a fantastic place to spend the day.

A really great museum in a beautiful (and immense) building.

Lots of kids like dinosaurs, and you’ll get more than your fill here. Real fossils, full-size reproductions, and plenty of info for reading. Warning: the animatronic T-Rex will scare little kids silly (there’s a bypass place indicated)!

The hall of mammals has a full-size blue whale model hanging from the ceiling. The bug room has all sorts of creepy-crawlies. The birds are displayed in a long hall, and I find the hummingbird display to be a weirdly unsettling treat. There’s rooms of fish and shellfish, too.

The section on earth sciences should not be missed, either. A more modern display, you can learn about the geological history and state of the planet.

It can all get very busy, of course, so go during the week if possible.

Like many museums the gift shop provides a lot of unique and educational items, so it’s great for kids with particular interests in animals or earth sciences.

Admission is free.

One of the most beautiful buildings in London, I almost wish this was still the place I remember visiting as a kid, with boxes of weird looking bugs and butterflies (and that huge blue whale!) Now it’s all very interactive and exciting, aimed squarely at educating kids.

Thank heavens they’ve left the rest of the animal exhibits alone. The koalas might be looking a bit faded, but it’s still brilliant.

It’s such a big museum I never do it in one go, and last week I finally got to see the ‘Earth Halls’. Ride up the escalator through the centre of the Earth and spend ages looking at rocks and learning about volcanos, plate tectonics and all the other stuff you can’t remember from year 9 geography. Your inner geek will adore you.

A wonderful place for a family outing. Before we even take in the exhibits let’s talk about the building itself - the architecture is breathtaking!

The museum itself is, as you would expect, nothing short of world class a raft of fascinating exhibits, with plenty of interactive stuff to keep even the tiniest minds busy!

Excellent, great for kids, but get there early to avoid queues

I would highly recommend it for a family. Its very interactive and something for all. Kids and grown ups will love it.

This is definitely my favourite museum in London. Just the building itself kept me busy for quite a while - amazing architecture and sculpture.

The inside does not disappoint either. With the massive dinosaur skeleton right in the foyer.

This place is great for children and big kids like me! There are so many interactive exhibits. Push buttons and discover things about animals and our world history. Fascinating stuff!

There are so many floors and rooms it takes a few visits to see everything the museum has to offer.

Take a packed lunch in summer - there are great benches outside where you can enjoy the sun and take in the great architecture.

I love this museum as it has such a wide range of things to see inside. I still find it really exciting going up the escalators, which go through the middle of a globe. The stuffed animals were really interesting and it was weird to see the size of some of the eggs compared to the birds. The entrance hall filled with dinosaur bones makes you feel as if you're in the middle of the film, Night in a Museum which is fun. They often have a student exhibit in this room too and is good to see their take on things.

This museum is free entry and closes at 5.30pm. once there you must be checked by security and thus there is usually a que to get in. However this is not long. Once inside there are leaflets available for free which show a map of the museum and departments available to see. There is of course the dinosaur dept, human body, mammals, rocks, birds, extinct animals, and other things to see. Everything is interesting for all family members but the most interesting is the human body as there are lots of games you can play such as eye games, muscle, etc.
It can get very busy on weekends and school holidays so you may have to wait to see the dinosaurs. When i went we had to wait in a que for 40mins to see the dinosaurs!! however around 4pm the que was gone so its best to see everything else and see the dinosaurs last.

The most awesome museum ever! Walking into the fabulous building even though a huge dinosaur skeleton dominates, I was looking around at the beauty of the architecture.
My favourite exhibition was the rocks and minerals, it demonstrates so suberbly how beautiful and random nature is.
Sometimes I couldn't believe the rocks were natural!
I like the amphibian fossils as well, because I think its so amazing that people found them.
The dinosaur exhibit is of course a favourite for kids, its colourful, with easy to read information and the robotic T-rex is very life like and scary!
The creepy crawling room is popular with boys and again very colourful and good for kids.

Spectacular building home to a wealth of history - the main hall featuring huge dinosaur skeletons probably being one of the most amazing sights of the city! Followed, is a maze of corridors taking you through various eras and species plus vaults of precious stones and educational facts. This is the perfect day out for children without a doubt. Even though I enjoyed it too...

