Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum is one of three major museums in South Kensington - the others being the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and the Science Museum.

The incredible Victorian building of the Natural History Museum is home to an estimated 70 million items - so don't expect to see them all! However, the museum is well thought out and half a day is ample time to enjoy the many highlights on offer. Fossils, meteorites, bizarre creepy crawlies and earthquake simulations make up just a slither of what is on offer, although perhaps the most iconic of all the exhibits is the 105-foot-long skeleton replica of a Diplodocus, which stands in the main Central Hall.

The new Darwin Centre houses the Museum's massive collection of preserved specimens and also allows visitors to interact with the scientists using the collections and carrying out current research. For live specimens, there is a Wildlife Garden outside, which is home to hundreds of species including sheep, pheasants and foxes.

Phase One of the Darwin Centre is now open to the public and Phase Two, which will include 'The David Attenborough Media Studio' is due to complete in 2008.

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