The American Museum of Natural History is one of my absolute favorite places in New York. It was by far my favorite field trip destination in elementary school and continues to be one of my favorite museums in the world. It not only makes science accessible and fun, but has managed to stay largely the same, even while updating to reflect new scientific discoveries. Although if all of the exhibit halls are updated, like the dinosaur and ocean life exhibits, the nostalgic aspects of the New York state or minerals halls provide a comforting continuity.

So I was excited that my application to come to the museum's first tweetup event to promote the new exhibit on the brain, Brain: The Inside Story The exhibit is very well-done and offers an accessible and comprehensive introduction to neuroscience. It is more interactive than typical for the Natural History museum, which is fortunate that they will be doing the limited timed admission. Make sure to leave enough time (or get tickets online in advance) to be able to schedule an appointment to see the exhibit.

It is certainly a worthwhile exhibit to use as a reason to get back to the Museum of Natural History.

The tweetup event allowed a fairly small group of Twitterers to see the exhibit and chat with the curators and scientists who directed the exhibit. Even more exciting, they brought us on a tour of some areas of the museum that are closed to the public.

Besides being one of the best museums in New York, the American Museum of Natural History is also a serious, major scientific institution, employing more than 200 scientists and housing an enormous collection of specimens. The displays in the museum only hold a small percentage of the collection.

Photos from the fifth floor tour follow after the break.