American Museum of Natural History wheelchair accessibility
All exhibitions wheelchair-accessible. Reduced Student/Senior rate for disabled visitors and free admission for one caregiver. Free wheelchair loans on arrival.
Every exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History is wheelchair-accessible, and elevators reach every public area across the museum's five floors and four wings. Disabled visitors pay the discounted Student/Senior rate and one caregiver enters free. Manual wheelchairs are loaned at no cost on arrival. All four theaters include wheelchair seating with companion seats.
Accessibility at a glance
| What | Details | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Step-free entrance | The 81st Street entrance on Central Park West is the recommended accessible entrance, with step-free doors directly off the kerb. The Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda entrance on Central Park West has a flight of grand steps; bypass it via the 81st Street entrance. The Rose Center for Earth and Space has its own accessible entrance on 81st Street. | Partially confirmed |
| Vertical access | All public areas of the museum can be reached by elevator. Lifts connect the lower-level food courts, the ground-floor halls of biodiversity and the Northwest Coast Indians, the first floor with the African Mammals and the Hall of Ocean Life, the second floor with African Peoples and Asian Peoples, the third floor with reptiles and amphibians, and the fourth floor with the famous dinosaur halls. The Rose Center has its own dedicated elevators. | Confirmed accessible |
| Accessible toilets | Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are distributed across every public floor of the main museum and in the Rose Center. The largest concentration is around the ground-floor food court and the first-floor central halls. | Partially confirmed |
| Companion entry | Visitors with disabilities can purchase admission at the discounted Student/Senior rate, in person at the museum or by calling Central Reservations on 212-769-5200. A caregiver accompanying a disabled visitor receives complimentary admission; request the caregiver ticket when reserving the rest of the party. | Confirmed accessible |
Getting there
The museum is on the Upper West Side, on Central Park West between 77th and 81st Streets. The closest fully accessible subway is 81st Street-Museum of Natural History (B, C lines), which has elevators to the platform and an underground passage directly into the museum's lower level.
Manhattan buses on the M7, M10, M11 and M79 routes all stop close to the museum and all are step-free with deployable ramps. Yellow cabs and accessible-vehicle dispatch drop on 81st Street at the accessible entrance.
Entrance and admission
Use the 81st Street entrance on Central Park West for step-free access. The doors open onto the lower-level concourse with the ticket desks, coat check, and the wheelchair-loan station. The grand Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda entrance facing Central Park West has steps and is not the accessible route.
Buy admission in person at the desk or call Central Reservations on 212-769-5200 in advance to reserve the disabled-visitor and caregiver tickets together. A photo ID is needed to borrow a wheelchair, plus a phone number for the loan log.
Getting around the museum
All public areas are reached by elevator. Wide elevator banks are at each end of the main building, plus a dedicated lift inside the Rose Center for Earth and Space. The galleries are level inside each floor, with ramps where small grade changes occur.
All four theaters, Hayden Planetarium, LeFrak Theater (the giant-screen films), Kaufmann Theater, and Linder Theater, have wheelchair seating areas with companion seats. Reserve theater tickets with the disabled-visitor rate and the caregiver ticket at the same time as the museum admission.
The Rose Center for Earth and Space
The Rose Center is the dome-and-glass building on the 81st Street side. The Hayden Planetarium space show is on the upper level, reached by elevator, with reserved wheelchair seating at the rear of the auditorium. The Big Bang theater on the lower level and the Cosmic Pathway spiral ramp are both step-free; the ramp itself is a gentle, continuous slope designed for wheelchair access.
Tips for visiting
Weekday mornings are quietest. School groups dominate weekday lunchtimes; Saturday and Sunday afternoons are the busiest stretch. The dinosaur halls on the fourth floor draw the biggest crowds, visit them early in the morning or last in the day.
ASL-interpreted tours are free with admission, available on request with at least two weeks' notice. Service dogs are welcome throughout. The museum cafe and the food court are both step-free with accessible tables.
Quick facts
Address: Central Park West at 79th Street. Accessible entrance: 81st Street on Central Park West. Open: daily, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wheelchairs: free loans with photo ID and phone number. Disabled-visitor admission: Student/Senior rate. Caregiver admission: free (one). Nearest step-free subway: 81st Street-Museum of Natural History (B, C).
How we verified this page
Last verified .
Sources: