Audio Guide Details
- Duration
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Product Type
- Audio Guide
- Venues
- American Museum of Natural History
Preview
American Museum of Natural History Audio Guide
Introduction
The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Rotunda
Photos & Highlights
Audio Guide Description
The American Museum of Natural History is one of the oldest and largest natural history museums in the world. On this audio tour with historian and Context Travel expert David Gassett, you’ll discover this truly universal museum, and see several highlights in its collection of over 30 million items.
David will take you on a journey that covers the full range of life in our universe, from the forested hills of the museum’s African animal dioramas, to the far reaches of space in its custom-built-to-scale planetarium, the Rose Center for Earth and Space, where our tour ends.
Starting at the museum’s monumental entrance on Central Park West, you’ll hear about the history of one of New York’s great civic institutions, and its place in the city today. You’ll visit some of the museum’s oldest, newest, and most famous sites, including a 1,400-year-old sequoia tree in the Hall of North American Forests and the Richard Gilder Center, which you enter through a new cave-like entrance atrium. Along the way, David will direct you to key exhibits in each gallery as you learn to decipher their fascinating stories.
On this 75-minute journey, you’ll have a chance to:
• Walk beneath a life-size blue whale model to learn about changes in Ocean Science
• Discover why a giant stone used to “sing” in museum storage and how museums care for their objects today
• Meet Lucy, one of our oldest human ancestors, who revolutionized our understanding of human evolution
• Learn how to classify dinosaur fossils like a paleontologist, and take in the skull of an actual Tyrannosaurus Rex
• Get to know the complicated legacy of President Teddy Roosevelt, whose memorial lies in the museum
• Hear how the museum and advisors from the Indigenous communities of the Pacific Northwest reimagined its historic Northwest Coast Hall
• Discover why a giant stone used to “sing” in museum storage and how museums care for their objects today
• Meet Lucy, one of our oldest human ancestors, who revolutionized our understanding of human evolution
• Learn how to classify dinosaur fossils like a paleontologist, and take in the skull of an actual Tyrannosaurus Rex
• Get to know the complicated legacy of President Teddy Roosevelt, whose memorial lies in the museum
• Hear how the museum and advisors from the Indigenous communities of the Pacific Northwest reimagined its historic Northwest Coast Hall
By the end of this audio tour, you’ll have insights into the American Museum of Natural History’s collection of different sciences, and a better understanding of its ongoing story of natural history.
Meet Your Expert
David is a life-long New Yorker and a current PhD student at the Bard Graduate Center for Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture. He holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Archaeology from Columbia University and a M.A. in Anthropology and Museum Studies from the George Washington University and the Smithsonian Institution. His academic specialities lie in indigenous art and museum history, but he also has a deep fascination and knowledge of the history of New York City, peppered with all the fun facts of a local. David has worked in a variety of New York City museums and has published internationally about museum pedagogy. When not exploring museums, he enjoys a good book, skiing, and walking around his Brooklyn neighborhood.
How do I access the audio guide and download it for offline use?
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- Select Tour Codes from the menu, then select Enter Codes
- Enter your Voucher Code
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Is closed captioning (i.e. subtitles) available?
Yes! All of our audio guides have the option to turn on closed captioning should you have difficulty hearing the expert.
How long does each event last?
Our recorded audio guides typically run for 75 minutes.
How can I share this audio guide with friends or family?
You are welcome to listen together with friends or family, but each person listening to the guide on their own device will need to purchase the audio guide individually.
How long does my access to the audio guide last?
Once you purchase an audio guide, you are welcome to listen to it as many times as you would like. Your access to a purchased audio guide does not expire.
What is your cancellation and refund policy?
Sales for recorded audio guides are final upon purchase. Please contact us at digital@contexttravel.com if you have any questions or concerns about your purchase.
Can I purchase a gift card for a friend who is traveling?
Absolutely! Gift cards can be purchased here. Gift cards are good for 365 days from the date of purchase.