which museum if only could do one?

Keep in mind I have 2 boys ages 12 and 14. I was looking into going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but now I%26#39;m wondering if they would enjoy the American Museum of Natural History more?

What do you think on this? I know the MET is HUGE. How big is the AMNH? How much is it to get into and what are some of the neat things there to see?

I would love to go to both but am only going to have 2 full days of visit. The first day that we get there we are going to the Yankee vs. Mets game that night so I don%26#39;t know what else I can squeeze into that day.

Thanks!

which museum if only could do one?

I have an older boy - okay he%26#39;s my husband - but he adored the Egyptian section in the Met, complete with an authentic tomb. A real boys thing in my experience.

There is a suggested donation at the Met but you can pay whatever you want.

which museum if only could do one?

You can%26#39;t go wrong either way, really. If they%26#39;re into science/nature, then I think the balance tips in favor of AMNH. If they%26#39;re not, I think the Met.

Both museums have suggested admission prices; they list a price, but you pay as much as you want.

AMNH is very large, though not as big as the Met. You could spend a full day there easily, but you could also spend half a day and not feel bad about missing things.

Some of the highlights of AMNH include:

The Hall of Human Origins

Vertebrate Paleontology (one of the world%26#39;s great collections of dinosaurs and other extinct vertebrates)

Dioramas of African mammals, Asian mammals, and North American mammals

Rose Center for Earth and Space and the Hayden Planetarium

Hall of Ocean Life (w/life-size blue whale model)

There are many other halls and special exhibits, as well as an IMAX theater with regular screenings.

I should add that at AMNH, that pay-what-you-will policy applies only to the museum itself; to go into any special exhibits or to the IMAX movies, you have to pay the list price.

I love the gems and minerals exhibit at AMNH -- especially the enormous star sapphires and star rubies. AMNH is also huge -- indeed, I think it is every bit as big as the Met when you include the Rose Center.

That being said, I think that both museums would be winners.

The MET is amazing and my son really enjoyed the Arms and Weapons section, very extensive with life size horses complete with armor and riders. The eqyptian area is full of tombs and cool things they would like, You can get a map at the front desk and they will mark where these things are.You can never see everything without days... I thought the AMNH was more confusing and walked around forever before seeing anything, didn%26#39;t even get a map, didn%26#39;t think it was laid out very well compared to similar museums I%26#39;ve been in. You can pay what you can afford.

You may be able to do both museums as they are almost directly across one another on central park. Weather permitting, it%26#39;s an easy walk (maybe 10-15 minutes at a brisk pace) and very charming. The walk itself is worth the trip if the weather is nice.

I%26#39;d ask your boys what they are more interested in -- maybe have them tool around the web sites of the 2 museums. I tend to think the AMNH is the better bet because they have so much, including an IMAX movie and a planetarium show, as well as the biggest dinasaur fossil exhibit in the world. OTOH, my 11 year old son absolutely loves Arms and Armour at the Met as well as the Egyptian exhibit (no unwrapped mummies, in case you were wondering)

For the kids, definitely the Museum of Natural History.

I agree for two boys that age the AMNH is the best bet. If you do go to the met they have a great exhibit on armor and swords that i they might really dig.

My boys are 7. 9 and 15 and we saw both. The Met is great, but has lots of ';art'; whereas the AMNH has exhibits and the space show is awesome. i would let them decide, then come back another time and do the other. Thats what we did!

how much are the shows in the AMNH? I know you can pay what you want to get into the museum itself but the ';shows'; or whatever they are called are extra aren%26#39;t they? Which ones do you have to pay for and which ones are worth it.

sebum