Close up of marine reptile fossil jaw of a mosasaur on left, facing another mosasaur on right

Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum

We are a biodiversity research institute and a public natural history museum. We study past and present life on Earth to educate, engage and inspire.

Natural History Museum

Museum Hours & Admission

Tuesday-Saturday, 9am-5pm
Sunday, 12pm-4pm
Closed on Mondays

Free admission, suggested donation of $7 for adults, $4 for children. All proceeds support the museum.

Location & Contact Information

Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Blvd
Lawrence, KS 66045

Phone: 785-864-4450
Email: biodiversity@ku.edu

Membership

Support the KU Natural History Museum with a Museum Membership and enjoy benefits at the museum and at 300+ institutions around the country!

Natural History Mystery Game

Like puzzles and games? Book a time to experience the new Natural History Mystery Game at the museum for your group! The 1-hour adventure can be booked by calling Visitor Services at 785-864-4450 or emailing nhmvs@ku.edu.

Natural History Museum

The KU Natural History Museum is home to four floors of public exhibits including the historic Panorama, live snakes and insects, vertebrate and invertebrate fossils, flora and fauna of the Great Plains and much more.
A child holds his arms up imitating the Pteranodon on display.

Biodiversity Institute

The KU Biodiversity Institute is an internationally recognized center for research and graduate student education in evolutionary biology, systematics and biodiversity informatics, with curated collections of over 10 million plant, animal and fossil specimens and 2 million cultural artifacts.
Four researchers gathered around herpetology collection specimens

Upcoming Events

Education & Outreach

Two students pouring liquid for an experiment

School Programs

Univ 101 Tour of Natural History Museum

Student & Faculty Programs

Scout group with museum staff and 6 youth in front of the silvisaurus dinosaur exhibit

Scout Programs

News

Rafe Brown, professor of ecology & evolutionary biology and winner of a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award, in the Philippines.

KU researcher Rafe Brown receives Fulbright Award to the Philippines

Rafe Brown, professor of ecology & evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to travel to the Philippines to study biodiversity.
On the left, Eleanor Gardner stands and smiles for a photo. On the right a graphic of Dyche Hall in the background and the text "Unsung Hero: Eleanor Gardner, KU Natural History Museum" is layered in front.

Museum staff member helps researchers connect with the public

Gardner has been the outreach and engagement coordinator at KU’s Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum since 2017. She holds a master’s degree in geology from the University of Georgia and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Agnes Scott College.
Three grotesques on display in the Panorama Gallery in the KU Natural History Museum.

Grotesque Renewal Project honored with historic preservation award.

The Dyche Hall Grotesque Renewal Project received the Medallion Award, the highest award bestowed by the Kansas Preservation Alliance, at the 2024 Kansas State Preservation Conference on May 17 in Newton, KS.
Bee resting on a flower.

New study on bees’ physiological response to extreme temperatures.

A recent University of Kansas study revealed that bees have limited capacity to enhance their heat tolerance via acclimation or prior heat exposure making them vulnerable to climate change.