ABSTRACT This article reviews the ways in which research into natural history museums has focused on interactions of visitors with permanent exhibitions. The review covers research articles published in peer-reviewed journals from 1990 to 2022. It analyses six aspects of museum-visitor interactions: (1) the conceptualisation, by exhibition curators, of interaction with visitors; (2) the mediation, by museum educators, between museum and audience, through supervised teaching and learning; (3) the interpretation, by visitors in their meaning-making process, of permanent exhibitions; (4) the influence exerted by exhibition qualities on museum-audience interactions; (5) the presentation of subject-specific content; and (6) the institutional mission and social impact of natural history museums, as reflected in their permanent exhibitions. This systematic literature review seeks to help researchers and natural-history museum professionals in their conceptualisation and development efforts, as they work to develop influential permanent exhibitions.