Wyoming Dinosaur Center

Address:110 Carter Ranch Rd.
Thermopolis, Wyoming
Tel: (307) 864-2997

Visit one of the few dinosaur museums in the world to have its own excavation localities within driving distance of its laboratory. Search for dinosaur fossils as part of a Dig For A Day program with paleo-technicians on an active dinosaur dig!

The Wyoming Dinosaur Center boasts over 200 displays throughout the museum and dozens of full-size mounted skeletons, including over 20 dinosaurs. The museum is located at the site where modern-day paleontologists have unearthed dinosaur bones from the Jurassic period and visitors can see on display real eggs, shells, and other dino remnants from around the world. Except in winter, visitors can take guided tours of dig sites, and then watch workers clean and prepare bones in the laboratory at the center. Visitors can also get dirty with the center's Dig for a Day program ($125 per person).

Recently the Wyoming Dinosaur Center made headlines when it acquired the Thermopolis Specimen of Archaeopteryx, which was in private hands for decades before an anonymous donor gave it to the museum. Another notable discovery is the "SI" site, a rare occurrence of both footprints and skeletal fossils located in the same context. There is also an impressive display of pre-Mesozoic fossils, including numerous Devonian fish, so don't miss this awesome spectacle of natural history!

To get to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center from Yellowstone National Park (approximately 220 miles, taking 6 hours) head west on US-14. In Cody, Wyoming, turn right (south) onto WY-120. Go 81.5 miles. WY-120 becomes Broadway St. at Thermopolis Town Center. Continue straight.

The Wyoming Dinosaur Center has 12,000 square feet of exhibition area. Fossils and life forms from earliest geologic time periods are displayed in a chronological perspective. There are over 200 displays throughout the museum. The central hall houses dozens of full-size mounted skeletons, including over 20 dinosaurs.