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Cleveland Museum of Natural History Earns Nomination for USA TODAY’s 2026 10 Best New Museums

Cleveland, OH – November 26, 2025 – Following an ambitious six-year transformation, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History has been named a nominee for USA TODAY’s 2026 10Best New Museums Readers’ Choice Awards. The recognition highlights the museum’s dramatic redesign and expansion, which has nearly doubled its public space while achieving the highest level of sustainable design certification: LEED Platinum. The $150 million project, completed in late 2024, reimagined the 153-year-old institution from the ground up with a clear mission: to deepen visitors’ connection to the natural world and inspire environmental stewardship in an era of urgent climate challenges.




A Campus Built in Harmony with Nature

Spanning 385,000 total square feet, the transformed museum now features sweeping glass walls that blur the boundary between indoor exhibits and the surrounding urban forest of University Circle. Native Ohio plantings, green roofs, and restored outdoor habitats—including a living wetland and pollinator meadow—serve as both landscape and living classroom. 

The centerpiece is the new 50,000-square-foot Visitor Hall, topped by a striking elliptical roof covered in photovoltaic panels that generate a significant portion of the museum’s energy needs. Rainwater is captured and reused throughout the campus, geothermal wells provide heating and cooling, and construction incorporated reclaimed and low-carbon materials wherever possible.

“LEED Platinum isn’t just a plaque on the wall for us,” said Dr. Kirsten Ellenbogen, President and CEO of the museum. “It’s a daily reminder that the choices we make as an institution must model the sustainable future we want visitors to help create.”

Immersive Exhibits That Bring the Planet to Life

Inside, new and reimagined galleries use cutting-edge technology and storytelling to make complex environmental concepts accessible and unforgettable:

  • The Perkins Wildlife Center & Woods Garden allows visitors to walk among free-flight birds, river otters, and native Ohio mammals in recreated regional habitats.
  • A state-of-the-art planetarium and a 360-degree immersive theater transport guests from the depths of Lake Erie to the forests of Peru.
  • The redesigned dinosaur hall showcases the museum’s world-class collections—including the recently named “Clevelandosaurus” specimens—alongside interactive displays on evolution and extinction events.
  •  A dedicated Climate Action Lab invites visitors of all ages to explore real-time environmental data and prototype solutions for a changing planet.


A National Model for the Future of Natural History Museums

The nomination for USA TODAY’s 10Best award places Cleveland alongside other groundbreaking new or newly transformed museums across the country. Public voting is open through December 15, 2025, at 10best.com. “This nomination is incredibly meaningful because it comes at a moment when natural history museums have never been more vital,” Dr. Ellenbogen noted. “We’re not just preserving the past—we’re equipping people with the knowledge, wonder, and agency they need to protect the future.” Since reopening, attendance has surged past pre-renovation levels, with visitors consistently praising the seamless integration of sustainability, science, and awe-inspiring beauty.

Whether you’re a lifelong Clevelander or planning a visit from out of state, the newly transformed Cleveland Museum of Natural History offers a powerful reminder: understanding nature isn’t enough—we must feel connected to it.

To cast your vote for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in USA TODAY’s 2026 10Best New Museums awards, visit 10best.com/awards/travel/best-new-museum-2026.

The museum is open daily; tickets and information are available at cmnh.org.


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