General admission to the AMNH's main exhibits has a suggested price, rather than a set price. In July 2010, this was $16 for adults, $9 for children ages 9-12, and $12 for students and senior citizens. If you choose to buy tickets online, you have to pay these prices, plus a $4 per ticket service charge. However, if you buy them in person you can choose to pay less than the suggested price.
It is more expensive to see the special exhibitions, the planetarium, the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and an IMAX movie. For a comprehensive ticket that covers all of these things you will have to pay $32 for adults, $20 for children, and $24.50 for students and seniors.
Finally, there is a middle-of-the road option that covers museum entrance, the Rose Center, and a choice of one of the IMAX movies, a special exhibition, or the planetarium. This costs $24, $14, and $18 for adults, children, and students/seniors, respectively.
Members receive free entry to the main exhibits and discounts on special exhibits, the IMAX, and the other amenities mentioned above that are not included in the base ticket price. In July 2010, an individual membership was $70 a year, a dual membership was $90, and a family membership--for a family of up to six people--was $115.
There are a large number of permanent halls: seven, to be specific, organized into categories. These categories are the fossil halls, the Rose Center for Earth and Space, the culture halls, mammal halls, biodiversity halls, bird halls, and other halls.
The fossil halls hold casts of fossils of dinosaurs, mammals, and vertebrates, which are the first animals to walk on land.
The Rose Center has a planetarium and numerous exhibits that show the origins of the universe. It explains and explores the ways in which the universe is expanding and the theories behind its existence.
The culture halls contain exhibits that explore, explain, and analyze various human cultures, from African to Asian to South American--and everything in between.
There are three animal halls: birds, mammals, and biodiversity. These contain stuffed birds, stuffed mammals, and an indoor rainforest, respectively.
The AMNH also has a rotating roster of special exhibits. These change several times a year, and include things like live animals, explorations of particular historical forces and events (like the Silk Road) and specialized exhibits on certain natural features of the Earth, such as the Great Lakes.
