Family Bucket List- Dinosaur Museums

My family loves dinosaurs!  Whether we're playing Jurassic World Evolution video game or watching Dino Dana on Amazon Prime, we can't seem to get enough.  We like to visit museums, too, which is why I created this Dinosaur Museum bucket list for our family.  Since I'm sure we're not the only dino-crazy family in the USA, I'm sharing our list with you today!  Scroll down to the bottom of the post for more dinosaur family fun!

Chicago Field Museum

Although the Field Museum is most famous for Sue, one of the best preserved T-Rex fossils in the world, the museum is also home to many other dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures.  I visited this museum as a child, and mainly remember being overwhelmed and tired.  As the largest natural history museum in the world, I think you probably need a few days to really appreciate everything the museum has to offer.  If we ever do a week in Chicago, I'd love to make this part of our adventures.


Wyoming Dinosaur Center

I just recently heard of this dinosaur museum, which is unique because it has fossil dig sites within driving distance from the center.  Young (and old) paleontologists have the opportunity to dig for dinos with the experts and explore footprint fossils in the surrounding area.  It also has the only archeaopteryx in the USA, as well as around 80 other dinosaur species.  I know my kids would just go crazy if they got to interact with real scientists and see the 106 foot long "Supersaurus."  This museum is at the top of our list!


Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum contains millions and millions of specimens from all categories of zoology.  The dinosaurs don't have much written about them, though, which I find confusing.  Perhaps it's just too far away from the dino dig sites to have the good stuff.  If you know differently, comment below.


Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 

As a child, I know we did the La Brea tar pits as a family, but I don't remember if we did the natural history museum.  I don't think we did, because I'm sure I would have remembered two stories of an award winning fossil collection.  From the pictures on the website, it looks like a great place to visit as a family.


Museum of the Rockies

We've visited this museum twice, and I've written about our experiences.  The campus owns the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in the USA, but, of course, only some of them are on display at any given time.  We love the big T-Rex statue in the front of the museum and the real one inside the building.  There's almost an entire life cycle of triceratops from babies to big adults.  Even after two trips, we still haven't seen all the things the museum has to offer.


Natural History Museum of Utah

I first became aware of this museum through an Instagram post, who praised it as being very interactive and good for kids.  I've since decided that it belongs on our family bucket list.  If you've been there, tell me in the comments below!


Carnegie Natural History Museum

We're an entire continent away from Pittsburgh, but I've added this museum to our family bucket list anyways.  Great care has been taken to put these dinosaurs in their scientifically researched "natural" environments, in poses that make the most sense for their position at death and skeletal structure.  From the pictures online, the exhibits look very beautiful and imaginative.


Thanksgiving Point

One of the first things that jumped out at me about this museum was the 50 hands-on exhibits for kids!  I love places where my kids are allowed and expected to touch.  They also have 60 complete dinosaur skeletons on display, which makes it one of the larges collections of full dinosaur fossils in the USA.  The other thing I love about the museum is the option to get sensory backpacks for special needs kids.  As a mom of such a kid, I really appreciate gestures like that- bumping this museum up to the top of my list.


Houston Museum of Natural History

The Houston museum claims to be unique in it's display of the dinosaurs and their prey.  Care has been taken to make the fossils look realistic in their movement, oftentimes reflecting the positions the skeletons were in when they died.  It seems interesting; although, the museum isn't primarily a dinosaur center, so the focus is equally or more on other exhibits.

Did I miss any?  Which one is your favorite?  Comment below and tell me!

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