Natural World Exhibits

Explore the Natural World exhibits at the Putnam museum. Collage featuring a polar bear, American Bison in a prairie diorama, a purple geode and lion.

EXHIBIT HOURS
Mon – Sat: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sun: Noon – 5 p.m.

MUSEUM STORE HOURS
Mon – Sat: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sun: Noon – 5 p.m.

There's a Lot to Learn About the World Around You

The world of nature—both in the present and the pre-historic—can awe and inspire you. At the Putnam Museum, we have been presenting educational information about nature (and how humans interact with it) for over 150 years!

Our Mother Nature: Modern Muse exhibit shows how humans have taken inspiration from the world around us to make new inventions. Our Halls of Minerals and Mammals put the natural world on display for all to enjoy.

When it comes to understanding the ecological systems of our own area and the surrounding Mississippi River basin, visitors will find all kinds of interesting information in the museum’s Black Earth | Big River exhibit. There’s so much to discover!

Our Natural World Exhibits

Hall of Mammals exhibit. A family of polar bears in an arctic diorama with icebergs and an arctic fox.

Hall of Mammals

You can travel the world and stay at The Putnam by visiting the Hall of Mammals. See exhibits featuring wildlife in their natural habitats and learn about experiments and other learning opportunities offered by museum staff.

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Hall of Minerals exhibit at the Putnam display many specimens for our area and the world

Hall of Minerals

The Putnam Museum provides a wide sampling of rocks, minerals, gems, and fossils – all on display in the Hall of Minerals. Word has it, there’s even a monster located there!

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JUNKraft: Global Crisis of Plastic Pollution, featuring plastic bottles and bits swirling below the ocean surface.

JUNKraft: Global Crisis of Plastic Pollution

JUNKraft: Global Crisis of Plastic Pollution examines the issue of global plastic pollution within our oceans. In 2008 two sailors, Marcus Erikson and Joel Paschal launched a home-made raft from Los Angeles to Hawaii to bring attention to the problem.

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Special Thanks To Our Natural World Galleries Sponsor:

 
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