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Fads come and go, but dinosaurs are here to stay! Kids just can’t get enough of them, and lucky for you, there are plenty of dinosaur attractions from coast to coast. From silly cartoons to serious science, we’ve found over 20 of the best dino-mite places to discover with your little paleontologists including state parks, theme parks, children’s museums, and even a dinosaur-themed restaurant that features its own “Build-A-Dino” center.

Tate Geological Museum | Casper, WY

Kid in front of dinosaur exhibit at Tate Geological museum
Kate Loweth

Casper, WY is home to this awesome (and free!) museum that the whole family will enjoy. Little paleontologists will be amazed when they spot Dee the Mammoth: Discovered nearby in 2006, Dee is part of the museum's Pleistocene Exhibit where kids can learn the difference between mammoths, mastodons, and elephants. Little visitors will especially love visiting the Dino Den where they can explore touchable fossil casts, do fossil rubbings, and play with dinosaur toys. 

Online: caspercollege.edu

Related: 7 Things to Do When You Visit Casper, WY with Your Kids

Dino Land at Edaville Family Theme Park | Carver, MA

Families are invited to join Dino Land’s friendly paleontologists and take a tour to see over 23 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, go for a Dino Dig and check out the Dino Blast Shooting Gallery. Of course, there are a lot of dinosaur-themed finds in the gift shop as well. Edaville also features a Thomas Land with interactive rides and attractions for Thomas the Tank Engine fans. So depending on your family’s likes, this dinosaur attraction could be a win-win!

Online: edaville.com

Dinosaur National Monument | Jensen, UT

Welcome to a dino digger’s dream. Over 1,500 prehistoric bones are still encased in the rock at Dinosaur Quarry exhibit hall on the Utah side of Dinosaur National Monument, and visitors can view reconstructed dinosaur fossils—like Allosaurus and a baby Stegosaurus. The quarry gives kids a view of the fossils in their natural state (instead of removed, cleaned, and reassembled), and when you’ve checked out the dino-box there are plenty of other activities (including hiking and kayaking on the Green River) to explore.

Good to know: The visitor center is where you hitch a ride to the quarry, chat up park rangers, and bone up on the region’s history.

OnlineNPS.gov/dino

Burke Museum | Seattle, WA

burke museum seattle free days
Burke Museum

Unlike other museums that house their dinosaurs in the basement, the Burke Museum features their dinos proudly on the top floor. Exhibits focus on fossils from Washington state including giant whales, creatures from the ice age, and more. Visitors can get an up-close look at what the researchers are working on every day with large glass windows looking inside their laboratories.

Online: burkemuseum.org

Disney’s Animal Kingdom | Orlando, FL

Walt Disney World Resort

Most people are familiar with Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which is one of four Disney theme parks in Orlando, but not everyone is aware that the park features an entire land dedicated to Jurassic animals. What Dino Land U.S.A. lacks in science, it makes up for in the form of fun. This “land” is home to the thrill ride, “Dinosaur,” where riders will travel back in time, ride in a Jeep, and attempt to rescue a dinosaur before a meteor strikes. What could go wrong?

Dino Land U.S.A. also features a replica of the T-Rex “Dino-Sue” which is pretty amazing. However, Mom and Dad might be more impressed with the open-air “fossil fun site” known as The Boneyard, a place themed around a dinosaur dig giving the little explorers time to burn off some energy. 

Online: disneyworld.disney.go.com

Related: Under-the-Radar Disney World Secrets Every Parent Should Know

The Chicago Children’s Museum | Chicago, IL

Children’s museums are fun regardless of where you go, but the Chicago Children’s Museum gets a lot of praise for its “cool” Dinosaur Expedition. Among other things, it features a recreation of the real Saharah expedition where Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno discovered a new type of dinosaur. It also features a life-size skeleton of Suchomimus (sue-co-MY-muss), an excavation pit to dig for bones, and an opportunity to learn what it would be like to be part of Paul’s expedition team.

Online: chicagochildrensmuseum.org/dinosaur-expedition

Field Station: Dinosaurs | Derby, KS and Leonia, NJ

With two dino-mite locations, the Field Stations take families on tours full of mystery, surprise, and over 40 life-sized realistic (and moving!) dinos. Get up close and personal along the trail and take part in over 30 live shows, games, and activities in the parks. Here you can dig for fossils, learn about a dinosaur’s diet during a live musical show, and play a game of Dinosaur Discovery miniature golf. As they say, “Science had never been this fun, this scary, or this big!”

Online: fieldstationdinosaurs.com

Natural History Museum | Los Angeles, CA

The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles boasts a 14,000-square-foot Dinosaur Hall to show off their dinos. You need that much space to present the world’s only Tyrannosaurus rex growth series, and you’ll also find a Stegosaurus and the 25-foot tall Triceratops making their debut here, too. The museum is also home to a Dino Lab, where you can see their staff working on real fossils and get your hands on some other ones that are said to be between 66 and 120 million years old! Of course, what will really thrill your kids is the Dinosaur Encounters, where large-scale puppets (think huge) come “alive” to give a better sense of what living with prehistoric creatures would be like.

