National Museum

The National Museum houses the famous fossil discoveries of zinjanthropus (nutcracker man) from Olduvai Gorge, plus some scattered but intriguing displays on numerous other topics, including the Shirazi civilisation of Kilwa, the Zanzibar slave trade, and the German and British colonial periods. For aficionados of vintage autos, there’s a small special collection in the plaza between the main buildings, including the Rolls Royce used first by the British colonial government and later by Julius Nyerere, and the original East African Community Mercedes Benz. In the back building are a couple of old wooden bicycles – one of which uses no metal at all. The museum is near the Botanical Gardens, between Samora Ave and Sokoine Dr.