The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, North Carolina is the museum closest to where I live. Although it was founded in 1879 as North Carolina's first public museum, the museum re-opened earlier this year in a much larger facility. The featured exhibit is the Terror of the South, with an Acrocanthosaurus skeleton from Oklahoma. Also on display is a Thescelosaurus, a small carnivorous dinosaur that may have a preserved heart. Be sure to read my article "A Visit to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences."
The National Museum of Natural History in Washington D. C. is part of the Smithsonian Museums. An elephant diorama in the rotunda has greeted visitors for years, and was recently upgraded to the 21st century with new interactive videos and computer technology. You can easily spend an entire day just in the section containing the dinosaurs and other extinct animals, but take time to visit the Geology, Gems, and Minerals Wing (including the Hope Diamond), and the Anthropology/Archaeology Wings. Be sure to read my article "A Visit to the Smithsonian".
Texas Memorial Museum in Austin, Texas is one of the best kept secrets of the University of Texas campus. This small museum has displays of Texas history, including archaeological information about Native American Texans, as well as many dioramas of extant (still living) and extinct Texas species. For years, the Onion Creek Mosasaur was on prominent display on the main floor; a few years ago, the mosasaur was renovated with a new, more dynamic pose, but it was moved to the basement with many other paleontological specimens. Be sure to look for the original wing of Quetzalcoatlus, the giant pterosaur.
It is a great idea to become a member of your local Natural History Museum. Membership usually includes free or reduced admission to the museum and special events (often invitation to Members Only Events), as well as a discount at the museum gift shop. You will usually receive a calendar of upcoming events, and often a monthly or quarterly publication of museum research. Some museum publications, such as Natural History published by the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and Smithsonian published by the Smithsonian Institution are quite lush. Some museum memberships offer a reciprocal membership to other museums. Membership is a great way to learn more about the natural world, and to support your local museum.
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