11 Dinosaur Museums to Visit With Your Grandkids Family
Dinosaur Destinations to Wow Your Grandkids
If they re excited by Jurassic World Dominion these 11 museums are worth the trek
Win McNamee/Getty Images The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History Jurassic World: Dominion promises to be a blockbuster hit this summer — but it’s far from the only place where kids can get their dinosaur fix.
Truth be told, America’s fascination with prehistoric predators dates well before Jurassic Park, directed by Stephen Spielberg, first hit theaters in 1993. In fact, it was more than 150 years ago when the first prehistoric skeleton stood on display in Philadelphia in 1868, tripling attendance at the Academy of Natural Sciences. We love our fossil friends so much that nearly all 50 states — and the District of Columbia — have recognized an official state fossil. From Alaska up north to Florida down south, the fossilized remains of prehistoric animals that roamed North America are on display in natural history museums big and small. There’s likely one close by, . Tickets can be purchased online, and discounts are available to children and older adults at most museums. Check ahead for any or other special requirements. Hours may vary depending on time of year so check before you go. Here s a roundup of some of what is available
1
National Mall 10th St. & Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. What you’ll see: A new, 31,00-square-foot fossil hall features some 700 fossil specimens, including dramatically posed giants like Tyrannosaurus rex, Diplodocus and the woolly mammoth. Open: Daily, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except Dec. 25. Admission: Free 2
200 Central Park West, New York City What you’ll see: On display since 2016 is a cast of a 122-foot-long Patagotitan mayorum, a titanosaur discovered in Argentina’s Patagonia region. Its neck and head extend out toward the elevator banks, welcoming visitors to the “Dinosaur” floor. Open: Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission: $23. Discounts for children and older adults. Pay what you want, for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut residents. Tickets must be reserved online, with timed entry. Bruno PEROUSSE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images The Field Museum in Chicago 3
1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago What you’ll see: The museum claims the largest, most complete and best-preserved T-rex fossil in the world, known familiarly as “Sue.” Open: Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $29. Discounts for children, older adults and city and state residents. Join today and save 25% off the standard annual rate. Get instant access to discounts, programs, services, and the information you need to benefit every area of your life. 4
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia What you’ll see: Home to the world’s first mounted dinosaur skeleton (Hadrosaurus foulkii) has stood on display since 1868 More than 30 species can be seen in Dinosaur Hall, including T-rex, Avaceratops, Chasmosaurus, Corythosaurus, Deinonychus, Pachycephalosaurus, Tenontosaurus and Tylosaurus. Open: Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $22. Discounts for children, older adults, and with online purchase. 5
900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles What you’ll see: A Triceratops prorsus locked in mortal combat with a T-rex. Open: Wednesday to Monday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $15. Discounts for children, students and older adults. Bonus: Nearby at La Brea Tar Pits you’ll find preserved fossils on display included a saber-toothed cat, a mammoth and a ground sloth. Other dinosaur museums
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 6
550 Jurassic Court, Fruita, Colorado What you’ll see: The exhibition hall features fossil bones of dinosaurs such as Apatosaurus and Allosaurus, along with robotic reconstructions of Dilophosaurus, Utahraptor, Triceratops, T-rex and Stegosaurus. Open: Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $9. Discount for children and older adults. Bonus: The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park has on display a carnivorous Albertosaurus libratus (a close but older relative of T-rex) and a Bambiraptor. 7
110 Carter Ranch Road, Thermopolis, Wyoming What you’ll see: Among the 30 dinosaur skeletons on display is “Jimbo,” a 106-foot-long sauropod that stretches the length of the museum. Open: Daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., May 15 through Sept. 14 (hours shortened the rest of the year). Admission: $12. Discounts for children, older adults and veterans. Bonus: You can join an actual fossil dig (staff and visitors have excavated more than 14,000 bones from nearby sites). Advanced registration is required for the “Dig for a Day” program that’s open to all ages, but being in good physical health is recommended. 8
5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston What you’ll see: The Morian Hall of Paleontology is packed with models of prehistoric predators in action, chasing their prey. There are also skeletons suspended from the ceiling, slabs of petrified wood and other fossils on display. Open: Daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until 8 pm on Thursdays. Admission: $25. Discounts for children and older adults. 9
188 Museum Drive East, Dickinson, North Dakota What you’ll see: A range of dinosaur fossils and casts including a near-complete Triceratops skeleton named “Larry” and two skeletons of the duckbill Edmontosaurus. Open: Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission: $6 Discounts for children and older adults. The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University entry way to the Dinosaur exhibit 10
433 W. Murray Ave., Durham, North Carolina What you’ll see: Along an outdoor trail, you’ll find over a dozen life-size models of dinosaurs. There is also a fossil dig site, where kids can hunt for marine fossils that are prevalent in the dirt and hauled in from a site in the eastern part of the state. Open: Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $23. Discounts for children and older adults. Bonus: Visit nearby Northgate Park, where you can spy a 77-foot-long Brontosaurus along the trail. It’s a vestige of the museum’s original outdoor dinosaur trail that was replaced after being damaged by Hurricane Fran in 1996 11
645 North 14th St., Lincoln, Nebraska What you’ll see: A large display of skeletons and models of elephants of various prehistoric eras, including “Archie ,” who at 14 feet tall is the largest Columbian mammoth fossil in the world. Open: Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission: $9.50. Discount for children. Peter Urban is a contributing writer and editor who focuses on health news. Urban spent two decades working as a correspondent in Washington, D.C., for daily newspapers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, California and Arkansas, including a stint as Washington bureau chief for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. His freelance work has appeared in Scientific American, Bloomberg Government and CTNewsJunkie.com. Editor's note: This article was originally published on June 9, 2022. It's been updated to reflect new information. More on Travel
AARP Travel Center Call: 1.800.675.4318 Search Flights Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Flight 2 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 3 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 4 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 5 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Add Another Flight search Search Hotels Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4 Room 5 Room 6 Room 7 Room 8 search Search Packages Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date You didn't specify child's age Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Room 1 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 2 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 3 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 4 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 5 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age You have more than 6 people total Please select a trip duration less than 28 days search Search Cars Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search Search Cruises Select a valid location Select a month search Search Things to Do Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search × Let's Go Reset Featured AARP Member Benefits See more Car Rentals offers > See more Travel offers > See more Hotels & Resorts offers > See more Gas & Auto Services offers > Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures
Close In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails related to AARP volunteering. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly receive communications related to AARP volunteering. In the meantime, please feel free to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.