There's always something to do at the Natural History Museum, whether you're a child, an adult or an adult with children. The Natural History Museum is one of my favourite places in London to visit. Aesthetically, it's very pleasing to the eye. The actual building itself has very majestic feel both on the inside and outside. Before you take anything else into consideration, firstly this is a great example of British architecture, secondly there's an array of activities available. My favourite elements of the Natural History Museum include the outdoor ice rink and Christmas market where you can skate or grab a coffee within the closest that you get to a fairy tale scene in modern day London. The outdoor ice rink and Christmas market is a special feature which takes place in December and January every year. Running a close second is the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition, which is an annual exhibition. This exhibition normally runs from December to April each year. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition showcases the work of both amateur and professional photographers from all age groups (including under 18s), revealing the fascinating world of nature in it's many walks of life therough the art of photography. This is definitely a recommended trip. Entry to the Natural History Musuem is free, but there is a charge for some of the temporary exhibitions and activities. Check the website for futher details.

Built up from Sir Francis Sloane’s collection of plant and animal specimens, the Natural History Museum has over 70 million items on display. As its near the to Victoria and Albert Museum and the Science Museum, it's part of a hub of museum excellence. Permanent exhibits of the Natural History Museum include the Darwin Centre, a collection of 22 million species preserved in alcohol. the animatronic Tyrannosaurus Rex in its Life Galleries Exhibit and a Hands On exhibit which allows guests to explore geology and biology first-hand. Its an excellent place for kids and adults alike.

The animals showing here are either long dead or extincted I always can't help but think this when I visit museums of this kind- the nature history museum is a fascinating place to explore and touch and see. Like everyone else I love the dinosaur displays here- giants skeletons and models there's lots of great photo opportunities here!! specimen jars, fossils and the stuffed animals- I like that there's lots of interactive things to do here too-
It's fascinating seeing how biology and species have evolved over millions of years-
The building itself is also worth coming to check out!

Just thought I'd give a quick mention ofThe Natural History Museum's employees' smokers room which was a basement level, windowless jobby with those armless office furniture / student accomodation style seats, a TV from the 1970s with two channels working, fuzzing on about something or other. The place reeked of a mixture of stale tobacco, dry coughs, and the 35p vending machine coffee. And I'm sure if you scraped off all the Yellow from the walls you could build a new sun.

Meanwhile upstairs the Darwin Collection with specimen jars is perhaps the most interesting room in my opinion, I believe it has recently been expanded and I hear it includes the bones of the Thames whale which was in the newspapers some time ago.

("Helpful" points are overated ;) )

I went to the Natural History Museum today to take a peek at their christmas market and ice rink.

The ice rink isn't cheap at £11.00 for adults and £9.50 for concessions, and these prices go up after 5pm, however I'm already planning my next trip! With the fairy lights over the trees and the large christmas tree in the centre of the market it really is beautiful as London always is at Christmas.
Although stall holders are still in the process of setting up their stands, already there is an array of jewellery, clothes and other gifts to buy for Christmas. Although named the 'Food Court' there isn't a huge variety of food- fish and chips, coffee etc- but definitely go to the Gu stand where you can get delicious hot chocolate for £2 or a 'shot' of chocolate for £1- I had two!!

Overlooking the ice rink there is a bar which serves hot food after 6pm- watch out, this definitely isn't cheap. However I had a vodka and diet coke to warm me up and that was £4 so as far as drinks go it's fairly normal.

The staff as always at the Natural History Museum are polite and knowledgable, showing the kids around the ice and helping you up after a tumble (I actually didn't fall for once- result!)

So all in all a fantastic day out! I'd recommend going to the museum at first and then ice skating when it gets dark- when all the trees are lit up and the rink is floodlit the atmosphere is brilliant.

I first went to The Natural History Museam aged about 14 when the dinosaurs were a new exhibit. That was some time ago now and I was sorry to say that upon my return to the museum the exhibits were still the same and looked a little tired if anything. I think children would still love them- as I did back then but as an adult the exhibition held little appeal. Time your visit carefully as the museum is generally packed with children at weekends and becomes very hot and unpleasant. School holidays are also a big no no. Venture away from the dinosaurs and make sure you visit the Natural Hazards exhibition- in particular the earth quake simulator which is really well done.

