Welcome to the Beneski Museum

Let us show you around!

From trilobites to dinosaur tracks, there is so much to discover! Museum Docents Mattea Denney, Sadie Gomez and Caroline Needell class of ’22 give a two-minute introduction to the collections of the Beneski Museum of Natural History.

The Beneski Museum of Natural History is one of New England’s largest natural history museums, featuring three floors of exhibits with more than 1,700 specimens on display, and tens of thousands of specimens available for use by scholars and researchers from across campus and around the world.

Step inside the museum and you’ll find:

  • Dramatic displays of fossil skeletons, from fish to dinosaurs to Ice Age megafauna
  • An extraordinary collection of dinosaur footprints
  • Geological specimens and immersive exhibits that tell the history of the local landscape through geologic time, including when dinosaurs inhabited the area
  • Mineral specimens from around the world and meteorites from beyond Earth

Hours, Admission & Access

  • Tuesday - Friday, 10AM - 4PM
  • Saturday - Sunday, 10AM - 5PM

Admission is always free of charge.

PARKING - The Dickinson Lot  (GPS 90 Dickinson Street) Alt. parking Hills Lot (GPS 151-161 MA-9) MAP HERE 

Plan your visitKnow Before You GoSchedule a Group Visit  Museum Calendar

The museum is fully accessible; a wheelchair and walker are available for use on site.


Dinosaur footprints

How Are Dinosaur Tracks Formed?

The Beneski Museum of Natural History houses the most extensive collection of fossil dinosaur tracks in the world. Specimens on exhibit and in storage show a vast array of track morphologies (shapes).

a drawer containing fossils

Research Services

The Beneski Museum maintains several natural history collections, totaling nearly 200,000 objects, many of which are available for research. 

Related Resources at Amherst