Inside Look at the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History

The Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History is a historical building more than 100 years old, located on Forbes Ave. in Pittsburgh, PA. Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1895, the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History is home to four floors of hundreds of collections, exhibits, and educational areas which offer a look at the history of the Earth and its ancient and current inhabitants.

Touring the Carnegie Museum is an inexpensive way to spend the day with the kids or as an adult to take in some history as well as learn something new! Admission is $15 for adults and $12 for children, there are discounts if you become a member. Parking is a bit pricey. $5 on the weekends but up to $15 on the weekdays.

Upon entering the first floor of the Carnegie Museum, you have the option to enter the Natural History Store, which leads you into a path of nine galleries into the heart of the museum; or you can enter the Hall of Sculptures or the Hall of Architecture, both of which are separate area rooms that do not lead into other areas. The Hall of Sculptures was built in 1907 and reminds me of ancient Greece, with its bright white marble sculptures and layout. The Hall of Architecture has over 100 plaster-like casts of architecture and is said to be the largest architectural collection on view in North America. Although the Hall of Sculptures and the Hall of Architecture are amazing sites for sculpture and architect fans, the Natural History area has it all!

The Natural History Gallery leads you through a maze of exhibits featuring geology, minerals, gems, jewelry, Dinosaurs, Ice Age animals, insects, and amphibians. Huge samples of Earth sediments, gems; such as large diamonds and rubies grab your eyes, not to mention one of the best gold collections in the United States. There is over one thousand mineral and gem specimens to set a sparkle in your eyes.

When entering the Dinosaur exhibit, you enter into a huge atrium that is home to touchable Dino bones, full size T-Rex, and many other large dinosaur attractions. The PaleoLab is set up right in the entrance of the Dinosaur exhibit; here you can watch the Carnegie Museum staff prepare and sort through actual fossils. A camera is set up under the staff's microscope where you can see exactly what they are looking at. For those children that really want the hands-on experience, a small paleontology dig is available for them to get their hands dirty!

The second floor of the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History features a balcony that overlooks the T-Rex fossil statue. Exhibits of African and North American wildlife in their natural habitats are also set up on the second floor. This exhibit is always an interesting one because you are able to see, in actual size, how you measure up to a giraffe or a bison; kids seem to love this area of the museum!

The second floor also hosts the Art Galleries, although you cannot access them from the Natural History area of the museum. The art seems to be only accessible through stairs from the main floor entrance of the Carnegie Museum. The art galleries are broken up into several sections: Contemporary Art, Ancient Art, Modern Art, African Art, Asian Art, and Decorative Art. Ancient to Modern Art galleries include French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings and American paintings and sculptures from around the globe of ancient worlds to the early 20th century. The Contemporary Art gallery hosts Abstract Expressionism and the Decorative Arts and Design gallery centers around American and European arts from the 18th century to the present featuring objects made of glass and aluminum. Some extra galleries are available for viewing, however these are changing exhibition galleries.

The third floor is a favorite of mine, next to the Dinosaur exhibit of course. The third floor of the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History is home to a small, yet elaborate Ancient Egyptian Hall that holds more than 2,000 artifacts dating back to 3100 B.C. Artifacts include sarcophagus's, a 30 foot funerary boat, jewelry, tools, and more.

The third floor is very humid, so I would highly suggest after exiting the Egyptian exhibit, head strait to the Polar World exhibit. The temperature drops to a cool and comfortable level when entering the Arctic Life exhibit. Greeting you in the entrance is a large polar bear, igloos, and other small artifacts, including a video detailing the life of those living in the arctic regions.

A small area next to the Polar exhibit is an amazing display of artifacts and collections from the American Indians. After you finish these areas, you can either go back downstairs or follow a long skinny hallway. This hallway is very crowded, humid, and surrounded by different bird exhibits alive and extinct throughout the world. After this hallway, you will find one more balcony that over looks the Dinosaur exhibit. If you look up, you can see the Pterodactyl exhibit hanging above you.

The lower level of the museum is dedicated to classrooms, museum education, adult art studios, and a lunchroom area. The Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History hosts many daily and weekend activities for kids and adults. From a guided art tour to plenty of hands-on art and exploration activities, the Carnegie Museum is a great place to spend the day.

I highly recommend setting aside the $20 and take a day out of your weekend to spend at the museum. Its well worth the money and the drive, no matter where you are coming from. Open your eyes to the ancient worlds that inspired us to who we are now!