museum of natural history

happycathdetroit

We enjoyed the Natural History Museum - lots of interesting animals and birds to see - quick and easy to navigate.

Mommarazzi

Come see the Giant Sloth! No, really! The Natural History Museum has excellent dioramas of the history of Iowa, and an actual Giant Sloth. Good for an hour or so. Very informative.

IaTravel

Our soon to be 8 year old loves this museum and has since she was 4. Honestly most of the exhibits are a bit dated and consist of "stuffed" animals. But it is pretty fun for our family and we go there a lot. Its also FREE.

carlaf849

A three story museum with the natural history of Iowa. It is free and a nice place to visit. My family and I enjoyed it.

748kellil

I have to admit, I went for the giant sloth (super cool!), but ended up being so pleasantly surprised by all there was to see here. The dioramas are really well done, and the plethora of animals is amazing. It's such an old building and collection that they even have extinct species like the passenger pigeon. Definitely worth a visit, especially since it's free!Accessibility: There's an elevator which will get you pretty much everywhere but the bird wing (ha, no pun intended). The avian area is beyond a large classroom, and we weren't able to get over there. There might be another way, but we couldn't figure it out. Still, a great stop.

susanm1962

Great museum to visit with kids on a rainy day. My nephew loves the giant sloth, prairie setting, penguins and native American culture.

XanderHolmes

My husband and I have both lived in Iowa our entire lives. We visited this museum as children. One rainy day we needed something to do and went back. The amount they have in the museum is overwhelming! So many different things to see! Not many people know the museum extends into all of the hallways through MacBride. Some of the displays have been taken down for use at the University. Many if them were dated over 10 years ago. Also, some of the interactive displays don't work anymore. The university needs to put some money into the museum and it would be much better!!It took us a little over 2 hours to get through everything but we rushed at the end. We would definitely visit again.

snickersbunny

Conveniently located at McBride Hall on the University of Iowa Campus, the Museum of Natural History was small but complete. We particularly liked the mammal and aviary taxidermy exhibits.

LM524

Every time I visit Iowa City I spend several hours meandering through this wonderful museum. It is a gem!

cardinalkid1974

Took my wife and daughter had a wonderful time we will be going back very soon. We just loved the birds.

706kellyd

I originally took the kids I babysit during the summer here just to kill time. There is no parking available on site, however you can park on a street nearby for up to 5 hours with a parking meter which was a fair deal. I was afraid the kids would be bored, but I was pleasantly surprised. They spent so much time looking at all the animal displays, and the older one even enjoyed reading all the plaques. It is right in the middle of downtown Iowa City and a fun way to spend a summer day.

DeniseJarrott

My husband and I had our first date here. A year and a half later, he proposed to me in front of the hummingbird display. The bird island simulation is lovely. A bit of the old world on a campus that's constantly trying to be on the cutting edge.

JE729

The museum of Natural History on the University of Iowa Campus is an amazing surprise. Although small it has a quality collection that is exceptionally well displayed.

Hartshor

Been going there since my childhood. Took my kids there, and now the grandkids. Small, and quaint; but the kids really like it.

AprilJeppson

Took my family there and for a donation only museum it was pretty good. Some nice exhibits, but nothing fantastic. It was nice to get out of the heat and the kids liked it. Good way to spend an hour or two