The Natural History Museum in London was designed to be a cathedral to nature. It was built to celebrate life on Earth, to be big enough to house even the largest exhibits, and to be free to visit.
150 years later and it is still living up to that original brief. It is home to a mind-boggling 80 million specimens, including a blue whale, Tyrannosaurus rex and a giant squid. And it still has free entry.
Dippy the Diplodocus I’ve always loved the Natural History Museum and couldn’t wait to take my children there. I had a specific mission today – to show my children Dippy the Diplodocus skeleton before it leaves on 4th January 2017. The children were amazed by Dippy’s size. The concept of a skeleton seemed a little abstract for them but they recognised it as being a dinosaur. I wrote this in January 2017. Dippy has now left the Natural History Museum and has been replaced by the skeleton of a blue whale. The T-Rex The Dinosaur Gallery There are also specimens on the floor, including a Diplodocus skull, dinosaur and alligator skin comparisons, hatching dinosaur eggs and a Triceratops skeleton. The Mammals Gallery The Marine Invertebrate Room The last room we had planned to see was the Marine Invertebrate room. Sadly, it was closed for a puppet show so we decided to call it a day and go for some lunch in a local cafe. So, So Busy Using a Buggy I brought a buggy but it was difficult – many walkways were narrow, the lift in the blue whale room was not in use and manoeuvring was hard because the rooms were so full of people. Next time I will leave all our stuff in the cloakroom. Useful to Know 1. The museum can be really busy. Google suggests that the museum’s busiest times are school holidays, weekends and Fridays from about 12 noon until about 4pm. 2. Entry queues can build up. When we drove past at 10am the museum had just opened and there was an enormous queue but by 10.50am it was down to about five minutes. When we left the museum at 1pm there was no queue at all but when we drove past at 2pm an enormous queue had built up again. 3. Step-Free Access The front entrance (Cromwell Road) into the Museum has steps but no ramp. The Exhibition Road entrance has step free access. 4. The Cloakroom Children under 3 can leave items in the cloakroom for free. Buggies can be left but need to be folded. 5. Check Before You Go You can check the museum’s website to make sure that all the galleries you want to see are open on the day you plan to visit. The Natural History Museum at Tring
Next stop was the Dinosaur Gallery. Its first exhibit gives you the chance to get up close and personal with a life-size T-Rex that roars and eyes the crowd.
The Dinosaur Gallery is displayed on two levels. There are several dinosaur skeletons suspended from the ceiling that are viewed from a suspended walkway. 
There was so much to see in the Mammals Gallery. Sadly, it was packed with visitors so I struggled to get the children a good view of anything.
We retreated to the blue whale room and were relieved to find it less crowded and the blue whale itself as mind-blowingly massive as I remembered. 
Choose the timing of your trip carefully. I visited during a peak time and the museum was so busy that the children struggled to see many of the exhibits. 
If you are interested in animal specimens then consider the Natural History Museum at Tring but note that there are no dinosaurs there.
Visit the Natural History Museum in London website
Further Information
Nearest Town: South Kensington, London Opens: Daily Where to Eat: Cafe, picnic area and nearby restaurants and pubs. How Long We Spent There: 1 hour Parking: The museum does not have a car park and but there are NCP car parks in the area, some of which can be booked online. Information Written: January 2017
County: London
Nearest Postcode: SW7 5BD
Cost: Free
Facilities: Cafe, snacks, ice creams, shop, toilets and accessible toilets.
Buggies: Buggy friendly in theory but difficult when it is busy.
Cost of Parking: Varies and can be expensive.
Ratings
Our visit to Natural History Museum in London is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.
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