The Harvard Museum of Natural History sits at 26 Oxford Street on Harvard’s Cambridge campus, a short walk north of Harvard Yard. It is the public face of the university’s research collections, and visitors come for one exhibit above all: the Glass Flowers.
The Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models holds more than 4,000 botanical models. Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka made them in Germany between 1886 and 1936, and they are so lifelike that first-time viewers often lean in to check whether the petals are real. Beyond that gallery, the Great Mammal Hall suspends whale skeletons above Victorian-era cases of taxidermy. The paleontology gallery displays a 42-foot Kronosaurus skeleton. The renovated mineral gallery lets visitors find their birthstone among gems, meteorites, and a massive amethyst geode. Admission also covers the adjoining Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
Weekday afternoons are the quietest times to visit. School groups fill the galleries on weekday mornings, and families crowd in on weekend afternoons and during school vacations. Confirm current hours and ticket prices on the official visit page before you go. Massachusetts residents can reserve discounted library passes that admit up to four guests. Take the MBTA Red Line to Harvard station, which is about a 10-minute walk away, because street parking is scarce. You can pair your visit with the Harvard Art Museums, but note that they are closed on Mondays.
