Northwest
Meet your guide on the large stairs at the Madison Drive NW entrance of the Museum of Natural History, facing the lawn of the National Mall.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(148 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Crkrausman
Jun 3, 2024
WE Grandma and 10 year old Grandson gave Maureen 5 stars on a scale of one to five ! - Maureen was exceptional !
She was very pleasant, informative and knowledgeable!
I was with my 10 year old grandson and she really engaged him,
ask him lots of questions and was correct in assuming he'd love dinosaurs
sharks and spiders ;)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jerroldl2022
Jun 1, 2024
An awesome tour guide for the Museum of Natural History - Megan led our first visit to the Museum of Natural History. She began by sharing with us her background training and education and giving us a preview of what we were about to see. We started promptly at 10 am and had an event-packed, spell-binding tour of everything the Museum had to offer. She selected the key exhibits to see, optimized our schedule to avoid retracing our steps and even left time to view a few extra exhibits. Megan was a very enthusiastic and interesting group leader whose knowledge made the tour speed by. She kept our attention without slacking for a moment whether it was the ginormous dinosaurs or the tiny precious stones (like the Hope diamond). We concluded with a history of the 6 major extinction events in earth's history. Her breadth of knowledge was amazing and her stories and renditions kept all of us glued to her throughout the 3 plus hours, even our 8 year old grandson.
Thank you for a great job, Megan. Wishing you the best.
Jerrold Lerman
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scenic19276921673
May 30, 2024
A great experience through the Natural History Museum - DONNA was great! Thanks! We did have a great time. We learned a great deal together as a team. Our guide Donna did fantastic informing us of all the different animals, fossils, and minerals
Review provided by Tripadvisor
706sandyn
May 28, 2024
The BEST Tour of the Natural History Museum! - We were very lucky to be the only people on the tour, so our tour guide took the time to understand what we were the most interested in, and made sure our tour took in everything we wanted to see! Our tour guide was FULL of information and really made every exhibit seem special. It lasted over three hours. My husband and I decided to go back one afternoon later to catch everything we had missed, and after a brief time, realized we had already seen everything we wanted to! Our guide just did an amazing job!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Manish_d
May 27, 2024
Wonderful tour guide, wonderful tour - Leigh, thanks so much for a wonderful tour of the natural history of museum. You made the exhibits come to life with your wonderful commentary, informational discourse and the dialogues and q&a. We highly encourage this experience for others hoping to get a lot out of their museum visit.
Review provided by Viator
Madziap2024
May 26, 2024
Highly recommended tour - The tour was amazing, our guide Leigh was great, very knowledgeable and full of great stories about everything she showed us. We have learned a lot and enjoyed every minute. Thank you. Highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Camper821930
May 22, 2024
Brenda is Awesome! - Brenda was knowledgeable and entertaining! She was super friendly and had a lot of great facts and stories about the exhibits! We had a wonderful time! Would go again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R0drig0ah
May 21, 2024
Great guided tour for 2.5 hours starting on opening time - Brenda was quite knowledgeable of the museum exhibits and responsive when contacted prior to our arrival. Definitely an enjoyable experience for myself and wife, just wish it could be longer and cover more exhibits.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Superfuntravels6
May 18, 2024
Don’t miss this tour and hopefully Brenda will be your guide! - This tour was such an impressive 2.5 hours of the highlights of the Museum of Natural History full of interesting stories and facts. Sometimes these large museums can be overwhelming but Brenda did a great job of showcasing the highlights. Wait until you hear the story behind the Hope Diamond! Super job Brenda!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisabq1660id
Apr 27, 2024
This a must! - I loved my guide. She was so knowledgeable and great story teller. It was worth every penny. I will definitely do this again in the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor