Ankara's Natural History and Energy Museums

Also Known As: MTA Genel Müdürlüğü Şehit Cuma Dağ Tabiat Tarihi Muzesi and Şehit Mehmet Alan Enerji Parkı

How to Get There: The most convenient metro station is the M2’s Söğütözü stop between the Next Level and Armada shopping malls along Eskişehir Yolu. Several dolmuşes often also wizz by the mall. From Next Level, there are a few buses that can take you to the museums, but it is also a quick 20-minute walk to reach the MTA Natural History Museum and the Energy Park (called Tabiat Tarihi Muzesi and Şehit Mehmet Alan Enerji Parkı, respectively). Should you happen to have a car, parking is available onsite, and you can turn off of Eskişehir Yolu next to the JW Marriott.

While these are actually two separate museums, they are right next to each other. And have they got a deal for you: they’re both free! As they’re not the most exciting museums in the world (and to save you the trouble of this somewhat out-of-the-way locale), it would really make the most sense for you to plan on hitting them both in one day. Assuming you operate at at leisurely pace and like to take your time, three hours between the two museums should be about right. There is some descriptions available for the exhibits, but they are in Turkish.

Kids: Yes, this would be a fun place to take your kids. If you do not have any of your own, we assure you you’ll be able to find dozens and dozens milling about as part of various school groups to help enrich your experience.

Ancient dinosaurs displayed in what is believed to be their natural habitat.

Natural History Museum: If you pass the dinosaurs, you’ve gone too far. They appeared sedentary, but we cannot guarantee that the ones outside are not real because they seem to be surrounded by miniature fences for your safety. There are even more dinosaurs inside that, judging by their bare bones, we are certain are no longer alive.

As you stroll up the winding ramp through millions of years of history, there is an extensive taxidermy section. By extensive, we did not say high quality, if you have an eye for the more minute details of stuffed animals. But, nevertheless, there are many land, water, and sea creatures for your perusal that take you through many eras and geographical locations.

Next comes a few wax figures from the days of yore, fossils, stone carvings, traces of humans from thousands of years ago, and a whole lotta rocks and gems. For the geologists in the crowd, the expansive collection will really rock your world. The higher you climb in the museum, the more intricate the items on display are. In fact, the group floor starts with a full earth and solar system model.

Energy Park: Across the way from the Natural History Museum lies the Energy Park. As it seems faster-paced than the other museum, you can probably plan for less time there. Unless you’re super into energy, that is. Part of the museum is outside and allows you walk by a wind turbine, a model of a mine, an oil pump, a large dump truck, and a handful of energy-related things.

Inside, you can get even more details with small models of things like a nuclear power plant and energy circuits. There are also many interactive exhibits geared towards kids that demonstrate various power-generating phenomena. They also address themes like energy usage, conservation, and recycling.

Overall, it’s worth making a trip to check out these museums. They’re big enough to give you a lot to explore, but small enough to not exhaust you.