Any well-rounded East Coast student travel itinerary will feature as many fabulous learning experiences as possible; you’ll definitely want to dedicate a portion of your group’s excursion to exploring this iconic treasury of fascinating exhibits! The American Museum of Natural History is truly a behemoth; be ready for lots of walking and a return trip or two; it’s THAT big! (Or download and print the museum map and chart your custom course of discovery by choosing from myriad exhibitions to create your own self-paced tour of this world-renowned scientific and cultural institution!) Visit a lush butterfly rainforest conservatory, drift into the Dark Universe in Hayden Planetarium and thrill to a Great White Shark experience, IMAX-style. A hike through the Hall of North American Forests introduces visitors to the ecology and variety of the forests of North America – from a northern spruce and fir forest of Ontario to a giant cactus forest in Arizona. Wander the Biodiversity and Environmental Halls and marvel at their vivid and inspiring vision of the spectacular beauty and abundance of life on Earth. The Museum’s Bird Halls portray the vast diversity of avian life on our planet, and the Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians reviews the anatomy, behavior, and various adaptations of these not so cuddly cold-blooded creatures. The Bernard Family Hall of North American Mammals offers a stunning snapshot of North America’s rich environmental heritage, while the Hall of Small Mammals depicts a variety of animals in uniquely detailed dioramas of their natural habitats. Excavate the endless wonders of Fossil Halls, and shimmy beneath the 21,000 pound model of a Blue Whale, one of over 750 fascinatingly lifelike interactive models of marine creatures you’ll encounter in the 29,000 square foot Milstein Hall of Ocean Life.