Natural History Museum: Mummies exhibition

Los Angeles museumgoers looking for a mummy show this week need to head to the California Science Center, not the Natural History Museum. The Science Center’s “Mummies of the World: The Exhibition” opened April 19 and runs through September 7, 2026. (timeout.com) The exhibition brings together more than 30 naturally and intentionally preserved human and animal mummies from ancient Egypt, South America and Europe, plus burial objects, mummification tools and interactive audiovisual displays. The California Science Center says the show is the final stop on its international tour and includes specimens never before shown in Los Angeles. (californiasciencecenter.org) Among the artifacts Time Out highlighted are two Peruvian “bundle” mummies making their West Coast debut, an ancient Egyptian cat mummy, amulets, organ jars and a preserved sloth head. The venue is the California Science Center at 700 Exposition Park Drive, with exhibition hours listed as 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. (timeout.com) A mummy is a body preserved after death, either by human techniques such as embalming or by natural conditions such as extreme dryness or cold. The Science Center says the show uses computed tomography, or CT scans, to let visitors study the remains without unwrapping or damaging them. (californiasciencecenter.org) That scientific framing is central to the exhibition’s pitch. The museum says the scans and related analysis are used to reconstruct diet, disease, burial practices and daily life in the societies that produced the mummies. (californiasciencecenter.org) The add-on film is “Mummies 3D: Secrets of the Pharaohs,” a 40-minute IMAX presentation running February 7 through September 7, 2026. Discover Los Angeles lists tickets at $13 to $15 including a service fee, while Time Out says combo buyers get a small discount on the exhibition and film together. (discoverlosangeles.com) (timeout.com) The current Natural History Museum website does not list a mummy exhibition among its featured shows. On April 23, 2026, the museum homepage said it was open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and promoted exhibitions including “Unearthed: Raw Beauty” and the upcoming “Orcas: Our Shared Future.” (nhm.org) That distinction matters for anyone planning a visit in Exposition Park, where the two museums sit near each other but run separate ticketing and exhibition calendars. The Science Center says “Mummies of the World” admission includes general admission to the museum, and visitors should check for day-of schedule changes before going. (californiasciencecenter.org) If you go expecting wrapped pharaohs at the Natural History Museum, you will miss the actual show by a few hundred yards. The mummies, the cat mummy and the IMAX tie-in are at the California Science Center through September 7. (californiasciencecenter.org)