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American Museum of Natural History Location: Central Park West at 79th Street Telephone: 212-769-5100, 212-769-5200 Website: www.amnh.org Directions: Bus: M7, M10, M11, M79 Subway: to 81 St-Museum of Natural History: Suggested General Admission: $14 for adults, $10.50 for students and seniors, and $8 for children. Includes admission to Rose Center for Earth and Space. Hours: Open daily from 10:00am to 5:45pm, except Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Rose Center remains open on Fridays until 8:45pm. Space Show hours: Every half hour Sunday through Thursday, Friday 10:30am to 7:30pm, Saturday 10:30am to 4:30pm. History: Construction began in 1874 and the museum originally opened in 1877. It is one of the largest natural history museums in the world. The museum now spans three city blocks and includes the Rose Center for Earth and Space and the new Hayden Planetarium. The museum has more than 40 exhibition halls, including the Hall of Meteorites and the Hall of Gems and Minerals featuring the Star of India, the world's largest blue star sapphire; The Hall of Ocean Life; African Mamals; Dinosaurs; and an IMAX Theater. The new planetarium is a huge sphere housed in a glass box several stories high. In the top half of the sphere is the Space Theater, which presents an awesome Space Show using the world's largest, most powerful projector, the Zeiss Mark IX, which was built to the museum's specifications. The bottom half of the giant sphere is called the Big Bang Theater, it recreates the first moments of the universe in a multisensory format narrated by Maya Angelou. Fun for the whole family that will leave everyone breathless. Nearby Places of Interest: Central Park New York Historical Society Children's Museum of Manhattan Advisory: Allow a minimum of 4 hours. The Museum offers a wide variety of foods including stone oven pizza, sushi, grilled sandwiches, hot entrees, salads, and much more. © 2010 Big Apple Visitors Center. All Rights Reserved.