Do Dinosaurs live in your house? Is your floor littered with dinosaur toys? Do you find dinosaurs in your children’s beds? If so, you may want to consider taking your children for a dinosaur hunt around the Twin Cities! We have two places that can always be counted on to entertain your young paleontologists and traveling shows nearly every year.

(Featured Image Photo Credit: Minnesota Children’s Museum, who sometimes have dinosaur exhibits)

images courtesy of the Science Museum of Minnesota

Upcoming Events Featuring Dinosaurs

02/23/19 Date with a Dino @ Eden Prairie Art Center – Participants get a playdate with a dino to create a fantastic work of dinosaur art. 10:30–11:30 a.m. Appropriate for ages 20 months-6 years with parent. Pre-Registration Required. $16/child.

03/27/19 Awesome Dinosaurs @ Pleasant Hilll Library – Learn where dinos lived, how they hatched, how big they were, what they ate and even how they may have sounded from science teacher Rob Ellos and his puppet assistant Chomper in this fun, interactive program. 10:30–11:15 a.m. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

03/28/19 Awesome Dinosaurs @ Inver Glenn Library – Learn where dinos lived, how they hatched, how big they were, what they ate and even how they may have sounded from science teacher Rob Ellos and his puppet assistant Chomper in this fun, interactive program. 10:30–11:30 a.m. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

04/10/19 Dino Discovery Workshop-Woodbury, Eden Prairie, Savage @ Kidcreate Studio – Your young artists will create their own diorama complete with a toy dinosaur. 9:30-10:15 a.m. Appropriate for ages 18 months-6 years with parent. Pre-Registration Required. $16/child.

Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live was a traveling show that came through the Twin Cities in 2017:

L: Hallie Goodman, R: Kelley Selzick, DINOSAUR ZOO LIVE. Photo by C. Waits

Permanent Dinosaurs Exhibits

Science Museum of Minnesota
The obvious place to visit to learn about dinosaurs is the Science Museum of Minnesota. Where else can you find full-size dinosaur skeletons, dinosaur books, dinosaur toys? I’ve spent entire visits in this section of the museum alone. While many museum dinosaurs are reproductions, the Science Museum’s Triceratops is one of only four real skeletons, as well as the largest specimen, on display in the world.

Budget Idea: If you have a pint-sized dinosaur lover and you don’t want to pay SMM admission for what could be a very short visit, you can still visit the T-Rex in the lobby and touch its tooth for FREE. Then walk over to George Latimer Library to read about Dinosaurs together in the cozy children’s section.

Cool Fact: Did you know that many of the Dinosaur reproductions seen in museums all around the country are made right here in the Twin Cities by, Blue Rhino Studios in Eagan? See their work at the Bell Museum’s Ice Age exhibit.

The Bell
While the Bell doesn’t have any actual dinosaurs, they do have an Ice Age Exhibit in their Tree of Life Gallery. Mammoths are pretty cool, too. In the Bell’s updated Touch and See lab, kids can pretend to be real paleontologists with identification guides, magnifying glasses, and other scientific tools.

ValleyFair
Dinosaurs Alive! at ValleyFair features over 30 life-sized and scientifically accurate animatronic dinosaur figures. The exhibit presents scenes and stories based on real fossil evidence and the latest paleontological knowledge. You can even download an educational guide to add to your visit.

Dinosaur Fossil Hunting Road-Trip

Did you know that there have been only three dinosaur bones found in Minnesota? One of them was found in a Hill Annex mine. Here is Joy’s story of the Peters family dinosaur-inspired fossil hunt: Fossil Hunting at Hill Annex State Park.

For some fun home study to go with your hunt, you can learn more about what prehistoric creatures lived in Minnesota here.

The Mesabi Bike Trail along Hill Annex Park – Where You Can Go on a Fossil Dig