Natural History Museum London England

 

The Natural History Museum in London, England has some 80 million objects, which date as far back as 4.5 billion years. They have over 300 scientists and recently reported publishing 700 papers in conjunction with others outside the UK. The museum first opened 18 April 1881. It's origins date to 1753 and the collection of Sir Hans Sloane purchased by Parliament.

What I recall from decades ago is the impressive great entrance hall (Hintze Hall). The impressive blue whale skeleton is 25.2 metres long.

I expected to see dinosaur skeletons and was impressed by the animation--wishing my grandchildren could enjoy the presentation too. See the clip below from YouTube.

A couple more dinosaur displays.

More treasures in the Great Hall.

I am fortunate to have a granddaughter interested in rocks, gems, and fossils. She would have a field day at this museum's collection. Here's a few examples.

I sent my granddaughter a photo of the largest blue topaz on display. The Ostro stone weighs 2 Kilos and is 9,381 carats, nearby are cases of minerals and gems.  Link to story.

More treasures

It's fitting that the museum would place English scientist Charles Darwin in a prominent place.

This specimen of a Giant Sequoia is from a 100- metre tall tree in California, USA. The tree was cut in 1891.

I couldn't resist this photo of an old bird. It is a reconstruction of a life-size Dodo from parts of a skeleton. There are drawings and paintings of the bird from the 1600s. The last sighting was 1662. Height = 1 metre, weight 10.6 to 17.5 kg.

The journey to the earth's core represents considerable creativity on the part of the museum staff.

The display of human origins was a bit disappointing because of its limited scope. But there are a couple of standouts: Lucy and Cheddar Man.

Lucy is the nickname for a female skeleton found in East Africa in 1974. She dates from about 3.7 million years ago. You can read more on the museum website.

Cheddar Man's skeleton was found in England in 1903. He dates to about 10,000 years ago. He's been classified as a Mesolithic hunter- gatherer. Read more here.

I created a video overview of some of the specimens and two dinosaur presentations. You can find it on my YouTube channel- SuttonTravels.

Related Posts / Places

Visiting the United Kingdom

Visit London England

Field Museum, Chicago Illinois

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington DC

American Museum of Natural History, NYC

If interested in British-American culture, please check out my book Mind the Gap available on Amazon   and   Google

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My website:  www.suttong.com

Dinosaur National Monument Utah Colorado

 

Allosaurus at Dinosaur National Monument

As I was visiting the National Parks in Colorado, I couldn't resist heading northwest to Dinosaur National Monument, which overlaps Colorado and Utah.

The Allosaurus is one of more than 1,500 dinosaur fossils visible in the rock face of the Quarry Exhibit Hall. The skull below is from the local quarry. The cast above is from a find in Utah.

The Quarry Exhibit Hall is a large two-story building with walkways on two levels. The photo below give some idea of the size of the exhibit.

In this zoomed photo, you can see some of the detail.

There's an opportunity to "touch the past" suitable for children of all ages.

Outside, you can follow the fossil discovery trail.

Signs along the way point out different finds.

A panorama along the fossil trail.

Here's a short video overview from YouTube

Some basic information about visiting Dinosaur National Monument

Although the monument spans Colorado and Utah, the visitor's center is in Utah. I arrived after lunch and had plenty of time to see the main features. But there are other things to do like camping, other hikes, and river rafting.

Visitor Center

You can walk or take a shuttle between the visitor center and the Quarry Exhibit Hall.

Included Shuttle Service

Enclosed Quarry Exhibit Hall

Back at the visitor center are restrooms, a few exhibits, a short film, and a gift shop.

Visitor Center

There is an entrance fee. National Park passes are accepted.

Please check out my website  suttong.com

And my YouTube Channel SuttonTravels

Some Dinosaur Books

Google Map to Dinosaur National Monument

National Park Service Website https://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm

Field Museum Chicago Illinois

The Field Museum in Chicago has a fantastic collection of artifacts and specimens from all over the world. Most on display focus on natural history and include those massive dinosaurs that capture so much attention. They have a fine collection of contemporary animals, plants, and geological specimens as well. Standard and special exhibits help us explore other cultures.

Sue, the T-Rex is clearly a main attraction and comes with an interesting story of discovery. There's also a multisensory film, which I enjoyed.

Although there is a fine museum (Wonders of the Wildlife) in my hometown, the animal collection at the Field Museum is brilliant.

I was a bit disappointed in the limited displays portraying human origins. I think the Smithsonian is much better.

Location: The Field Museum is located near Lake Michigan on the Museum Campus. I stayed at a hotel on Michigan avenue within walking distance. Look for the Dino outside.

Admission: It's expensive for those of us from out-of-state. I bought a City Pass to save on costs at five attractions. Some exhibits or events cost extra. Check the website for details.

Crowds: It did not take long after opening for lots of groups of children to arrive. They did take up most places in the lunch rooms at midday. They seemed mostly happy and although noisy, they were not unruly. On the day I was there, many of them seemed to leave by early afternoon. They also seemed to focus on the popular exhibits like the dinosaurs.

Hours: Open daily 9-5 except Christmas, but check the website for the latest.

Food: I was allowed to bring my own lunch and eat in designated areas downstairs. There are places to purchase lunches and snacks.

Friendliness: All the staff I spoke to were friendly.

Maps: A map of the museum is online and paper copies are available to visitors. I still needed directions to the 3D movie, which was off in a distant part of the museum.

Accessibility: See the website for details.

Website: https://www.fieldmuseum.org/visit

A couple more photos.