Healthy humans, a healthy planet, and a better future for all.
For more than a century, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History has been inspiring visitors to connect with the wonders of science and nature. Today, we continue that legacy—and remain committed to sharing our resources to promote a healthy future for both humans and the planet.
In December 2024, the Museum will reveal the most sweeping transformation in its history. With more than 375,000 square feet of new and expanded spaces and more than two acres of outdoor visitor areas, our reimagined campus will present a bold model for natural history museums around the world. Setting aside the timeline-and-discipline-based approach of the past, the transformed Museum will instead tell a unified story of life on Earth—illuminating the past and inspiring all to consider their connection to the future of the natural world.
Our reimagined exhibits will invite you to interact directly with the evidence of life on Earth and learn how specimens shape our understanding of science today. At the heart of our exhibits is the Visitor Hall, a community trailhead which houses the Museum’s most iconic specimens and is always free to the public. Stop by and pay Happy a visit whenever you’d like.
As Ohio’s largest natural history museum, we’re committed to using our resources to contribute to scientific understanding worldwide. Our scientists use our collections to make groundbreaking discoveries about early human ancestors, the geology of Ohio, animal and plant life around the world, and more. They conduct research in 11 different scientific disciplines, publishing findings in peer-reviewed journals and pursuing fieldwork both here in Ohio and around the globe. Their work has both local and global significance—enriching the Museum’s educational programs, advancing its mission, and bringing new discoveries to your fingertips.
While researching and educating our visitors about our planet’s past is part of our work, the Museum also works to promote a sustainable future. We protect more than 12,500 acres of wild habitats through our Natural Areas Program, stewarding 65 nature preserves across Northern Ohio. Our researchers study the ecology of our protected marshes, forests, swamps, wetlands, and islands to better understand how our region looked before we arrived, and how we can ensure everyone will be able to appreciate these natural areas for years to come.
We are grateful to all the supporters and partners who have helped to make the Museum’s transformation a reality and carry our legacy of discovery into the future. Your enduring support and belief in our mission means that Cleveland now has a natural history museum unlike any other.
Through our innovative programs and interactive exhibits, we invite all to connect with nature and learn about the relevance of science in your daily life. Learn more about our engaging programs, innovative exhibits, and plan your visit today!
Our mission
To inspire, through science and education, a passion for nature, the protection of natural diversity, the fostering of health, and leadership to a sustainable future.
Our vision
Healthy humans, a healthy planet, and a better future for all.
Northeast Ohio Intermuseum Council
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a proud member of the Northeast Ohio Intermuseum Council. Since 1942, this organization has served more than 130 institutions in Cuyahoga County and six adjacent counties, bringing together leaders from organizations large and small to better support all member institutions in their missions to serve the Northeast Ohio community and to envision a vibrant future for the preservation of art, culture, history, and nature in our region. Click here to find out more about the Northeast Ohio Intermuseum Council.
Our diversity, equity, inclusion & accessibility statement
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is committed to a “one community” mindset whereby we actively foster a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment; respect those of all backgrounds and at all levels of our organization; and strive to be present for one another, honor each other’s stories, and pursue collaborative action always.
Objectives:
Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge and recognize the unique assets of our Museum, ranging from the land our building sits atop, to the natural areas that we own and steward in the Northeast Ohio region, to the archaeological dig sites that our staff visit across the United States and beyond. It is our intent to preserve the land and scientific collections that are our responsibility for future generations, to steward them to the best of our ability, and to promote respect and appreciation for and understanding of the natural world and our history. It is with this intent that we begin to acknowledge that the lands we utilize, steward, and visit were once the lands of all Indigenous People.
We honor the original stewards of the land that we now call northern Ohio, including the Cayuga, Delaware, Miami, Odawa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Seneca, Shawnee, and Wyandotte, as well as the unnamed tribes who resided here for 13 millennia and the tribal members who currently reside in Northeast Ohio.
Natural history is the story of life and its many processes. As a science-based institution, we will continue to evolve our policies. We remain committed to following appropriate laws and guidelines as part of our mission to share a passion for nature and science with our community of learning.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is respectful of all peoples and will use this acknowledgment in appropriate settings. We will continue to listen and to learn.
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