The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is one of the most popular museums in Vegas. It’s the place where you can learn about dinosaurs, mummies, African safari, and native geology all in one spot.
Since 1991, the museum has been dedicated to enriching the lives of locals and tourists to the area with exhibits that educate, fascinate, and entertain.
Museum Hours
The Natural History Museum is open daily from 9 am – 4 pm. The only days the museum is completely closed are Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, with special hours for certain holidays. Tours and private events can be scheduled during normal operating hours as availability permits.
Ticket Prices
Admission to the museum is $14 for adults and $12 for military, seniors, and students. The ticket price for children is $7, with little ones 2 years or younger being free.
Nevada residents save $1 per person.
TICKETS | PRICE | NEVADA RESIDENT PRICE |
Adult | $14 | $13 |
Seniors (ages 55+) | $12 | $11 |
Military (w/valid ID) | $12 | $11 |
Youth (ages 12-18) | $12 | $11 |
Child (ages 3-11) | $7 | $6 |
If you’re interested in scheduling a private event, like a birthday party, packages start at $300. Pricing varies for private tours. Parking at the museum is always free.
Exhibits
The Museum map shows where you can find all the exhibits, so you don’t miss anything.
Marine Life Gallery
The Marine Life Gallery is the perfect place for anyone with a fascination for all things aquatic. The museum features a 3,000-gallon tank that’s the home of real sharks and stingrays. Watch as they float gracefully through the water, along with many other captivating aquatic creatures.
To add to the experience, realistic, lifesize replicas of marine animals, including sharks, hang from above and along the exhibit walls.
Treasures of Egypt
The Treasures of Egypt is one of the most popular attractions at the Vegas Natural History Museum. Children and adults will enjoy exploring Ancient Egyptian life through a tour of recreated artifacts and lifesize, realistic replicas, including the entrance into the tomb of King Tut.
The display highlights early 20th-century archaeological finds that have helped put together a more realistic picture of ancient Egypt for us in modern times.
Treasures of Egypt include replicas of Egyptian chariots, the Golden Throne, and the Golden Shrine. Each of these replicas has been authorized by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, an Egyptian government organization that serves to preserve Egypt’s accurate history.
Prehistoric Life Gallery
The Engelstad Family Prehistoric Life Gallery is a dinosaur exhibit all ages will enjoy. One of the showstoppers of this exhibit is the towering Tyrannosaurus Rex, measuring an impressive 35 feet long. Being this close to replicas of our prehistoric friends provides an entirely new perspective of life on Earth during the Age of Dinosaurs.
Along with the T-Rex, you’ll see an ankylosaur, raptor, triceratops, and creatures that were native to the area that is now Nevada. One of them is the massive ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that would grow to be longer than 50ft. You’ll want to plan on spending lots of time exploring this favorite Las Vegas dinosaur museum.
International Wildlife Gallery
There is so much wildlife in the world that most of us only get the chance to see on paper or screen. It’s difficult to imagine the true majesty of some of nature’s creatures without seeing them up close. The Wildlife Gallery provides the opportunity to do just that in a completely safe way.
The exhibit showcases large and small mammals and how they have adapted throughout our history. You’ll find mounted animals that leave visitors, especially kids, with a sense of wonder once they witness what these creatures look like in real life. Mammal families on display include bears, deer, antelope, African wild cats, and more.
Wild Nevada Gallery
What lies beyond the bright lights and action of Las Vegas, NV, is a natural world that’s home to many of the most scenic natural parks and lands in the United States.
The Wild Nevada Gallery pays tribute to the natural beauty of the Mojave Desert and the natural areas of southern Nevada.
Explore and learn about animals that are native to the region, along with desert plant life, in this popular interactive exhibit.
Prehistoric Mammals Gallery
Dinosaurs aren’t the only prehistoric creatures that deserve our attention. There were many other types of animals that lived during the dinosaur age.
The Prehistoric Mammals exhibit at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum is where you can see and learn about the prehistoric mammals that shared a world with dinosaurs so long ago.
This exhibit introduces visitors to the quirky and exciting lives of prehistoric mammals, including a giant ground sloth that, while quite a bit more massive than the sloths we know today, is thought to have been an herbivore with few natural predators during a considerable period of its evolution.
Geology Gallery
The Las Vegas Natural History Museum has welcomed a Geology Gallery to its mix of exhibits, where visitors can stop and explore displays of Nevada’s geological history, along with really interesting fluorescent minerals that will fascinate children and visitors of all ages.
The exhibit goes into detail about Nevada’s geological history. You’ll be able to learn more about the importance of geology and the many minerals we use in our daily lives.
Gary & Matthew Primm African Savanna Gallery
What could be more fun than joining along with an African safari without the travel or expense? This display features pieces that have been donated by the Gary and Matthew Primm Wildlife Collection and provides an interesting view into African wildlife and the relationships between predators and prey in the wild.
Be on the lookout for indigenous species, like rhinoceros, crocodiles, lions, buffalo, and more, in a recreation of their natural Savanna habitat.
Dinosaur Mummy CSI
Check out the technology and science used to preserve the dinosaurs. And get a glimpse into how they can tell what this 23-foot dinosaur used to look like.
Young Scientist Center
Everyone’s favorite interactive exhibit where kids can become paleontologists and marine biologists of their own.
They can dig for fossils, look through microscopes, and explore the ocean in a submarine!
Location
The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is located downtown at 900 Las Vegas Blvd N. If you’re near Fremont St, the museum is about 2 miles away. If you’re coming from the area of the Strip, where the major casinos and resorts are located, the museum is about a 7-mile drive straight down Las Vegas Blvd.
FAQs
What should you not miss at the Natural History Museum?
Can we say all of it? Most people like the dinosaur and prehistoric exhibits best, especially the interactive dinosaur CSI experience. Some visitors have found the displays that are heavily loaded with taxidermy to be a bit outdated, but they’re still educational.
How long does it take to go around the Natural History Museum?
You can spend as long as you like exploring the Vegas Natural History Museum during your trip. Most visitors find that 1-2 hours is a reasonable amount of time to see everything and absorb all the fascinating facts and information from each of the displays.
If you’re looking for something fun and educational to do that falls outside of the usual categories of sightseeing and casinos, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum belongs on your vacation bucket list.
