As my young nephews and I walked down Poeta Lugones Avenue, skirting the lush Sarmiento Park, their excitement mounted. The boys, aged 5 and 7, live in a medium-sized town, so taking the bus sans parents to the big city to see a glyptodon for the first time was a great adventure.
Our final destination was the Natural History Museum of Córdoba (Argentina.) The current building was opened in 2007 and is located in the tony neighbourhood of Nueva Córdoba. The circular interior was designed in the shape of a spiral in which three levels are joined by a continuous ramp. The handrail is quite wide and even has backlit displays along the top.
The collections include rocks and minerals from around the world, which alas failed to create excitement among our party. However, the local flora and fauna displays did. The absolute stars were the fossil reproductions of local Pleistocene megafauna: sabre tooth tigers, smilodons, mastodons, glyptodonts, and the like. Actually, one glyptodon shell is the real McCoy and was discovered during the construction of a dam.
On the third floor is the newest exhibition, called ‘The Rebirth of the Giants” (El renacer de los gigantes). It consists of displays of fossils found in the area and studied by the Museum’s paleontologists, as well as photos and videos of the paleontological site and the scientists’ fieldwork. The boys and I watched the videos; then they asked questions which I tried to answer to the best of my scant knowledge and made comments about what they saw. It was lovely to see them engaged.
I love taking my nieces and nephews to museums. My mother says it is my signature outing! I firmly believe that it is never too early to acquire all kinds of knowledge. Besides, creating lasting memories is so much fun.
Museo Provincial de Ciencias Naturales Dr. Arturo Umberto Illia
Av. Poeta Lugones 395, Barrio Nueva Córdoba, Argentina
Tuesdays through Sundays 10:00 to 5:30. Summer opening hours vary
Admission AR$15. Free for pensioners, students, and children under 18.
Ana Travels and Writes 
I love animals’ skeletons, some of them are even scarier than the animal itself!!
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I guess we’ll never know how they compare in the case of smilodons or mammoths, but, yes, I agree 🙂
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What a cool architectural design for a museum! And also a great trip idea.. definitely makes you the fun aunt!
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Thanks! I hope the kids will remember these experiences for a long time.
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I love museums, and I think it’s partially because I started visiting them when I was young with my grandmothers! I love exploring new ones, and even have a group of friends with whom I visit a new one every month!
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I love that your grandmothers instilled the love of museums. A lifelong legacy.
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I live in Chile and Paraguay during my teen years, and family has traveled through Córdoba several times. I never knew they had such a wonderful natural history museum. Love the prehistoric skeletons! Hope to visit again someday . . . .
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What an interesting mix of cultures, accents and food! I have been to Chile.only and I liked it.
BTW, This museum is quite new, from 2007.
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You’re such a great aunt!! And you’re right, it’s never too early to start learning. It’s so great that you can share those adventures with them! 🙂
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Thank you! I try to be a good aunt 🙂
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I don’t visit many museums when I travel, but I need to more! I crave knowledge, and museums are perfect for that.
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I agree, it is never to early for children to get different types of knowledge! I think the sooner the better 🙂 Cool picture
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I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks like that!
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We’re aiming for Argentina with our little crew that loves museums of all kinds. Thanks for the tip!
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How fun! I have more info on other museums too, if you’re interested.
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Looks like a lot of fun and informative!
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There are so many wonderful museums to visit these days, Ana. Glad you and the boys had fun 🙂
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Thank you 🙂 I’m glad I had the chance to spend quality time with them.
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