The Natural History Museum

I remember loving this place when I was a teenager but I was so disappointed after my recent visit. The building itself is still impressive and our wait was very brief, but once we were inside it was all a bit of an anti-climax. Most of the exhibits we saw (the insects, the birds) looked shabby and moth-eaten, Many of the display cases were filled with dust and their contents were faded and tatty. The geology/earth section was pretty dull with many of the 'interactive' attractions not working properly. After our small, over-priced lunch we decided to leave. What a let down. If you want to visit an excellent museum in the area, I would suggest the V&A next door.

The best museum I have ever been to.

The first thing to say of course is that the museum is absolutely FREE - no entrance fees whatsoever.

There is just so much to see and do at this museum. The dinosaur section is always extremely popular andd I would recommend doing this one first. It is packed with skeletons and a life-size moving T-Rex as a treat at the end.

There's an earthquake room which is modelled like a supermarket - you stand on a platform and the floor shakes to mimic the Kobe earthquake, plus sound effects, which is fun.

The animal section is brilliant - here's your chance to see an actual dodo (stuffed of course), plus a myriad of other exotic and sometimes extinct mammals. All with information signs which are really interesting.

In the insect section they have a model house that you go in and have to spot all the minibeasts that have taken up residence, which again is fun and good for children.

There's an escalator that you go on and travel up into space, while you marvel at the constellations all around you.

All this (plus much, MUCH more), and that's not even mentioning the spectacular architecture of the building itself - intricate and beautiful.

You really could spend all day in this museum as there is so much to see, and there really is something for absolutely everyone. Even if you don't like museums I thoroughly recommend giving it a go.

And once again remember, it's FREE!

This museum was wonderful. I went during the week and it was not overcrowded. There are exhibits for all ages from kids to adults with advanced knowledge of natural history topics. You can spend a whole day there; good concession, clean, EXCELLENT EXHIBITS. Well organized and layed-out. Make sure you take the Cacoon Tour. All this for FREE, no admision.