I wanted to take my son to see some dinosaur fossils, since he’s studying all about them at school this month. But were? The new California Academy of sciences has a section devoted to dinosaurs and fossils, but I wasn’t ready to brave the crowds.
So I found the perfect alternative for our day trip: the University of California Museum of Paleontology in Berkeley. This museum is housed in the Life Sciences building on the university campus. It’s not a typical museum, as the exhibits are spread out in the halls of this building of research and study. We spent about half an hour and saw all of the displays.
These are some of the fossils we enjoyed viewing the most:
- There is a freestanding mount of T-rex in the atrium, and a Pteranodon hanging over his head. Next to the big guy, is a computer exhibit where kids can find out more about the life and times of the Tyrannosaurus.
- Climb the stairwell past the T-rex and head through the doors of the natural sciences library to find where the Triceratops hang out. There you can view the smallest Triceratops skull ever found, and plenty of studious college kids. My son was just as much in awe of the big kids at the library, as he was of the fossil displays.
- Among some of the other fossils you’ll find on the second floor, is the Archaeopteryx, the world’s earliest known feathered bird.
Useful tidbits: The UCMP website has details on what fossils you will find on display, as well as some cool links on other dino-related information. You can view the displays as long as the Natural Sciences building and library is open. The museum is free of charge.
The university has plenty of other museums and areas to explore after your visit. I would definitely add a visit to the Lawrence Hall of Science.
awesome, awesome find. what a perfect alternative. we’d be much happier to go to a place like this than wade through chaos and hordes at a more popular museum. seriously, i need your kids go east out here.
So, in my 6-year old’s school journal, his teacher asked him if he has ever seen dinosaur bones. My son wrote back, no. WHAT?! We see dinosaur bones all the time in museums, but when I thought about it, we actually hadn’t been to a museum in a while. I think it will be okay to take a ditch day from school to reacquaint him, don’t you think?
Coming from a teacher, trust me I totally get that kids always say they haven’t seen things. I took my kid to La Brea tar pits last year, and he didn’t “remember” the fossils he saw. Aaahh!
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i love dinosaurs and everything that goes with it. i lived in Colorado where a lot of excavations are still in effect. also, we found a cool dinosaur park in Costa Rica, if you can believe:) my son loved it. it’s nothing like where you’ve been, but who would have thought of anything at all in Costa Rica.
The Travel Expert(a) – Living and Traveling Central America
Innovative thinking! Dinosaurs on Berkeley campus? Did you already know about this, or did the dinosaur school study spur a search? We haven’t braved the Cal Academy yet either, we’ve been waiting for the right time, if that exists.
I’ve been researching places to go see dino. fossils for about a year ago. Who knows where I read about it first, but I have a hunch it was in one of a cool Bay Area guidebooks I have. I’m going to share some of those titles, hopefully in a post next week.
And I’m hoping to make it to Cal Academy this summer.