Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Be honest — how much do you really remember from your class field trip to the natural history museum? There is no time like your vacay in Cleveland to see what you missed — or forgot — that first time around, now that your brain is fully formed.

You’ll see rotating temporary exhibits all year long and a permanent collection that includes “Lucy,” our 3.2 million-year-old human ancestor, a full-sized replica of a T-rex and the 70-foot-long, 14-foot-tall skeleton of “Happy,” the oldest sauropod on display in the world.

What You’ll See:

• Steggie, the iconic, full-sized Stegosaurus sculpture that has guarded the gates for more than 50 years, is pretty hard to miss. The original Steggie was created by the same sculptors who were commissioned to make life-sized dinosaur sculptures for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.
• Bone lovers are in luck — this museum has lots of them. The Hamann-Todd Collection is a well-known set of more than nearly 4,000 human and primate skeletons — including “Lucy” — that were assembled as far back as 1893. And, of course, there are the dinosaur bones that comprise the Kirtland Hall of Prehistoric Life. Look for the Coelophysis bauri, which, at 225 million years old, is the museum’s oldest dinosaur.
• If you’re interested in learning about our own indigenous flora and fauna, check out the newly renovated Perkins Wildlife Center. The sprawling, two-acre landscape located within the outdoor footprint of the museum includes enclosures for both local avaria and bobcats, as well as a forest-canopy-covered trail.

What Else To Do?

• Every third Wednesday, the museum hosts its Think & Drink events for adults, starting at 5 p.m. The events usually center around a topic (previous ones include “Life After Death” and “Beer and Beyond: Fermentation”) and are paired with a visiting local brewery. It’s the study group you always wished you’d had.
• Every Wednesday that does not include a Think & Drink event is another science and alcohol pairing — Museum Under the Stars. Guests can take in a viewing session at the Ralph Mueller Observatory as they eat and sip wine and beer selections from famed Cleveland chef and restaurateur Zack Bruell’s in-museum restaurant, Exploration.
• The Observatory is part of the Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium, which, with its stargazing and constellation-sighting opportunities, is worth a nighttime visit — whether you’re drinking or not.