One can get rather museum'd out while traveling, but even if you're thinking "meh...natural history..." you should make it over to this museum. This isn't a building filled with stuffed ducks and foxes, like most Natural History museums and I totally geeked out during my visit. I took photos. of ROCKS. man I love science!
AMNH is all about local natural history, dinosaurs and meteorites and it is fabulous! I had no idea about the awesome crystal caves in Arizona and all the wild meteor hits that have happened here. There was even an eye witness description of a meteor shower impact from a 100+ year old lady who was a kid when her town was shaken by the space rocks.
The center of the museum houses a particularly amusing display of automaton dinosaurs that growl and screech at each other, there are replicas of native american homes as well as some original pottery and best of all, a gold panning courtyard! Siv to your hearts content looking for gold in the man-made river before heading back inside to the Mars exploration exhibit.
Tthis is a small museum but a really rad one and if you are in the Valley you have to stop by. Don't forget your camera!