The movie of Jurassic Park and all of the dinosaur sagas initially based on the eponymous story by Michael Crichton published in 1990, opened the world of paleontology to the general public. Since then, the fervor for dinosaurs has not ceased to this day, we continue to be surprised and intrigued by both the already known specimens and those that we continue to find in the Earth’s subsoil. Today we will travel to some of the best dinosaur museums in the world for all those who make a stop on their vacation to walk through one of these exhibitions.
The best places in the world to see dinosaursMidjourney/Sarah Romero
Morrison Natural History Museum (United States)
The Morrison Formation is a rich source of dinosaur fossils that spans several states in the western United States, including Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, New Mexico, and South Dakota. The museum where several fossils from this formation are exhibited is the Morrison Natural History Museum. Dinosaurs found here include Apatosaurus, Stegosaurus, Allosaurus, Diplodocus and Camarasaurus. The best time to visit this area of the United States is during the spring and fall seasons (April-May and September-October).
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology (Canada)
We now travel to Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, considered one of the main destinations in the world to see dinosaur fossils. The museum, specialized in paleontology, houses a vast collection of well-preserved specimens. The museum was founded in 1985 and is named after Joseph Burr Tyrrell, a geologist who discovered the first specimen of Albertosaurus in the area in 1884. The museum’s mission is to show the history of life on Earth by delving into the wide variety of dinosaur fossils found in this region. Displays a wide variety of dinosaur species found in Alberta, including Albertosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus and Parasaurolophus. The museum is open year-round, but the best time for outdoor activities is during the summer months (June-August).
Dinosaurs like ankylosaurs were capable of breaking bones with their tails. All Visionn / iStock
Gobi Desert (Mongolia and China)
It is not a museum, but it is one of the best places in the world to see dinosaur fossils. The Gobi Desert, which spans Mongolia and China, is famous for its well-preserved dinosaur eggs and nests, as well as numerous species of dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous period. Remains have been found Velociraptor, Protoceratops, Oviraptor and Pinacosaurus. The best time to visit the desert is during spring and autumn (April-May and September-October) when temperatures are milder.
Recreation of mammalian life in the age of the dinosaurs. Mark Witton. University of Portsmouth.
Isle of Wight (United Kingdom)
The Isle of Wight, located off the south coast of England, is another must-see destination. The island’s cliffs and beaches are rich in dinosaur fossils from the Early Cretaceous period. Fossils have been found there. Iguanodon (herbivore and one of the first species discovered and recognized in the early 19th century), Neovenator (a carnivorous theropod dinosaur discovered on the island in 1978, which also represents one of the most complete examples of a large theropod from the Early Cretaceous period in Europe)Baryonyx (a fish-eating theropod dinosaur known for its distinctive elongated snout and large hooked claws) Hypsilophodon (a small bipedal herbivorous dinosaur discovered on the Isle of Wight in the 19th century and known for its agility and speed). The best time to visit this region is during the summer months (June-August).
Recreation of ‘Tamarro insperatus’Oscar Sanisidro
Hell Creek Formation (United States)
A gem of geology and paleontology. The Hell Creek Formation, located in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, is known for its extensive Late Cretaceous dinosaur fossils. Dinosaur fossils discovered at this site include Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Edmontosaurus and Pachycephalosaurus. The best time to visit this region is during the spring and autumn seasons (April-May and September-October).
If you have been left wanting more, You will also find the Field Museum in Chicago, the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Wyoming, the Zigong Dinsaur Museum in China, the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque or the Iziko Museum in Cape Town, South Africa.
References:
- Tarng, W., & Liou, H. (2007). The Development of a Virtual Dinosaur Museum. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 35, 385 – 409. https://doi.org/10.2190/V735-6351-1201-NX58.
- Brinkman, P. (2010). The Second Jurassic Dinosaur Rush: Museums and Paleontology in America at the Turn of the Twentieth Century. . https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.48-4495.
- Leal, A., Dionísio, A., Braga, M., & Mateus, O. (2016). The long term preservation of late Jurassic sandstone dinossaur footprints in a museum environment. International Journal of Conservation Science, 7, 627-646.
- Currie, P., Holmes, R., Ryan, M., & Coy, C. (2016). A Juvenile Chasmosaurine Ceratopsid (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from the Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 36. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2015.1048348.
- Tomiya, S., Swartz, B., & Batavia, M. (2011). The educational values of the University of California Museum of Paleontology. , 3. https://doi.org/10.18452/8681.
