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
Summer hours through July:
Tuesday-Sunday, 9am-5pm
Closed on Mondays
Free admission, suggested donation of $7 for adults, $4 for children. All proceeds support the museum.
Tuesday-Sunday, 9am-5pm
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
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!
New — 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.
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.
Upcoming Events
Education & Outreach
Natural History Mystery Game
Student & Faculty Programs
Scout Programs
News
Paleontology Journal Adapts to Open Format with Help from KU Libraries
“The nature of scientific publishing has changed so much that I realized in order for us to stay relevant and useful to scientists and also to folks interested in paleontology throughout the world, we had to make this transition to open access, and we had to do it as soon as possible.”
Fossil Find in California Shakes Up the Natural History of Cycad Plants
LAWRENCE — Cycads, a group of gymnosperms that can resemble miniature palm trees (like the popular sago palm houseplant), were long thought to be “living fossils,” a group that had evolved minimally since the time of the dinosaurs. Now, a well-preserved 80-million-year-old pollen cone discovered in…
KU Paleontology Ranked Number One Among Public Schools by US News & World Report
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas graduate program in paleontology ranks number one among public universities, tied with special education in the 2024 rankings by U.S. News & World Report. KU's local government management program ranked No. 1 among all universities. KU has 37 graduate…
Kansas Designates Silvisaurus Condrayi the Official State Land Fossil
LAWRENCE — The only dinosaur known to have lived in what is now Kansas, Silvisaurus condrayi, was designated the official state land fossil of Kansas, thanks in part to a Kansas rancher and a Goddard schoolteacher and his sixth-grade students.
Teacher Joel Condray, his students from Challenger…
Support the Museum
The KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum relies on your support to fund its programs, events, exhibits and more.