[2] Part of the motivation for the project was to provide a home for some of the numerous dinosaur fossils discovered in New Mexico rather than sending them to out-of-state institutions.

It was one of the first new natural history museums in the U.S. in decades and represented an updated approach focusing on interactive multimedia exhibits rather than large collections of specimens displayed in glass cases.

[7] The museum houses a "Naturalist Center" that is home to live animals and insects, and there is also a geologic exhibit on the minerals of the region.

The exhibit was originally conceived to showcase New Mexican fossils not only to the public, but also to visiting members of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology during Albuquerque's hosting of the SVP meeting in October 2018.

Previous Exhibits Until early 2017, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History was home to STARTUP: Albuquerque and the Personal Computer Revolution.

The exhibit showcased an interactive collection of both natural and artificial musical displays on the second floor, all with fully bilingual signage.

Produced by Grande Exhibitions, the replicas of da Vinci's art and machines focused on the extraordinary achievements of one of the renaissance's most famous and influential people.

Using current research and technology, the exhibit focused on the latest in neuroscience to highlight the brain's amazing abilities in function and adaptation.

The Jurassic Super Giants exhibit features the complete skeletons of Seismosaurus, Saurophaganax, Stegosaurus, and one leg of a Brachiosaurus.

The Museum also houses changing exhibits, the Hope Cafe, NatureWorks Discovery Store, as well as the Dynatheater, which is a 3-D theater similar to IMAX.