MSU Museum

The MSU Museum is Michigan’s first Smithsonian Institute affiliate with three floors of natural history exhibits. Family favorites include the dinosaur bones casts in Habitat Hall and the elephant skeletons on the second floor. Exhibits portray cultural history with an emphasis on the Great Lakes region. 

Habitat Hall has life-sized dioramas of the major habitats of North and Central America with hoofed mammals and other animals, showing their adaptations to the different environments. Visitors can also view skeleton casts of an Allosaurus and Stegosaurus and several smaller displays related to dinosaurs.

On the second-floor landing find an African Bush Elephant (full skeleton and skull), an Asian Elephant (full skeleton and skull), and a Columbian mammoth skull. Down the hall, butterflies and moths are on display in a full rainbow of color.

The MSU Museum collects, preserves, studies, and interprets cultural artifacts and natural history specimens. Find artifacts and specimens in the collection room to help visitors gain a better understanding of what museums collect, what those collections signify, how they are stored and preserved, and how they are used.

The MSU Museum is located on West Circle Drive next to the iconic Beaumont Tower and across the street from the library and the adjacent W.J. Beal Botanical Gardens.

Admission

Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m

A donation of $5.00 for adults is suggested.

Things to Know

• Be sure to buy a parking pass at the admissions office to place in your car before you start your visit. 
• The museum gift shop has a nice selection of books, jewelry, traditional arts and educational gifts for children.