Permanent exhibitions
Dinosaurs, volcanoes, precious gems, creepy crawlies - as a visitor to the Natural History Museum you will be amazed by the diversity of our natural world.

The Museum is not only home to the nation's finest collection of natural history specimens but is also one of the UK's top attractions, with more than three million visitors a year. The collection we look after here now has 70 million plants, animals, fossils, rocks and minerals - many of which are displayed in fascinating exhibitions.
Highlights include:
• exploring our Dinosaurs gallery, with its animatronic T. rex
• travelling through a giant suspended globe
• being a scientist in the Investigate Centre, our hands-on education space where you can examine hundreds of real natural history specimens

The Wildlife Garden
The Wildlife Garden is the only living exhibition at the Museum. Featuring a range of British lowland habitats including oak woodland, lowland heath, chalk downland, hedgerow, pond and reed bed, it provides a sample of the diverse environments found in the British countryside.

Explore
We look after more than 70 million specimens representing the variety of life on Earth. Take a free behind-the-scenes tour to see snapshots of these collections and find out how they are used by our 300 scientists. The tour also includes a visit to one of the Museum's largest specimens, a giant squid. Tours last about 45 minutes. Numbers are limited, so please book at the information desk in the Central Hall on arrival. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and the tours are not suitable for children under eight. Up to eight tours run daily, taking up to seven people. Wheelchair users, please meet the tour at the front of the museum.

Our website
Make no mistake - this is the place to learn about the natural world online. Whether planning a visit to the Museum, learning more about its dramatic architecture, playing games, discovering Britain's biodiversity or understanding the work of our scientists, www.nhm.ac.uk is rapidly becoming the website of choice, with almost eight million visits last year.
The site ensures the experience of the Museum continues beyond its walls and that you can enjoy your journey of discovery at home. Every user, regardless of technical ability and access requirements, can enjoy more than 15,000 pages and more than one million records.

Explorer backpacks
Pick up a passport, grab your binoculars and put on your backpack to become an explorer at the Natural History Museum. Filled with pens, paper, games and activities for families with children under seven, these bright red backpacks help you navigate and explore the galleries at the Museum. Choose from themes including birds, mammals, oceans, primates and monsters.

Focus Points
Don't miss our Focus Point handling trolleys where visitors of all ages can explore real specimens, with the help of our enthusiastic volunteers, using different natural history-themed activities.

Investigate Centre
Get a feel for how scientists work by doing it yourself. Bring your own questions or use some of ours in our hands-on science area. Come and explore hundreds of real specimens from the natural world. These form the evidence for your exploration of scientific ideas. The Investigate Centre encourages you to look closely at real objects using the many tools provided to find out more and become a scientist for the day.
Come to the Investigate Centre in August and you can carry out your own investigation into what dinosaurs ate, just as Museum scientists did for our Dino Jaws exhibition. Find out about the foods that dinosaurs ate, by exploring our set of fossils. Complete your investigation by matching the plant fossils with their living relatives in our courtyard garden.

restaurants and cafes serving hot and cold dishes and snacks. Picnic area where people can bring their own food, if the weather is good the front lawn is also available http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/eating-drinking/index.html

Food containing nuts or dairy are clearly marked. Vegetarian options are available.

We have x3 shops (Main shop, Earth Shop and Dino Shop). Products available to buy include books, jewellery, toys, t'shirts, souvenirs, china. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/shopping/index.html

Toilet facilities are available throughout the museum and are clearly sign posted. We have baby changing facilities and small toilets.

We have a bottle warming facility

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/getting-here/index.html

Get here early in the holidays to avoid the queues for the Dinosaur Gallery. Visit the blue whale in the Mammal Hall Have a look at the Museum's website to plan visit so that you can make the most of your day The Earth Galleries entrance is the accessible entrance (ie better for buggies) Don't forget to visit the wildlife garden if the weather is good A visit to the Investigate is essential for every budding young scientist

If you've had fun on your family day out to The Natural History Museum, tell us about it your visit, so other people will know it's a great place to go as well.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/