Do you have a future paleontologist or a dinosaur-mad child on your hands? Visiting a dinosaur museum is one of the best ways to bring fossils and prehistoric life to life for kids — and there’s nothing quite like watching your child’s face the first time they stand next to a full-size dinosaur skeleton. Here are some of the most awesome dinosaur museum experiences in USA to add to your family travel list.
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#1. Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
Evolving Planet at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago takes visitors on a journey through 4 billion years of life on Earth, from single-celled organisms to towering dinosaurs and our own extended human family. Fossils, animated videos, hands-on interactive displays and recreated sea- and landscapes help tell the story of evolution — the single process that connects everything that’s ever lived on Earth.
The museum’s dinosaur hall covers every major group, the worlds they lived in, and what we’ve learned from the world-famous 67-million-year-old T. rex, SUE — one of the greatest predators ever to walk the planet, whose life is still full of mystery.
The museum also runs Dozin’ with the Dinos sleepovers for families who want an overnight adventure among the fossils.
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#2. Museum of the Rockies, Montana
At the Siebel Dinosaur Complex at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, you’ll find the country’s largest collection of North American dinosaur fossils, made up entirely of discoveries from in and around Montana. The museum is a world-renowned dinosaur research facility, home to one of the largest collections of T. rex specimens anywhere in the world. Highlights include growth-and-behaviour series for Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex, Montana’s own T. rex skeleton, and plenty of other one-of-a-kind finds, including dinosaur eggs and babies.
In the Hall of Giants you can meet Big Al, one of the most complete Allosaurus skeletons ever discovered, Deinonychus (a North American cousin of Velociraptor), and Oryctodromeus, a dinosaur that dug burrows and cared for its young inside them.
You can also watch museum volunteers remove fossil specimens from rock and prepare them for study at the Bowman Dinosaur Viewing Laboratory.
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#3. American Museum of Natural History, New York
Take a dino tour at The American Museum of Natural History in New York, home to one of the greatest dinosaur fossil collections in the world. Explore world-famous exhibits on a self-guided tour, taking in Tyrannosaurus rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops and Apatosaurus, a dinosaur mummy (the fossilised imprint of a duck-billed dinosaur), and the 7-foot-long Deinonychus. You won’t miss the Titanosaur either — a cast of a dinosaur measuring an incredible 122 feet long.
The museum also holds the Glen Rose Trackway, a 107-million-year-old series of fossilised dinosaur footprints excavated from the bed of the Paluxy River in Texas — a fascinating, tangible glimpse of dinosaurs on the move.
Your resident dino fan might also enjoy the museum’s DINOSAURS app, available for iOS and Android, which lets you browse the museum’s dinosaur photographs and illustrations, learn about different species and fossil-finding expeditions, and get a behind-the-scenes peek at the museum.
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#4. Wyoming Dinosaur Center
The Wyoming Dinosaur Center is a 12,000 sq. ft. museum with hundreds of exhibits and displays, a preparation lab with visitor viewing, and more than 30 mounted dinosaur skeletons. Here you’ll find a rare Archaeopteryx fossil, known as the “Thermopolis Specimen” — one of only a handful known to exist. You can also see Jimbo the Supersaurus, one of the largest dinosaurs ever mounted anywhere in the world, and walk directly underneath a towering Camarasaurus.
In late spring through early autumn, the centre also runs a “Dig for a Day” programme, where you join a team of paleontologists unearthing fossils — a great activity for older kids and active family members of all ages.
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#5. Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, Colorado
At the Dinosaur Resource Center you can view dozens of full-size skeletons and life restorations, plus a working paleo lab where ongoing fossil preparation, restoration, moulding, casting and mounting can be viewed as part of your visit.
The Dinosaur Resource Center is also home to one of the largest dinosaur gift shops in the region — handy if your dino fan wants a souvenir to take home.
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#6. Dinosaur Journey Museum, Colorado
The Dinosaur Journey Museum features a selection of robotic dinosaurs alongside real fossils, hands-on exhibits, and a working paleontology lab in action. The museum also organises hikes along the Rabbit Valley Trail Through Time and dino digs of various lengths — check their website for current dates before you plan your visit.
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#7. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
At the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County you’ll find the Jane G. Pisano Dinosaur Hall, home to the world’s only T. rex growth series — featuring a baby, a juvenile and a sub-adult T. rex side by side. You can also see an imposing 25-foot Triceratops and a 150-million-year-old Stegosaurus locked in battle with the predator Allosaurus.
Kids will also enjoy Dinosaur Encounters, where dinosaurs roar to life, and the Dino Lab, where you can watch paleontologists prepare fossils fresh from the field.
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#8. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
As you enter the Dinosaur Hall at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, you’ll come face to face with a Tyrannosaurus rex — one of the largest predators ever to walk the Earth. More than 30 species are represented in the museum, including Avaceratops, Chasmosaurus, Corythosaurus, Deinonychus, Pachycephalosaurus, Tenontosaurus and Tylosaurus.