The exhibits in museum is definately world class. It is a great place for adults and childres. Everyone can enjoy this place. The building is fantastic with very intricate designs. The dinasaurs are probably the best thing about this museum and i'm sure lots of people will agree with me. You can see some of the oldest fossils on display here. It is fantastic. This Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is also in this museum. It is a great exhibit only for amateurs. It has some great photographs.

London has three most popular ice-rinks which open their doors to the public at this time of the year. There is the one at the Natural History Museum which holds a really traditional Victorian Christmas Fair. You can also the Ice Station Antartica Exhibition and test your wits against the Antartic.
Then there is Somerset House which initiated the trend for temporary ice-rinks and is a really nice place to skate. Lastly, there is the moat at the Tower of London which will take you back in time to Tudor England.

This museum is a good place to visit. When I was there they had an exhibition outside the museum of photographs someone has taken. Even though I can't remember who it was really nice. Once I went inside the dinosaur that was at the entrance was gigantic and it was awesome. The architecture of the building was great too. I can't remember being in a place so old yet magnificent. The different sections of the museum ws good as there was a variety of things to see.

I love a good natural history museum- maybe its because I rekindle my 7 year old self's fascination with dinosaurs, I'm not sure, but whatever it is, these sorts of exhibits are just fantastic. Of course a great place to take kids, but I think non-parental adults are missing out if they skip museums because they think only 8 year olds and their escorts go there.

And now until April 2008 there is the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit- just beautiful photos- and well worth the 7 pound entrance fee, although you probably should book ahead. Don't forget the gift shop! Museum gift shops are great places to grab presents for hard to shop for people.

In what is arguably one of Britain’s most beautiful buildings there is a veritable plethora of beasts. As soon as you enter the museum (for free- as all national museums in the UK) you step into the hall of wonders. The centrepiece is the skeleton of a big old dinosaur towering above you with a quiet dignity. Around it in the arches of the hall are old, dead cool things like a massive dinosaur turtle thing and a stuffed lion which scared the bejesus out of me when once working here.

The Natural History Musuem is surely one of London’s finest features and is a really mesmerising place to bring children or friends. I remember first going there age five and being escorted out because I was so scared of the dinosaur fish and the blue whale. I am still terrified of the blue whale (it’s huge! And suspended in the air! It’s just not natural!) but even that does not stop me from thinking that this is a truly great museum. Possibly the best Natural History Musuem in the World. (The only other big one I’ve been to was the one in Prague.)

Great activities for kids and interactive exhibitions and also a handy, cool place to meet for coffee in the cafés (whilst looking really cultured).

The Natural History Museum is well worth a visit even if it's just to admire the architecture. It really is a beautiful, intricately designed building. The exhibits are also really good, and you can see loads of really interesting stuffed animals, including owls and toucans. The museum also hosts the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, which is well worth a visit for some really spectacular wildlife shots. A must visit for anyone visiting London!

Some of the museums you visit in your childhood cling with you, especially if you (like me) were a budding biologist. Seeing the dinosaurs was a great thrill on my sixth birthday, on my first visit to the big city.

Many years later, and not only can I walk there from home, but I can also appreciate the building itself, as well as its contents.

It is a brilliant, exuberant, confident work of German Romanesque. Executed in cream and turquoise polychromatic terracotta tiles inside and out - millions of them - it also possesses hundreds of charming terracotta animal sculptures which provide visual detail. It still takes my breath away. The great entrance hall drew inspritation from the new railway stations of the era, and is a cathedral to the Victorian belief in learning and self-improvement.

Opened in 1881, the building was designed by the young Manchester architect, Alfred Waterhouse. It is fitting that the building now bears his name.

The exhibits inside are world-class, by any standards. It feature some of the earliest fossils collected and identified, and thousands of animal and plant specimens - reflecting the huge possibilities for collecting across the (then) British Empire. It remains one of the pre-eminent world centres for the study of fossils and natural history.

And - of course - it's a superb place for kids of all ages...