National Museum Of Natural History

Lonely Planet review

Welcoming more than nine million guests each year, this is one of the world's most visited museums - and it just keeps getting better with two new exhibits added in the last five years. The excellent Hall of Mammals demonstrates how mammals have evolved by adapting to changing environments, while the sometimes raw and bitter-tasting African Voices captures the dynamism, diversity and influence of Africa's people scattered across the globe.

The exhibits at this museum get up in your face; they are so interactive visitors actually feel the rainstorm on the savannah and see what the hunting jaguar is stalking. The old favorites are also still here: the fossilized bones of the gargantuan T-Rex; the glittering 45-carat Hope Diamond; and live tarantula feedings at the insect zoo. The Discovery Room contains hands-on science exhibits that enable children to examine - up close and personal - shells, bones, geodes, costumes and other things that they aren't normally allowed to touch.

The Johnson IMAX Theater shows nature extravaganzas like Deep Sea 3D daily. Movies sell out so buy tickets as soon as you arrive, or on-line in advance.