Dinosaur Museums in California
Dinosaurs invoke a child's imagination and sense of wonder about the prehistoric world. Dinosaur museums bring this imagination to life and teach about creatures that once roamed the Earth, and how the planet and the living beings on it have changed throughout time. California has several natural history museums with dinosaur exhibits to explore.
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Museum of Natural History
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The Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles County has hundreds of dinosaur artifacts displayed for public view; some are even part of the touchable exhibits in the Dinosaur Institute. Touchable fossils include a T. Rex toe bone and a dinosaur footprint. The institute displays dinosaurs and other animals from the Mesozoic Era (250 to 65.5 million years old). Central to the Dinosaur Institute is the Dino Lab where visitors can watch as paleontologists clean, study and reconstruct dinosaur fossils.
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213) 763-DINO
nhm.org
University of California Museum of Paleontology
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The University of California Museum of Paleontology, located on the U.C. Berkeley campus, claims to have the "largest paleontological collection of any university museum in the world." The pieces in the collection are used to teach students of all ages. The museum is open only during special events and for school field trips, so plan your visit in advance. Teachers can call to schedule guided field trips during the school year. For general public viewing, the museum hosts an open house every April that includes tours and presentations.
Museum of Paleontology
University of California
1101 Valley Life Sciences Building
Berkeley, CA 94720
(510) 642-1821
ucmp.berkeley.edu/about/index.php -
San Diego Natural History Museum
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Become a paleontologist at the San Diego Natural History Museum's feature exhibit, Fossil Mysteries. This exhibit encourages visitors to touch and explore fossils to learn about the life of dinosaurs, from what they ate to how they moved. The museum also hosts traveling exhibits and movie presentations in their large screen theater. Past exhibits have included "DARWIN: Evolution/Revolution," "Water: A California Story" and "Wild California."
San Diego Natural History Museum
1788 El Prado
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 232-3821
sdnhm.org
Page Museum
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The world-famous La Brea Tar Pits are located in Los Angeles. The Page Museum houses the collection of fossils found in the tar pits. The tar pits are an active dig site with continual discoveries of new fossils, cleaned and set up for display. Visitors can view the fossils, tar pits and watch the researchers work.
Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits
5801 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-PAGE
tarpits.org
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- Photo Credit the dinosaur's head image by Natalia Pavlova from Fotolia.com
