It might be surprising for many to find out, but North America is one of the best spots in the world for digging dinosaur bones. For those amateur dino hunters, it makes for a fun adventure heading out to the parts of the country that have some great dinosaur experiences available.


While there are many great museums from Wyoming to Colorado, actually taking part in a mini dinosaur dig and following along the fossilized tracks of some prehistoric animals is a ton of fun. It can be a lot more fun to check some of these areas and walk in the dino tracks rather than just seeing a reconstructed dinosaur in a museum. So, if you have always had a love or interest in dinosaurs ever since seeing Jurassic Park, check out some of these dino hot spots across the United States!

Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway
This circular loop is the perfect place to start when looking for the best in dinosaur experiences. The 512 mile tour goes through parts of Colorado and Utah and features area like Grand Junction, Colorado and Moab, Utah.

Along this byway, you will be able to find some really popular sites like Dinosaur National Monument which features the famous dinosaur vault, an area where you can find the skeletons of various dinosaurs partially exposed in the red rock walls.

Dinosaur Digs
Located in Fruita, Colorado the Museum of Western Colorado offers single-day or multi-day dinosaur digging trips. The one day tour includes transportation from the museum to the site, lunch and guided instruction from a professional paleontologist.

Through the Wyoming Dinosaur Center & Dig Site, you can opt to go on a “dig for a day” program where you just might uncover real dinosaur fossils.

Perfect for the Kids
If you think a hike out in the desert might be a little much for the kids, then take a visit to the Museum of Ancient Life in Thanksgiving Point, Utah. This museum has one of the biggest collections of fossils in the entire country, and plenty of activities geared at getting kids into dinosaurs with a lot of interactive exhibits.

If you’re in the St. George, Utah area, don’t miss the St. George Discovery Site at Johnson Farm (often referred to as the Dinosaur Tracks Museum). Here you’ll find a vast number of dinosaur tracks, including rare squatting and swimming tracks. This center also offers activities like dinosaur origami, and you can watch paleontologists work on fossils!

Museums With Dinosaurs
In addition to the incredible dinosaur attractions discussed above, you may want to visit these museums, which feature some of the largest dinosaur skeletons in the world:

  • American Natural History Museum in New York City (How about seeing a 5-story dinosaur?)
  • Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC (The National Fossil Hall is under renovation through 2019, but you can still see your favorites on display.)
  • Field Museum in Chicago (The largest T-Rex ever found is here! They call her “Sue”.)
  • Ferbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta (The largest dino ever found, Argentinosaurus, is here!)

Have you been out on a dinosaur hunt? Is it something you want to do? Tell us about your favorite dinosaur attractions on Facebook!

Photo Credit: positivelyentertainment.com & amnh.org