From woodlouse to sperm whale
A woodlouse is small; the sperm whale skeleton in the museum is fourteen metres long. Between them are animals from nearby and further afield, alongside fossils of extinct species. The galleries explore life on land, in water and in the air.
For children
Across four floors you will find information about animals and plants, activities, experiments and games. There are changing exhibitions too. You can look and investigate at your own pace.
Explore the galleries
In the Whale Hall you can see the jaws of a blue whale and other marine mammals, including a bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise, pilot whale and narwhal. Captain Severein’s Travel Cabinet displays objects he collected on his journeys.
Wonderland brings together plants, animals, shells and eggs. It also explores senses, albino animals and records. Drukken & Drollen looks at how people and animals use the toilet. Darwin’s Attic covers evolution, Darwin and his predecessors, and the risks of applying evolutionary ideas too broadly.
At set times, children aged four to eight can follow the tale of Dragon Li-Ming, with a treasure-chest key and a wishing fountain. In the Open Studio you can see a taxidermist working on a mounted animal or a model.
The Orphanage Schoolroom and Guardians’ Chamber tell the story of the building. The Fûgeltsje Bosch gallery hosts changing exhibitions, while the Atrium offers activities during the spring and autumn school holidays.
The Underwater Safari
The Underwater Safari takes you through Dutch underwater habitats, from ditches and ponds to the Wadden Sea. Along the way you encounter five aquatic animals: beaver, otter, catfish, seal and harbour porpoise. It is suitable from age four and can be booked separately.
Free Tuesdays
Admission is free on Tuesdays outside the school holidays in the Netherlands’ northern region. On those Tuesdays, the Underwater Safari can be added at a reduced price.
Brongegevens
Text and photographs supplied by Natuurmuseum Fryslân on 13 October 2026.