Getting ready forthe American Museum of Natural History.
The big natural history museum on Central Park West in Manhattan, with a Sensory Room on Floor 1 that needs no reservation, Sensory Bags with noise-reducing headphones to borrow at every entrance, a Sensory Guide that rates every hall, and a social narrative to read ahead.
Sensory supports. Sensory Room, Sensory Bags to borrow, quietest times.
Hours
Open daily, 10 am to 5:30 pm. Closed Thanksgiving (Thu Nov 26 2026) and Christmas Day (Fri Dec 25 2026); regular hours on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Extended holiday hours: 10 am to 8 pm Sat Nov 21 2026; 9 am to 5:30 pm Fri Nov 27 2026; 9 am to 8 pm Sat Nov 28 2026; 9 am to 5:30 pm Sun Nov 29 2026; 10 am to 8 pm Sat Dec 5 and Sat Dec 19 2026; 9 am to 8 pm Sat Dec 26 through Wed Dec 30 2026; 10 am to 8 pm Sat Jan 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 2027. Before 10 am or after 5 pm, use the Central Park West or 81st Street/Rose Center entrances. The Sensory Room is open 10 am to 4 pm.
200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024 (entrances on Central Park West at 79th Street, on 81st Street at the Rose Center, and at 415 Columbus Avenue at the Gilder Center)
“Stimming (repeated movements and behavior) are welcome in this room, and “calm bodies” are not required.” amnh.org (Sensory Room FAQs)
“The quietest and least crowded times at the Museum are typically weekday afternoons after 2 pm.”
“The week of Thanksgiving, as well as the week between Christmas and New Year’s is the busiest week of the year at the Museum. The Museum is extremely loud and crowded at that time.”
“Visitors are expected to return their Sensory Bags at the end of their visit.” amnh.org (Sensory Bags)
The Sensory Room was designed by and for autistic visitors and is open to everyone of all ages who feels overstimulated or needs a quiet break. Inside are touchable objects and coloring pages, a quiet video corner, a reading corner, semi-enclosed quiet nooks, couches, spinning chairs, beanbags and floor mats, and weighted pillows, noise-dampening headphones and fidget tools to borrow. The room asks you to stay no more than 20 minutes at a time, share and put things back, make no phone calls, use headphones for any device with sound, and bring no food or drink. Other people may be in the room. A volunteer outside can help open the door.
Sensory Bags (drawstring backpacks with size-adjustable noise-reducing headphones, fidget tools and adult or child sunglasses) are at the Membership Desks at any entrance, and also at the Hayden Planetarium Space Show, Invisible Worlds, the LeFrak Theater and the 4th Floor Information Desk.
The Sensory Guide has a map of every floor marking high- and low-sensory areas, with sound, light, crowd, seating and touch for each hall. The social narrative walks through the scanner, the bag check, the ticket scan, borrowing a Sensory Bag, animals and models behind glass that are not alive, touching only some things, and where to eat. For questions about what to expect, email accessibility@amnh.org or call 212-769-5200.
Discovery Squad is a free program for neurodivergent children ages 5 to 12 and their families, before the museum opens to the public: a 45-minute tour of select halls, then 45 minutes of free play in the Discovery Room. Advance tickets are required. The next tour dates are on the museum's Sensory Resources page; questions go to accessibility@amnh.org or 212-769-5200.
A Sensory Room on Floor 1, through the Futter Gallery, open 10 am to 4 pm, no reservation needed; stay up to 20 minutes at a time.
Sensory Bags to borrow, with noise-reducing headphones, fidgets and sunglasses, at the Membership Desk at every entrance; return them at the end of your visit.
Quietest: weekday afternoons after 2 pm, through the Gilder Center or Rose Center entrances. Busiest and loudest: Thanksgiving week and the week between Christmas and New Year's.
For a full-size copy your child can use, open this page at squaredsteps.com, tap Make it yours, then print.
More about American Museum of Natural History
Quieter, in the museum's words
Sensory Room, Floor 1, through the Futter Galleryquiet zone
Gilder Center entrance (79th Street and Columbus Avenue)quiet zone
Rose Center entrance (81st Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West)quiet zone
Prices for visitors from outside New York State: General Admission $37 adults, $30 seniors (60 and up) and students, $22 children 3 to 12; with one ticketed exhibition $43, $35 and $26; with all ticketed exhibitions $48, $39 and $30. New York State residents with ID: General Admission $25, $20 and $14; with one ticketed exhibition $30, $24 and $17; with all $35, $28 and $20.
Pay what you wish: New York State residents with ID may pay what they wish for General Admission only (suggested $25 adults, $20 students and seniors, $14 children 3 to 12). Ticketed exhibitions can't be added to a pay-what-you-wish ticket. Accepted ID includes a driver's license, state ID, IDNYC, student ID, a current utility bill with your address, or a voter registration card.
Free General Admission: Museum, Corporate and IDNYC Members; children under 3; members of the U.S. military and one guest (and their families during the Blue Star program, Armed Forces Day through Labor Day); Cool Culture pass holders; caregivers accompanying visitors with disabilities; museum-sector staff; and visitors who enter during the last hour of the day (visit a ticket desk on arrival). Visitors with disabilities can buy admission at the Student/Senior rate on site or by calling Central Reservations at 212-769-5200; request the caregiver ticket when you reserve for the rest of your party.
Re-entry: you may leave and come back the same day with the same ticket; come back in at the 81st Street or Central Park West entrance and go through the security line again.
Parking garage on 81st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue (GPS 56 West 81st Street), 6 am to 11 pm weekdays and 8 am to 11 pm weekends: up to 2 hours $33, 2 to 5 hours $40, 5 to 10 hours $50, up to close $55, plus $20 for vehicles over 6 feet 5 inches. Accessible spaces are on the garage's ground level with step-free entry. By subway: the B (weekdays only) or C to 81st Street (stairs only), or the 1 to 79th Street; the closest accessible station is 72nd Street on the 1, 2 and 3.
Bags and food: large bags or backpacks over 11 x 17 inches aren't allowed, and neither are open food or drink containers (water bottles are allowed) or glass containers (except for medical necessity). Eating and drinking aren't allowed in the exhibition halls. Lockers ($7 small, $12 large per day) are available until 5 pm. The Food Court on the Lower Level is open daily 10:45 am to 4:45 pm, with gluten-free and nut-free choices.
Children 12 and under must be with an adult at all times. Strollers are welcome except in theaters, which have stroller parking; double strollers are not typically allowed in ticketed exhibition galleries. Family and all-gender restrooms are on Floors 1 to 4, lactation rooms on the Lower Level and Floor 3, and a companion care room with an adult changing table on Floor 1. Lost and found is at the security desk in Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall on Floor 1.
Call
212-769-5200Central Reservations (accessibility questions, Student/Senior rate for visitors with disabilities)212-769-5100American Museum of Natural History
