The first thing you see when you enter the Las Vegas Natural History Museum are two taxidermy giraffes standing sentinel.

What a welcome! I didn’t know what I would encounter next, but this was a pretty good start.
Here’s everything I experienced on my trip to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum (LVNHM).
Smithsonian Affiliate
First, let’s talk about the museum’s background. Founded in 1991, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum is currently celebrating its 33rd anniversary. It’s become a staple of the community, bringing history and education to the desert.
The museum is recognized as an official Smithsonian Affiliate. The exhibits are reminiscent of what you would experience if you visited the actual Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., with a similar layout and meticulous attention to detail.

Exhibits
In Vegas, LVNHM offers a chance for people to see rare wildlife from around the globe.
According to Grace Leah Njoroge, a doctoral candidate and the museum’s Education Director, the museum focuses on global ecosystems and the “wildlife you’re going to find in that space.” Ultimately, the goal is to highlight the “interconnectedness of the biomes around the world.”
It’s hard not to be enthusiastic about the natural history museum while speaking to Grace; she lives and breathes the exhibits.
And there are a lot of them. You could easily spend hours moving from room to room and studying everything inside. Grace took me on a tour, and I’ll share a few of my favorite rooms below.
Gary & Matthew Primm African Savanna Gallery
This beautiful exhibit features animals straight out of National Geographic. There’s a taxidermied adult lion taking down a water buffalo— the scene looks so real you can see the anguish in the buffalo’s eyes. I almost feel sympathy for an animal that perished long ago.

“There is artistry behind taxidermy. If you get close enough, you’ll see it looks like the nose is still wet,” Grace said.
“And sometimes when things are donated and brought to the museum, the taxidermist will also ask for a picture of the animal and try to pose it according to the personality.”
Indeed!
Besides the lion, there’s an adult ostrich with babies, a hippo, a crocodile, and an elephant head to explore.
Engelstad Family Prehistoric Life Gallery
Dinosaur lovers, this room is for you. My eyes immediately fell on the 30-foot T-Rex.
Looking at the massive jaws and pointed teeth made me think of the final scene in Jurassic Park, where the T-Rex roars as the “When dinosaurs ruled the earth” banner falls. Hard to believe these animals really walked the earth.

The room also holds an Ankylosaur, Triceratops, and Raptor. And lots of kids! As I checked out the displays, kids ran around joyfully and asked questions about the dinosaurs. Hell, I wanted to join them.
The dinosaur exhibit connects to a room full of interactive experiences just for kids. Birthday parties are available!

Treasures of Egypt
The Egypt room is easily my favorite. Within, you’ll see replicas of ancient Egyptian artifacts as well as some real treasures. Most interesting to me was the detailed reproduction of what Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb looked like when Howard Carter uncovered it.
There’s even a complete duplicate of King Tut’s sarcophagus.

In front of a pyramid reflecting the hierarchy of Egyptian society, Grace explained: “One of the things I really like to highlight in this gallery is the Caste System and how things started to really shift and change depending on whether you could read or write.”
She likes to get students to think about how things have changed. “Socioeconomic status, what does that look like for today?”
Real science happens at the museum
Downstairs, tucked away in a small, quiet room, museum researchers restore intriguing artifacts. On my visit, we stopped by to speak to doctoral candidate Brandon as he worked on a huge mammoth tusk. You can talk to him, too, if you visit; Brandon loves answering questions and explaining the importance of his work.
I like that I can get this close to remnants of a creature that lived over 10,000 years ago. It’s like seeing history right in front of you.

Real skeletons and skulls
Some of the most remarkable artifacts housed in the museum are real skeletons and skulls of interesting creatures. The cave bear skeleton stands over ten feet tall! Cave bears went extinct over 20,000 years ago, making the sight even more impressive.

But the museum’s crown jewel is the skeletal head of a Rhynchotherium found in Arizona in 1986. This rare specimen is a precursor to our modern-day elephant, except it has four tusks and is much larger.

Focus on Education and Learning
Strolling through the exhibits isn’t the only activity available here. The LVNHM also provides fun lectures and presentations for kids and families every week.
Want to learn about creatures like the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach? Try the beneficial bugs class. Do the kids love marine life? The Museum’s Animal Care Team offers live shark feedings on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:30 PM and Saturdays at 2:00 PM.
“The mission statement is to basically bring STEM to the younger generations to get them to fall in love with science,” Grace explained.
Check out the event calendar to see what’s coming up. The biggest event of the year, the Dinosaur Balls, occurs in September.
Plan Your Visit
A single-day ticket to the museum costs $14 for adults and $7 for kids, with discounts for locals, students, seniors, and the military.
If you plan to visit often, an annual family pass costs just $84 and is valid at 290+ additional museums across the U.S.
The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is located at 900 Las Vegas Blvd N, about 5 minutes from Downtown Vegas. Call (702) 384-3466 or visit https://www.lvnhm.org/ for more information