Online: nhm.org

Dinosaur World | Glen Rose, TX; Cave City, KY and Plant City, FL

They say everything is bigger in Texas, so it’s no surprise that you can find dinosaurs there too. You can wander around this dog-friendly park and get up close and personal with hundreds of life-sized dinosaurs in a natural setting. You’ll also find interactive exhibits to spark imagination and a dino-themed playground to burn off excess energy. Of course, no visit is complete without a stop at the gift shop on the way out. Also worth keeping in mind: this dinosaur attraction is a great place to hold a one-of-a-kind birthday party making you the best mom and/or dad in the world.

Good to know: You’ll also find Dinosaur World in Cave City, Kentucky, and Plant City, Florida

Online: dinosaurworld.com

Get Tickets Here

National Museum of Natural History | Washington D.C.

The David H. Koch Hall of Fossils–Deep Time allows guests to travel through ancient ecosystems to witness the evolution of life and see firsthand over 700 fossil specimens including early insects, reptiles, mammals, a Tyrannosaurus rex, Diplodocus, and a woolly mammoth. The exhibit shares how the choices humans make today will affect our future (a good lesson for us all).

Online: naturalhistory.si.edu

Related: Roar! 7 Dino-mite Destinations Near DV That Your Kids Will Love

Cabazon Dinosaurs | Cabazon, CA

The world-famous roadside attraction may not be the most scientific of spots, but it sure is fun! Climb up Dinny the 150-foot replica Apatosaurus, or take a peek out of Mr. Rex’s mouth. Check out the animatronic dinos in the open-air museum, pan for gold, or spend time in the totally diggable sand pit. Oh, and snapping that iconic pic of the fam, the mountains, and the dinos? A must.

Good to knowDon’t miss the curious bookshop located inside Dinny!

Onlinecabazondinosaurs.com

Related: Wacky Roadside Attractions You Need to Build Into Your Next Road Trip

Dinosaur Valley State Park | Glen Rose, TX

Follow the path of a dinosaur battle from millions of years ago. The Paluxy River is home to over 1,500 dinosaur tracks, the newest one being exposed in summer 2023. The extremely popular, and fairly easy hike takes dino hunters along the creek bed, in search of the tracks under the water. One of the most famous trackways ever discovered, a section of it can be seen at the American Museum of Natural History.

Good to know: The tracks aren’t visible when the water is high. Check the conditions before driving out of the park.

Online: tpwd.texas.gove

Jurassic World Ride | Universal Studios Hollywood, Studio City, CA

Universal Studios Hollywood recently upgraded the Jurassic Park ride into something bigger and better and inspired by the Jurassic World movie franchise. Many of the dinosaurs featured in the original ride have returned with all-new technology. You’ll love entering an immersive land and coming face-to-face with the Indominus rex as she stalks you through the jungle. Get caught in the fray as she’s confronted by her archrival, the Tyrannosaurus rex, in an epic battle for the ages.

Online: universalstudioshollywood.com

The Field Museum of Natural History | Chicago, IL

The Field Museum

The Field Museum was already a hot spot for dino fans even before SUE—the most complete T-Rex skeleton ever discovered—arrived in 2000. Evolving Planet takes guests on a journey through four million years on Earth; there are videos, hands-on interactive displays, and an expanded dinosaur hall. SUE, of course, is the highlight and doesn’t disappoint.

Online: fieldmusem.org

Get Tickets Here

 

Museum of Science | Boston, MA

The Museum of Science’s first Tyrannosaurus rex model was first created in 1960 and was based on three incomplete skeletons. Since then, over 30 skeletons have been found and so today’s model of the creature looks a bit different than its brethren. Here, you’ll learn what separates prehistoric creatures from modern animals, check out “bone dictionaries,” play with scale models of Coelophysis, and learn about Mesozoic murals and what future dinosaurs might look like today. You’ll also find tons of models including bones, footprints, and even dinosaur dung–which is likely to be your kids’ favorite part.

Online: mos.org/exhibits/dinosaurs

Great Plains Dinosaur Museum & Field Station | Malta, MT

The Great Plains Dinosaur Museum may be small, but it’s mighty. Home to Leonardo, the world’s best-preserved dinosaur, it’s also one of the best places for those who want to get dirty, dino-style. Kids ages 5-11 can sign up for the Junior Paleo Field Experience: three hours at a real dinosaur dig with the pros, then back to the lab to process, analyze, and write up their finds. Not to worry— there’s plenty of hands-on stuff for the smaller set, including their own dig pit outside the museum.

Good to know: The museum is open May-September and the Junior Paleo experiences typically occur from June to mid-Aug.

Online: greatplainsdinosaurs.org

The Prehistoric Gardens | Port Orford, OR

If you’re up for a road trip to the Oregon Coast and want a fun pit stop that is more Pee Wee’s Big Adventure than Smithsonian, this place is for you. It’s a campy, cool dinosaur attraction with dinosaur sculptures looming amid a gorgeous, lush Pacific Northwest forest. In short, it’s awesome. While the dinos aren’t real, the ancient Oregon forest is.

