Yale Peabody Museum — Attraction in New Haven

My fiancé took me to the Peabody because he knew I loved dinosaurs and Ancient Egypt. I loved this little museum!

Our first encounter, however was with parking. Visitor parking is ONLY in LOT 22V and it's very tiny at the moment due to construction. Do take your parking ticket with you - parking is free when you validate your ticket at the front desk.

It was also a bit confusing for us to find the museum - we ended up going in two different directions before finding the dino footprints on the sidewalk at the far front corner of the lot (we arrived from a direction where we couldn't see the sculpture out front until we were walking toward it.) It is a three minute walk from the visitor's parking lot to the museum.

There are three floors in the museum. My first bit of advice is to give yourself plenty of time to see it. The museum closes at five p.m. We arrived around two in the afternoon and only got to see the first floor and the Egyptian exhibit - there are a LOT of informational signs, some videos and an app to see, especially in the dino and early mammal exhibits.

The dino exhibit is incredible! Several of the exhibits feature real dino bones, not casts. When you first walk in, you're met by a HUGE brontosaurus towering over the entire room. There are several other dinos and bones to be seen as well. (Part if me wants to start gushing over the dinos and another doesn't want to spoil it for anyone!)

There is one bit of the exhibit that was the inspiration for the triceratops sculpture that stands out front. There are two actual triceratops skulls in an exhibit of other skulls - TRex, Lambeosaur, Hadrosaur...the triceratops skull on the left was the one that inspired the sculpture.

Upstairs is the Ancient Egypt and Sumerian exhibits. It is a relatively small one, but an interesting one! While it does have some other things, the main stars of the exhibit are the funerary items. They are mostly in the center of the floor and can be seen from most sides. The Sumerian part of the exhibit includes a copy of the world's first known cookbook.

I intend to go back one of these days to see the exhibits on the third floor and to revisit the dinos. It was a...

June 21st, 2025. Me and my 3 acquaintances stumble into the vast knowledge of the first floor of the museum. Puzzled, we walk around with a stupefied look on our faces, trying to comprehend the endless knowledge of the unearthed periods lost to time. Noticing our struggle, our savior, Christian answered my questions with righteousness and pure confidence in his knowledge. Soon my acquaintances gather around Christian, as he articulates the mass extinctions and their effects. He explained evolutionary traits of species, and me and my compatriots walked away with a newfound sense of awe towards the Permian and triassic eras. Soon we departed Christian and moved towards a new chapter, his name was Duncan. This young man explained in detail the fossils we were touching, he delicately unveiled the information of the amenite creature which are still in our oceans today. Fast forward 2 hours later, my acquaintances and I find ourselves on the 3rd floor, where the various animals of many species are on display. We encounter Duncan one more time, as he, who notices our intellectual nature, invites us to take a quiz on evolutionary mimicry. We ace the quiz naturally and Duncan equally praises our efforts. We end our lovely journey of the museum with joy and whimsy in our hearts. We remember vividly our experiences with Christain, a young man with a hopeful future and extensive knowledge in the archeological achievements of Yale. And we distinctly reminisce our time with Duncan, a high-school chap with a soulful demeanor. Our time today was made through these two, and we will toast tonight, in honor of our lovely experiences in the Yale Peabody Museum, thanks to Duncan...

The Yale Peabody Museum is one of the most unique museums in the United States. The museum has a phenomenal collection of dinosaur bones, for which it is most known. On top of the amazing collection of dinosaur bones the museum also offers collections of minerals, and artifacts from ancient civilizations around the world. Best of all, admission is free! The museum has recently been renovated and looks great. The first floor contains the Burke Hall of Dinosaurs gallery which features the The Age of Reptiles Mural. This gallery is perhaps the greatest in the museum. On the same floor you can also see the “World of Change” and “Human Footprint” galleries. The can’t miss exhibits here are the brontosaurus skeleton, stegosaurus skeleton, a fossil of a fish eating a fish, various early mammals and early hominins skeletons. The second floor features a “History of Science and Technology” hall and artifacts from the ancient civilizations. Some of the artifacts from ancient civilizations include a stele that has Hammurabi’s Code on it, and early clay tablets with cuneiform on them. l. The third floor of the museum has a vast collection of minerals from all around the world, and meteorites from out of this world. Dioramas of North American animals can be seen here as well. The museum also features the “Hall of the Pacific” where artifacts from the Pacific islands civilizations can be seen. Check the museum’s website for where to park. There are very few museums which offer so much for free. There is something here for everyone. This museum offers breathtaking exhibits that cover a variety of topics. It is easy to spend many hours here. A must see for just...