Met vs Natural History

If you had to choose one, which one would it be? and why?

Met vs Natural History

Well, it kind of depends on whether you%26#39;re interested that day in seeting natural history or art. Sometimes I want to see a Manet, some days I need to be around dinosaurs.

Met vs Natural History

mom2ee. Agree with Bettina, that%26#39;s a tough question, because you%26#39;re comparing apples and oranges.

Kinda like asking ';if you had to choose between visiting the Garden District or the French Quarter....';

Both museums are fantastic, and serve totally different purposes.

But, given a choice, I%26#39;d go to the Met.

Thanks for visiting - our hearts have always been with you post-Katrina.

Assuming this is a first visit to either

With children in tow - Natural History

Only adults - Met

yes, it is a first trip for either. have 12 and 13 year old daughters in tow. i will drag them kicking and screaming to any museum. in reality, they just want to shop. thanks for the post-katrina good thoughts, ya%26#39;ll had our thoughts and prayer first.

Why not do both? If not on different days, then even on the same day (they are almost directly across Central Park from one another, you just take a remakably pleasant stroll through Central Park, 10-20 min depending on how fast you walk).

See the family travel section for NYC at tripadvisor.com/Travel-g60763-s401/New-York-鈥?/a> for further info on taking your kids to these institutions. Note that the Met has a couple of special exhibits which may interest them (arms %26amp; armour, fashion institute, egyptian section)

Definitely both. Spend a couple of hours in each (you won%26#39;t see it all) and enjoy a walk across Central Park from one to another. Not sure where you are staying, but if weather permits. walk.

I would choose the Met. The Natural History Museum is cool but for WOW factor, do the Met. I think my 15 year old son also got more out of the Met. I kept pointing out famous paintings, sculptures, etc...that he has seen or will be seeing in books. To me, that experience is priceless.

If you kids are going kicking and screaming I would probably pick Natural History. It has some neat exhibits going on. ( butterfly etc.) BUT--why let us decide. How about visiting the two websites and letting the kids decide. This way--they might be more accepting of their decision.

http://www.amnh.org/

and

http://www.metmuseum.org/

I would take girls to the Met. Try to do a highlights tour or some other guided tour where someone is explaining stuff to them. If they get really bored you can always wander away. Also make sure to stop at the costume exhibit since they%26#39;re sure to be into clothes. If they like the costume exhibit, consider going to the FIT museum

www.fitnyc.edu/aspx/Content.aspx鈥?/a>

If they%26#39;ve seen the movie ';Night at the Museum'; and were at all interested in the setting, they may want to see the Natural History museum. If they%26#39;ve read ';From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler'; and want to see where Claudia ran off to, then I%26#39;d vote for the Met. Museum of Art. My oldest would rather be shopping too, but the art at the Met is world-renowned. Personally, I find it exciting to see the ';real thing'; rather than look at a picture in a book by one of the masters; esp. considering the sizes of some of the pieces. While the Museum of Nat. History has great dioramas, the IMAX, and a planetarium, many large cities offer similar experiences (or at least parts of them). I think that the admission to both is ';suggested';, so you might be able to get by with paying less if you wanted to do a quick stop at each (and skip some of the extras, i.e., paying for IMAX or special exhibits). Or just do a highlights tour at the Met so they don%26#39;t languish from culture overload; you could spend several days there and still not see everything! Have a great trip!