Ever since I was a child, I’ve always had a fascination with dinosaurs. These mysterious creatures no longer roam the earth, of course, and their closest living descendants are birds. The only way we can get up close and personal with a dinosaur is in a museum.
Of course, the good news is there are loads of museums around the world where you can see them. If the paleontologist in you is yearning to see examples of these weird and wonderful creatures, where should you go?
Fear not, because I have compiled a list of dinosaur museums around the world for you to visit! It’s likely there is a dinosaur museum that isn’t too far away from where you live. Check them out below, in no particular order:
Canberra, Australia: The National Dinosaur Museum
Ahh, Australia. The home of fascinating marsupials like the kangaroo, and various other creatures great and small. Did you know that, in the heart of Australia, lies one of the world’s best dinosaur museums?
Built-in 1993, Australia’s National Dinosaur Museum is home to an array of dinosaur fossils. It’s also got plenty of dinosaur skeletons, animatronic displays, and more!
“Stan” greets all visitors to the museum’s dinosaur garden. In case you didn’t know, Stan is a 65-foot tall dinosaur!
Zigong, China: Zigong Dinosaur Museum
If you live in or are planning to visit China, be sure to check out the Zigong Dinosaur Museum. The location of that museum is actually the place where many dinosaur fossils were found!
It spans an impressive 710,000 square feet and features over 30 dinosaur skeletons found in Zigong alone. The museum also spans three storeys, so you’ve got plenty to look at when you visit. Many of the exhibits are from the Jurassic period.
Washington, D.C., USA: Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
We all know that the Smithsonian museums are famous worldwide for its exhibits. The Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. is no exception.
It houses a new “Fossil Hall” opened just a few months ago (June 2019). If you take a walk in there, you’ll come across hundreds of fossil specimens. One of my personal favorites is the Tyrannosaurus Rex!
Paris, France: Natural History Museum
One place you should add to your “bucket list” of cities around the world to visit is Paris. The French capital is all that you’d expect and more: cosmopolitan, bustling with style, and full of history.
Talking of history, you should take the time to visit the Natural History Museum. Or should I say “museums” in the plural, as there are four dotted across the city! There’s a whole heap of dinosaur exhibits for you to gaze at in astonishment.
Brussels, Belgium: the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science
If you happen to be in neighboring Belgium, visit the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science. It boasts the largest collection of dinosaur exhibits in Europe, and it’s not hard to see why.
Established almost 200 years ago, the museum offers visitors a wide range of exhibits. It’ll be sure to satisfy even the most curious of budding historians and would-be paleontologists!
You’ll even find a selection of feathered dinosaurs available to view. Plus, you can even check out the plateosaurus, a dinosaur that lived in the Late Triassic period.
Dickenson, North Dakota, USA: Badlands Dinosaur Museum
One of the coolest places to visit if you’re an avid dinosaur fan is the Badlands Dinosaur Museum. It’s based in Dickenson, North Dakota, and has been around since the early 1990s.
There’s a wide variety of exhibits to explore at the museum. I recommend planning a trip there first thing in the morning, as it can get very busy!
If you’re keen to look for dinosaurs, the museum is looking for volunteer fieldworkers in the summer. So, if you want the chance to discover and dig up a dinosaur, contact them for more information!
Alberta, Canada: the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology
One of the leading dinosaur museums in Canada is in Alberta. A visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology is in order if you’re in that part of the world.
Their collection features a vast array of specimens. It even includes a dinosaur discovered as recently as 2011: the Borealopelta markmitchelli. It’s a species from the Lower Cretaceous period that was discovered in oil sands near Fort McMurray.
That particular dinosaur got named after a technician, Mark Mitchell. He spent over five years meticulously removing rock from the well-preserved specimen, getting it ready for study.
Katsuyama, Japan: the Fukui Dinosaur Museum
As you might’ve guessed by now, dinosaurs were prevalent across much of the world. Japan is no exception to that fact, and it is there that you will find a leading museum on the subject.
The Fukui Dinosaur Museum only opened in 2000, and so is one of the country’s newest museums. The site of the museum was chosen due to the discovery of dinosaurs found in the area. In fact, the Fukui Dinosaur Museum is under four miles away from an excavation site!
There is a variety of exhibits to peruse, including over 40 dinosaur skeletons. There’s also some dinosaur animatronics on display too.
London, England: the Natural History Museum
It’s no secret that London’s Natural History Museum is home to hundreds of exhibitions. But, the ones, in particular, that will interest you the most are the dinosaur specimens.
It even features part of the first Tyrannosaurus Rex ever discovered on the planet. There is also opportunities for children and adults to have “sleepovers” there on certain dates each year. Imagine waking up to a dinosaur!
Can’t get dinosaurs out of your mind?
I hope you’ve enjoyed my selection of dinosaur museums around the world to visit. Wherever you are on the planet, there’s bound to be one on that list near to you that you can visit.
In the meantime, what should you do if you can’t get rid of your dinosaur fever? Well, would a life-size dinosaur replica for your home make you feel better? Check out onlydinosaurs.com if you want to DIY your own life-size replicas!
