May 27, 2022

If you’re looking for something fun and educational that the whole family can enjoy, check out the Arizona Museum of Natural History. There are a lot of things to see and do at this museum located in Mesa, AZ. Continue reading below to learn a little about this museum and why it’d be a great place to visit.

The History

When this museum first opened in 1977, it was small and had only a few collections from Arizona. Over the decades, it has grown considerably. Wings were added as the building’s size increased, and in the mid 90’s, it became home to a research facility. Today, the museum is nearly 75,000 sq. feet and holds over 60,000 artifacts.

Although the museum has changed a lot in nearly 50 years, one thing has not. The founders of this museum wanted it to not only be a place where natural history was recorded but also promoted. They wanted the natural history of Arizona and the Southwest, in general, to be known and respected around the world. That remains the mission of the museum until this day.

Exhibits

As mentioned, there are many exhibits at this museum. In addition to natural history exhibits, you can find paleontology, ethnology, and art exhibits. They also have many rotating exhibits, so there is always something new to check out. However, one of the most popular and must-see exhibits is dinosaur mountain.

Dinosaur Mountain is an indoor waterfall that stretches three stories tall. It’s definitely an amazing sight, and things just get better once you spot the animatronic dinosaurs. Every 23 minutes, something magical happens on the mountain, but we won’t talk about it here and spoil all of the surprises.

Inclusivity

This museum works very hard to be inclusive. They offer self-guided American Sign Language tours for individuals who have a hearing impairment. Individuals in need of this service are given tablets, free of charge, on which they can watch pre-recorded messages in ASL. Sensory guides are also used here. Sensory guides tell individuals and parents of individuals on the spectrum how much impact on a particular sense an exhibit has. These guides allow individuals to avoid exhibits that might be overstimulating and uncomfortable for some guests.

Protecting Our Natural World

If visiting the AZMNH sounds interesting to you, you probably have respect and appreciation for the wonderful natural world we inhabit and want to see it flourish. Donating to organizations like museums that educate people is one way to help the earth. Another way you can help is by being mindful of your impact on the world and decreasing your carbon footprint.

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