We had been years ago and were delighted to finally go back after their massive renovation. The last time, we enjoyed our stay and the update has only enhanced it, bringing the experience into the 21st century. For example, an ancient sea turtle that had been mounted vertically was now hung from the ceiling, and was being dramatically chased by a mosasaurus. I loved the additions of the Anchiornis and Gastonia models. The changes, throughout all the exhibits, were thoughtfully done, and are engaging and informative. You can go at your own pace and quickly wander through or do a deeper dive. I mentally thought it was a smaller version of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. That still holds, it offers something for everyone to attract their attention.

Being a "boomer", I remember the previous iteration of the Peabody. The new design is more "approachable", especially for a younger audience. We had our son and daughter in-law (about 40 yrs old) and our grandson (2 years old). The more intimate scale of the new iteration, was "in synch" with my 2 year old grandson. My son also remembers the origional Peabody. He lives in LA (which also has a collection of world class museums). My son commented that the "new" Peabody has achieved the contemporary presentation he is accostomed to, as a frequent visitor of LA's finest.

The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven, Connecticut, dates from 1866 and was founded by philanthropist George Peabody. (When George died in 1869, his friend named a hotel after him in Memphis, Tennessee, a place we visited in August 2022 to see the famous procession of ducks). When we explored the museum (Wed Jul 31 2024) it had only been open for 4 months following its closure in 2020 for a lengthy and significant renovation. Admission was free. The Yale Peabody Museum was spacious and airy - and cool compared to the humid summer air outside. The exhibitions were impressive. The museum was busy with visitors consisting mostly of families with young children and small groups of tourists, but the large exhibition space meant there was plenty of room for everyone. The lighting of exhibits was sympathetic and really did help to showcase the fascinating collections. The $160 million donation from philanthropist Edward P. Bass for the renovation had clearly been well spent. We only had a limited amount of time for our visit to New Haven and spent 50 minutes exploring the 3 floors of the museum. The highlight for us was of course the dinosaur fossils plus the detailed dioramas of stuffed animals. We got to see a full sized brontosaurus, stegosaurus and other famous and favorite dinosaurs. We did call into the gift shop before leaving, but sadly the range of items and merchandise was poor, so we left empty handed (once again, no souvenir magnet for our collection, alas). This, however, did not spoil our visit and we were grateful for having had the opportunity to visit such a special and impressive place - and for free to boot!

It’s like the American Museum of Natural History without all the threadbare dioramas , and crowds, and the expense of driving into New York City and trying to park. It’s beautiful and the renovations are stunning. You could spend hours in there. We spent two hours and wish we had more time - but our legs were tired. I would highly recommend it. Every detail is awesome. Even the dinosaur footprints leading you to the entrance. Did I mention parking is free too?!?!

A vast collection of dinosaur, minerals and artifacts awaits you at this museum. The experience was terrific. Parking was free, dinosaur "tracks" led us to the front door and admission is free. The museum is a bit overwhelming with all that it has to offer. We went on a Tuesday so it wasn't mobbed with kids, only "stroller screamers."