goSmithsonian - February 2008 - (Page 32) THE BASICS HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; closed December 25. Extra evening hours are sometimes added on holidays. Summer hours: open until 7:30 p.m. daily from May 23 through August 31. ADDRESS: Constitution Avenue at 10th Street, NW (accessible entrance) TEL: 202.633.1000 (voice/tape); 202.633.5285 (TTY) WEB: www.mnh.si.edu METRO: metro ® M ● ● Smithsonian or Federal Triangle (ORANGE OR BLUE LINES) National Museum of Natural History The natural wonders of the world are waiting beneath the dome of this neoclassical 1910 building. This museum holds more than 126 million specimens, some recently acquired and some collected a century or more ago on the early scientific voyages and investigations of the age of exploration. The museum’s 18 exhibition halls contain tens of thousands of artifacts and specimens that together tell the story of the earth and its evolution into the world of today. The 45.52-carat Hope Diamond, on view in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Gems, is surrounded by 16 white diamonds. Its necklace chain contains still more white diamonds—45! Tips for Getting Started… • Talk with volunteers at our two information desks (on the ground • Eat at the Atrium Café, avoiding the busy hours between noon and 2 p.m. if possible. JOHN STEINER, NMNH; SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION; KEN RAHAIM floor near the Constitution Avenue entrance and on the first floor in the rotunda) to learn about daily events. • Buy your IMAX® movie tickets in advance; then arrange your schedule around the showtime. • Meet in the rotunda for free hour-long tours, Tuesday through Thursday at 10:30 a.m. and at 1:30 p.m., and Friday at 10:30 a.m. (Tours are subject to docent availability.) • Use the stairs—located around the perimeter of the rotunda—instead of taking the elevators for better enjoyment of the grand architecture of the building. 32 www.goSmithsonian.com http://www.mnh.si.edu http://www.goSmithsonian.com
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