Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

I am definitely a museum kind of person, and the type that reads every word at that. I also love the natural sciences so I had to visit this museum. It was awesome! There are thousands of weird, beautiful, exotic, well-​preserved specimens. And while they couldn’t put a real Rafflesia arnoldii flower in the museum (because everyone would probably pass out from its rotting flesh smell) they at least put a very real-​looking model of one right at the entrance of the museum.
The bottom floor takes you through all the main categories of living organisms, going in chronological appearance on earth. For example, it starts with plants and ends with mammals. It also has the three complete dinosaur skeletons right in the center of the floor. There’s a light show every half an hour (I believe) for the dinosaurs, and it’s pretty much just different color lights and creepy music playing in the background. They are quite beautiful, though, and it’s interesting to read about each one, where it was discovered, what kind of dinosaur it is, and how it was transported to and assembled in the museum.
The top floor is about the natural history of Singapore itself. It is considerably smaller than the bottom floor but also interesting to read about. It talks about the different colonial researchers that came into Singapore in the early days and categorized many of Singapore’s native wildlife. The displays are set up like closets and cabinets, with each researcher getting his own «closet» filled with his stuff and adjoining drawers and cabinets that you can open for more information.
I think this museum is pretty worth the cost. It’s on the National University of Singapore campus, and to get to the nearest MRT station (Kent Ridge), you have to take a campus bus to it. It’s all very easy to navigate. Remember: you have to purchase your tickets online at
, and you have to make an account with Sistic before you can buy them. For this particular museum, you also have to select a certain time block to go. They do this to prevent the museum from getting overcrowded at any one time. This museum is great for kids. Enjoy your visit!

Came here on a Sunday during the school holidays, my friend paid about $ 16 per ticket.
We came about 4pm, and it was moderately crowded, but as we spent about 2 hours within the museum, most of the crowd dispersed by then.
The content within the museum is rather disorganized, but I don’t think it is a major issue. I did like how they tried to use exhibits that were caught in Singapore/​SEA, which emphasizes the local aspect for me, differentiating itself.
The main attraction here are the dinosaur bones, which I was surprised at, because I thought the bones were replicas. Seems a steal, $ 16 to see real dinosaur bones in Singapore. Kids will like this place.
P. S. Free parking within NUS on Sundays. You know what to do.