Getting ready forthe Harvard Museum of Natural History.
A natural history museum in Cambridge, KultureCity Sensory Inclusive Certified, with lap pads and sensory bags (noise-canceling headphones and strobe glasses) to borrow, Quiet Area and Headphone Zone signs, and a social story to read ahead.
Sensory supports. Sensory bags, lap pads, Quiet Area signs.
Hours
Open daily, 9 am to 5 pm. Closed November 25 and 26, December 24 through 28, 2026, and January 1, 2027. Opens at 11 am on November 17, 2026, February 25 and May 25, 2027; closes at 3 pm on January 12, 2027.
26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (accessible entrance and elevator at the North Entrance, on the left side of the building)
“The Harvard Museum of Natural History is proud to be KultureCity Sensory Inclusive Certified.”
“Our trained staff can provide lap pads and sensory bags with noise-canceling headphones and strobe glasses, available to borrow during your visit. Please check in at the front desk to learn more.”
“Also, throughout the museum, I will find Quiet Area signs. This will let me know I’ve found an area that is quieter than most where I can rest on a bench.” kulturecity.org
The social story says you can borrow a KultureCity sensory bag at the admissions desk in the first-floor lobby or at the Shop on the third floor. Harvard Museums of Science & Culture lists the bags' contents as noise-canceling headphones, fidget tools, weighted lap pads and an emotions cue card, at no cost.
Staff wear red HMSC badges. The KultureCity training gave staff and volunteers skills to recognize and support visitors who may think or process stimuli differently.
Lockers and coat racks are in the first-floor main lobby; there are none on the third floor. Restrooms are on the third floor, with an all-gender restroom and baby changing station in the Special Exhibits Hallway; accessible restrooms are on the ground floor (via the North Entrance) and the third floor near the elevator.
There is no food for sale at the museum. The social story says you can eat food from home on the benches in the first-floor lobby or near the Shop on the third floor.
The Birds of the World Gallery is reached only by a staircase in the Great Mammal Hall, and has a virtual tour.
Areas with a Headphone Zone sign (the sign lets you know an area may be loud)not stated
Quieter, in the museum's words
Areas with a Quiet Area sign, quieter than most, with a bench to rest onquiet zone
Admission: adults $20, seniors 65 and up $18, youth 3 to 18 $15, under 3 free. One ticket also admits you to the connected Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology during regular hours.
Free to Massachusetts residents every Sunday 9 am to 12 pm and Wednesdays 3 to 5 pm, with proof of residency (not for commercial groups). Free with an EBT or WIC card, plus up to 5 guests.
Transit: Red Line to Harvard Square, then walk through Harvard Yard and down Oxford Street one block. Harvard Yard is occasionally closed, but there are sidewalks around it.
Parking: limited permit parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage, bought online in advance ($13 to $25 per pass, up to one week ahead). It has ADA accessible parking and an elevator to the ground floor. Limited metered street parking on Oxford and Kirkland Streets.
Wheelchairs to borrow, first-come, first-served, at the front desk and the museum shop. Benches throughout the museum.
No eating or drinking in the galleries. Phone calls are fine in the ground and third floor lobbies. Service dogs are welcome; emotional support and comfort animals are not permitted.
Questions: (617) 495-3045 or hmnh@hmsc.harvard.edu. For accommodations at programs and events: hmscprograms@hmsc.harvard.edu.
