Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum
We are a biodiversity research institute and a public natural history museum. We study past and present life on Earth to educate, engage and inspire.
Adjusted Hours
The KU Natural History Museum will be closed on Sunday, April 20, 2025.
Natural History Museum
Museum Hours & Admission
Tuesday-Saturday, 9am-5pm
Sunday, 12pm-4pm
Closed on Mondays
Free admission, suggested donation of $7 for adults, $4 for children. All proceeds support the museum.
Sunday, 12pm-4pm
Closed on Mondays
Free admission, suggested donation of $7 for adults, $4 for children. All proceeds support the museum.
Location & Contact Info
Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Blvd
Lawrence, KS 66045
Phone: 785-864-4450
Email: biodiversity@ku.edu
1345 Jayhawk Blvd
Lawrence, KS 66045
Phone: 785-864-4450
Email: biodiversity@ku.edu
Membership
Support the KU Natural History Museum with a Museum Membership and enjoy benefits at the museum and at 300+ institutions around the country!
Panorama Newsletter
Keep up with the latest news, events, and more by subscribing to the Panorama Newsletter, a monthly email from the KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum.
Natural History Museum
The KU Natural History Museum is home to four floors of public exhibits including the historic Panorama, live snakes and insects, vertebrate and invertebrate fossils, flora and fauna of the Great Plains and more.
Biodiversity Institute
The KU Biodiversity Institute is an internationally recognized center for research and graduate student education in evolutionary biology, systematics and biodiversity informatics, with curated collections of over 11 million plant, animal and fossil specimens and 2 million cultural artifacts.
Help Fund our Future
The KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum relies on your support to fund its programs, research, exhibits and more.
Give TodayUpcoming Events
Education & Outreach
K-12 School Programs
KU Student & Faculty Programs
Scout Programs
News
U.S. News & World Report ranks 48 KU graduate programs in top 50 among public schools
KU has 48 graduate programs in the top 50 among public universities — including 10 programs in the top 10 — in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings.
After 80 years stumping scientists, strange Philippine frog unmasked as hybrid
The Leyte Chorus Frog was collected in 1944 and noted for its odd toe discs when it was described in an academic paper in 1954, then not seen again for decades despite a concerted hunt by researchers.
Hardy family provides $2 million gift to propel restoration of iconic KU Natural History Museum exhibit
KU alumni Tom and Jan Hardy have provided a $2 million gift to the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum to fuel preservation efforts for the historic exhibit at the heart of the museum, the Panorama. The 132-year-old exhibit showcases a variety of preserved animal specimens in their habitats, with North American mammals at its center.
Experts in language promotion, structural biology and extinction receive KU Research Achievement Awards
The annual awards recognize outstanding unclassified academic staff, unclassified professional staff and postdoctoral fellows whose research significantly influenced their fields and expanded intellectual or societal insights.