If you have ever wondered what the remains of a mastodon, sabre-toothed cat or an Allosaurus look like, then a trip to the 150-year-old American Museum of Natural History to spike your curiosity should be on the cards.

The elegant Victoria Gothic building, which is situated on the edge of Central Park, hosts one of the world’s greatest natural collections including over 32 million objects, specimens and artifacts, offering everything from exquisite taxidermy to mind-blowing skeletons and ancient fossils.

Depending on your interests I would encourage you to select a few of the rooms which interest you the most, rather than trying to see everything in one visit. For me that was the Milstein Hall of Advanced Mammals and Hall of Primitive Mammals both of which are on the 4th floor.

Here you can come face-to-face with some of the world’s earliest mammals and creatures, which even lived before the dinosaurs but still share the same evolutionary characteristics of mammals alive today.

One of the most interesting displays in my opinion was that of the mastodon, whose remains were unearthed in 1845. This elephant-like creature, was one of the first major American fossil finds and it is still to this day one of the world’s most complete mastodon skeletons.

In addition to this, make sure to look out for Lyle’s Flying Fox skeleton, this fruit eater is among the biggest bats in the world, boasting a wingspan of up to 90cm. As well as the Smilodon (sabre-toothed cat), which roamed the Americas during the Pleistocene epoch, pouncing on helpless herbivores. And of course, the grizzly bear which is located in the Hall of North American Mammals.

Tip: I’d recommend visiting as early as possible to avoid the crowds and after your visit make a trip to the nearby ‘original’ Levain Bakery for the best cookies in New York!