Online: prehistoricgardens.com

T-REX Café | Lake Buena Vista, FL

What a great idea! The T-Rex Café is part restaurant, part museum but all fun—and very popular. Throughout the restaurant, you’ll find large animatronic dinosaurs (“Honey, we’ll find a table over by the T-Rex…”), exotic plants, aquariums, hands-on educational activities in the Paleo Zone, a Discovery Dig fossil sandpit, the Discovery Creek water mill where kids can pan for precious gems and stones, and “meteor showers” that take place every 20 to 30 minutes. They even have a “Build-a-Dino” by Build-A-Bear Workshop. Parents might want to check out the Octopus Bar (with moving tentacles and jellyfish) too.

Online: trexcafe.com

Dinosaur State Park | Rocky Hill, CT

200-million-year-old Dilophosaurus tracks—2,000 of ‘em. That’s what, in 1968, was discovered in Rocky Hill, CT. Today, the trackway is a protected National Landmark, and visitors can check out some 500 tracks in the Exhibit Center’s geodesic dome. Little visitors will dig in fossil boxes, investigate rocks and crystals, work on puzzles, read books, or make a Dinosaur Tracks bookmark in the Discovery Room, while nature nuts will love the flora and fauna-filled (only two miles!) trail around the center.

Onlinedinosaurstatepark.org

Dinosaur Park | Rapid City, SD

South Dakota Department of Tourism

Dinosaur Park in Rapid City has celebrated the state's paleontological history since its opening in 1936. The public (and free) space boasts life-size concrete dinosaur figures the kids can climb, and the 360-degree view of the Badlands is worth the uphill trek necessary to reach the park. The park is a must-see spot if you are in the area! 

Good to know: The popular dinosaur attraction is a short drive from the Black Hills and about 30 minutes from Mt. Rushmore.

Onlineblackhillbadlands.com/DinosaurPark

 

Museum of Paleontology, UC Berkeley | Berkeley, CA

Located right on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, the museum is primarily a research facility. This means the impressive collections are closed to the general public except on the annual campus-wide open house—Cal Day (held in April). If you stop by on a different day you will still be able to see many fossils on display on both the first and second floor of the Valley Life Sciences building, including a mounted T. rex and a T. rex skull.

Good to knowDocent-led tours can be arranged for school groups.

Online: ucmp.berkeley.edu

Wyoming Dinosaur Center | Thermopolis, WY

Wyoming Dinosaur Center

There are over 30 mounted skeletons and hundreds of displays and dioramas in the museum, all designed to educate and thrill even the tiniest dino fans. It’s hard to say exactly what the star attraction, “Jimbo” the Supersaurus is, or the real-life dig action that happens from late spring into early fall. Families are encouraged to sign up, and if anyone finds a fossil, it’ll be labeled with their name and displayed at the museum!

Good to know: Don’t think your little people can do the dig under the sun? Opt for the dig site tour instead.

Online: wyomingdinosaurcenter.org

Nash Dinosaur Track Site | South Hadley, MA

Billed as the best place in North America to see dino tracks, this Western Mass. wayside dinosaur attraction was started in 1939 by Carlton S. Nash and is still in the family today. Formerly known as Nash Dino Land, think more of a roadside stop than a museum. Though it’s not exactly a state-of-the-art facility, very little has changed in 70+ years, which is part of its indelible charm. Since the 1930s it has produced thousands of dinosaur track impressions, many of which are now housed in museums. The Nash Dinosaur Track Site and Rock Shop will delight all your rock hounds and pint-sized paleontologists.

Online: nashdinosaurtracks.com

American Museum of Natural History | New York, NY

Who wouldn’t want to meet “Rexy” from the Night at the Museum movies? Not only that, but you’ll also find the 122-foot-long Titanosaur, a Velociraptor, and the Triceratops, among thousands of other super cool specimens. Families with kids ages 5-12 should stop by the Discovery Room, an interactive, behind-the-scenes look at the museum, where visitors can assemble a life-sized cast skeleton of Prestosuchus, handle real fossils, and even unearth an Oviraptor nest in a re-creation of a paleontology field site.

Online: amnh.org

Jurassic Park at the Islands of Adventure | Orlando, FL

“It’s lunchtime and you’re on the menu,” teases the Jurassic Park River Adventure ride. Sure, the water cruise starts innocently enough, but soon, your family will be bumped off course and will float toward the restricted area of Jurassic Park. And while you’re there, be sure to check out the hands-on activity center, where kids can test their DNA to see what kind of dinosaur they would be, answer dino trivia, examine dinosaur eggs, and, if they are lucky, watch a baby velociraptor “hatch.” There’s also Camp Jurassic, a prehistoric playground perfect for families with kids of all ages. You can also let the kids navigate suspension bridges, slides, and Thunder Lizard Trail and even try their hand at the water cannons in the containment paddock.

Onlineuniversalorlando.com

 

Additional reporting by Gabby Cullen & Amber Guetebier

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