Dinos to diamonds, bears to beetles, hissing roaches to African elephants – this museum will take you around the world and back, across millions of years in time. It’s all housed in a beautiful 1913 Spanish Renaissance-style building that stood in for Columbia University in the first Toby McGuire Spider-Man movie – yup, this was where Peter Parker was bitten by the radioactive arachnid.
The special exhibits usually draw the biggest crowds, but don’t miss out on a spin around the permanent halls to see such trophy displays as the Dinosaur Hall , featuring the world-first T. rex Growth series. Historical exhibits include prized Navajo textiles, baskets and jewelry in the Hall of Native American Cultures . If diamonds are your best friend, head to the Gem & Mineral Hall with its walk-through gem tunnel and a Fort Knox–worthy gold collection.
Kids will have plenty of "ooh" and "aah" moments in the spruced-up Discovery Center , where they can make friends with Cecil the iguana and Peace, a 9ft boa; dig for dinosaur fossils; handle bones, antlers and minerals; and get close to tarantulas, scorpions and other creepy-crawlies.
For grown-ups, the museum turns up the volume during its First Fridays event series, which combines brainy lectures, live music and KCRW DJs in the African Mammal Hall, two bars and late-night access to the exhibits, which are all bathed in nocturnal light. Check the website for upcoming dates.