Alongside the skeletons, visitors can see dinosaur eggs, footprints, sculptures, murals, and paleontologist tools, plus a life-size model showing the internal anatomy of a Stegosaurus and a green-screen studio where kids can project themselves into a prehistoric world.
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#9. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Indiana
Widely considered one of the top children’s museums in the world, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has a fantastic dinosaur collection — you’ll spot dinosaurs bursting out of the side of the building before you even step inside. Kids can touch a real T. rex bone, get up close to dinosaur skeletons and hunt for fossils.
The museum’s Dinosphere: Now You’re in Their World® immerses visitors in the Cretaceous period, around 65 million years ago, featuring real T. rex, Gorgosaurus and Triceratops fossils in realistic environments with dynamic lighting and sound.
Kids can also watch paleontologists working on real fossil bones from family and educator dinosaur digs at the Paleo Prep Lab, and ask the scientists questions directly.
#10. Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City
The Natural History Museum of Utah features an evolving display of paleontology in its Past Worlds exhibit. Meet Lythronax argestes, a remarkable tyrannosaur ancestor of T. rex unearthed in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah, and explore an excellent Ceratopsian Wall featuring Triceratops and other horned, frilled dinosaurs.
#11. National Museum of Natural History, Washington
At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, dinosaur skeletons and fossils on display have included:
- the famous “roadkill” Triceratops, once the most complete specimen of its kind in the world
- Stegosaurus
- the tyrannosaur Gorgosaurus
- the sauropod Diplodocus
- lesser-known dinosaurs like Thescelosaurus and Sphaerotholus
As one of the oldest dinosaur museums in the world, the Smithsonian periodically restores and refreshes its fossil halls, so exhibits can change over time. It’s worth checking the museum’s website before you visit to see exactly what’s on display.
#12. The Burke Museum, Seattle
At the Burke Museum in Seattle you can see an Allosaurus, Stegosaurus and Triceratops, as well as the oldest known Washington dinosaur fossil — a partial thigh bone from a theropod, the group of two-legged, meat-eating dinosaurs that includes Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus rex.
The Burke has also worked on a huge T. rex skull discovery, one of only a small number ever found, weighing thousands of pounds. Visitors can look through lab windows to watch paleontologists at work preparing this and other fossils brought back from research trips — check the museum’s website for what’s currently on view.
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#13. Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh
The “Dinosaurs in Their Time” exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh features real dinosaur fossils from throughout the Mesozoic Era, displayed in reconstructions of their ancient habitats, using up-to-date paleontological evidence to bring these creatures to life as accurately as possible.
Most of the exhibition’s dinosaur skeletons are real fossils rather than replicas, and several — including the iconic Tyrannosaurus rex, Apatosaurus louisae and Diplodocus carnegii — are holotypes: the original specimens on which their species were first described.
#14. University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley
The University of California Museum of Paleontology in Berkeley holds the largest paleontological collection of any university museum in the world, though the full collection is only open to the public on Cal Day, the university’s annual open house.
The good news is you can see fossil exhibits on display at the Valley Life Sciences Building for free year-round, including:
- a T. rex
- a Pteranodon suspended above the T. rex with a wingspan of close to 22 feet
- an adult Triceratops skull, alongside a cast of the smallest Triceratops skull ever found
Have you visited a great dinosaur museum in the USA? Let us know your family’s favourite in the comments below.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best dinosaur museum in the USA for kids?
It really depends on where you’re travelling and what your child loves most. Families chasing the biggest T. rex displays often head to Chicago, New York or Indianapolis, while those wanting hands-on digs and paleo labs love Wyoming, Colorado or Utah. Most of the museums on this list offer a brilliant, memorable day out.
Are dinosaur museums suitable for toddlers and younger children?
Many are, especially those with interactive displays, sensory exhibits and child-friendly galleries, such as The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. That said, some museums are better suited to school-age kids who can appreciate the detail. Check each museum’s website for age guidance before you go.
Do I need to book tickets in advance?
Booking policies vary by museum and can change, so it’s best to check the official website shortly before your visit for current ticketing, timed-entry requirements and any special exhibit information.
Can kids get hands-on experiences at these museums?
Yes — several museums on this list offer paleo labs where you can watch real fossil preparation, and some, like the Wyoming Dinosaur Center and Dinosaur Journey Museum, run dig programmes where families can join in fossil hunts.
Are these museums good for a full day out?
Most offer more than enough to fill a half or full day, especially when combined with gift shops, cafés and nearby city attractions. It’s worth checking opening hours in advance so you can plan your visit around them.
Looking for more family day-out ideas? Browse our travel section for more inspiration on things to do with kids near you, or save this list for your next dinosaur-themed adventure.
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