If you’ve got kids going through a dinosaur phase or are curious about history, taking the family to see dinosaurs in New Jersey should be on your bucket list. After all, NJ is where the world’s first complete dinosaur skeleton was discovered, and because of that milestone discovery, NJ has an official state dinosaur (the Hadrosaurus, in case you were wondering). Whether it’s seeing a T-Rex roar back to life, going on a dino dig, or exploring the site where the first bones were found, there’s something for every age and dino enthusiast. Scroll down for 10 places to see dinosaurs in New Jersey and nearby and learn more about these prehistoric reptiles. (featured image taken at Field Station: Dinosaurs)
10 ways to see dinosaurs in New Jersey and nearby
Get ready for a Dino Dig Adventure at Liberty Science Center, and maybe you will unearth some dinosaurs in New Jersey. Photo taken at Liberty Science Center
Dinosaurs in North Jersey
Dino Dig Adventure at Liberty Science Center
Kids will love spending time in the pits at the Dino Dig Adventure. The three covered pits hold over 60 tons of sand, and littles can work like paleontologists to find what’s buried underneath. As they brush away the grains, they’ll uncover fossils from seven dinosaur species and even dig for dino “poop.”
222 Jersey City Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07305
(201) 200-1000
Riker Hill Fossil Site
This is an excellent place for you dino-lover to explore to see actual dino tracks. This Essex County site is one of only two known locations along the Northeastern coast where large numbers of dinosaur footprints are preserved.
Sunshine Lane, Livingston, NJ 07039
(973) 268-3500
Come face-to-face with dinosaurs at Field Station: Dinosaurs in NJ.
Field Station: Dinosaurs
Travel to the prehistoric past at Field Station, where you can enjoy dinosaur shows, walk along wooded trails with live-action dinosaurs, and partake in dino-themed experiences. While kids will be amazed at how the dinos are so lifelike, they’ll also get a science lesson on the habits and facts about each prehistoric predator. For more info on how to make the most of your trip, we’ve got tips from our excursion to Field Station: Dinosaurs.
3 Overpeck Park Driveway, Leonia, NJ 07605
(855) 999-9010
Dinosaurs in Central Jersey
Rutgers Geology Museum
Kids will be in awe to know that the fossils and skeletons here were all found in parts of NJ. You can take a guided museum tour and enjoy their special events, including dinosaur-related activities such as making a fossil necklace and constructing a moveable dinosaur.
85 Somerset Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(848) 932-7243
Big Brook Fossils
Kids will feel like real explorers at this site, where they can dig for teeth and fossils from the Late Cretaceous period, about 70 million years ago. You’ll search through rivers and mud, so make sure to wear rubber boots. Check the website for fossil regulations and places to find them.
95 Hillsdale Road, Colts Neck, NJ 07722
The New Jersey State Museum is filled with fossils, bones, and minerals. Photo Credit: @nj_statemuseum
New Jersey State Museum Fossils
There are 2 million prehistoric and historical pieces in Archaeology & Ethnography, consisting of specimens from all over the world brought back to New Jersey. The museum’s Natural History exhibit features collections of native fossils, bones, minerals and ores, and animal studies. Look out for fossil-collecting trip events too.
205 West State St., Trenton, NJ 08608
(609) 292-6464
Dinosaurs in South Jersey
Hadrosaurus Lane and Hadrosaurs Discovery Site
Here’s a fun fact: NJ is where paleontologists found the world’s first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton. While you won’t see the actual Hadrosaurus Foulkii (it’s in a museum archive in Philadelphia), you can stand on the discovery site (marked by a plaque) where dinos once roamed and see a recreated statue in the center of downtown. This historic landmark gives you the history of bones and the importance of such a milestone discovery.
Sculpture: 37e Lantern Ln, Haddonfield, NJ 08033
Park: Grove St. and Maple Ave., Haddonfield, NJ. Located in a wooded area at the end of Maple Avenue, Haddonfield. Video with more information on site.
(856) 919-5055
COMING IN SPRING 2024: Jen & Ric Edelman Fossil Park and Museum at Rowan University
This new museum, located above a quarry filled with 66-million-year-old marine and terrestrial fossils, will show a record of the last moments of the dinosaur world. The museum will feature exhibit galleries, full-scale reconstructions of extinct creatures, hands-on learning experiences, live animal attractions, virtual reality, connections to the natural world, and gathering spaces to build a community around the themes of exploration, discovery, and responsible stewardship of our planet.
201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ 08028
(856) 256-4000
Dinosaurs near New Jersey
Museum of Natural History
If you want to see the home of the world’s most extensive collection of dinosaur fossils, take a trip over the Hudson to New York City. Kids will be in awe of the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs, which displays fossils from one of the two major groups of dinosaurs. Beyond that, check out the first fossil dinosaur specimen collected by Museum researchers, mock-ups of a fossil site in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, and a cast of the fossilized remains of a nesting oviraptorid female, confirming dinosaurs incubated their eggs like modern birds.
200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5102
(212) 769-5100
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
When you enter the Academy of Natural Sciences, you can’t miss the 42-foot, 7.5-ton Tyrannosaurus rex—this and many other dinosaurs and Mesozoic creatures will greet you in the hall. You can also see dinosaur eggs, footprints, sculptures, murals, paleontologist tools, a life-size model showing the internal anatomy of a Stegosaurus, and a green-screen video studio where kids can project images into a world full of dinosaurs.
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1000
Have you seen dinosaurs in New Jersey? We’d love to hear about it!
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