By DullesMoms, Apr 2020
Take a peek at all the local, and some regional, opportunities to get up close and personal with fossils, dinosaur replicas, dig-pits, and more!
VIRGINIA
Dinosaur Land
White Post, VA
This 50-year-old roadside attraction features over 50 dinosaurs, inviting visitors to step into the world of the prehistoric past, turning back the pages of time to the Mesozoic era when dinosaurs were the only creatures that roamed the earth.
MARYLAND
Dinosaur Park
Laurel, MD
Have you ever wanted to walk exactly where dinosaurs once roamed around 115 million years ago? If so, explore the region’s ancient history at this unique and important preservation site in Maryland, where you can see fossils, bones, and teeth from the Cretaceous Period.
Maryland Science Center
Baltimore, MD
The Maryland Science Center encourages plenty of hands-on exploration, perfect for children and families! While there, be sure to visit Dinosaur Mysteries. Over a dozen full-size dinosaurs roam this exhibit hall! Walk under, over, and through a landscape filled with dig pits, a field lab, excavation sites, and other areas of discovery.
Calvert Cliffs State Park
Lusby, MD
The massive cliffs, formed 10 to 20 million years ago, dominate the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay for roughly 24 miles in Calvert County, MD. Once covered by a warm, shallow sea, when the water receded, the cliffs were exposed and began eroding.
Today these cliffs reveal the remains of prehistoric species, including sharks, whales, rays, and seabirds — some the size of small airplanes! The park also features a sandy beach, a recycled tire playground, fishing, a freshwater and tidal marshland, and 13 miles of hiking trails. Please note, the shortest route to the beach is 1.8 miles on the red trail, and no lifeguard is present. Despite the hike, the trip is well worth it at this popular destination.
Flag Ponds Nature Park
Lusby, MD
Millions of years ago, sharks, whales, crocodiles, and more inhabited the waters and shores around Flag Ponds Nature Park. To the sharp-eyed visitor, shark teeth and other Miocene fossils may be found along the park’s shoreline!
Discovery Station
Hagerstown, MD
The Discovery Station’s goal is to promote STEM education and local history through exhibits and programs! Kids will be excited to touch, feel, and play their way through the museum’s 2-stories of fun! A full-scale cast model of a Triceratops skull is on exhibit, as well as fossil tracings, and more.
WASHINGTON, DC
National Museum of Natural History
Wash, DC
Open 364 days a year with free admission, the National Museum of Natural History, a Smithsonian institution, has a collection that contains over 126 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts. Within the museum, the David H. Koch Hall of Fossils is home to 700 fossil specimens and covers a whopping 4.6 billion years of history!
Disclaimer: Events/opportunities are curated from public sources and are subject to changes/cancelations that might not be reflected on DullesMoms.com.
