The Natural History Museum sits among its own gardens, a Victorian palace to the wonders of nature. The museum is divided into two main sections, the Life and Earth galleries, linked by an escalator right up through the middle of the building. For most visitors, however, this museum means dinosaurs. The Main Hall is dominated by a massive Diplodocus skeleton, whose long neck hangs over your head. There is also a Triceratops, the mighty armored car of the ancient world, and an animated Tyrannosaurus Rex who can sense as his prey (i.e. you) gets closer. The Natural History Museum also regularly suffers from earthquakes and volcanic activity in its Power Within galleries, where you can actually feel the earthquake tremors, a novelty here in Britain! The Earth’s Treasury features all that glitters and gleams, from minerals and gems to rare rocks. The sheer variety is fascinating, especially the section of gold nuggets in their raw state. It’s not all rocks and relics, though, as the Mammal section features models and stuffed animals that you can get close to. Suddenly, you realize just how large a hippo’s teeth are. The blue whale exhibit always impresses, as it hangs above your head, a reminder that the largest of Earth’s creatures is alive and swimming in an ocean near you. The Museum is also a major center for international study, and the Darwin Centre is at the cutting edge of natural science research. You can visit the Centre at certain times on the weekends for a tour of the storehouse of pickled specimens. Like all government-funded museums, entry is free for the general collection, while special exhibitions have a modest entry charge.