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Dinosaur State Park

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grannola
grannola
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5 out of 5
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Local Secrets, Big Finds 2007 Pick

  • January 17, 2008
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Local Secrets from New York, New York
If you've ever doubted whether there were dinosaurs in Connecticut, these tracks will set the record straight. In 1966, 2,000 dinosaur tracks were accidentally unearthed during an excavation for a new state building a few miles south of Hartford, and two years later Dinosaur State Park officially opened. Today, 500 of the tracks are enclosed under a geodesic dome while the other 1,500 are buried for preservation. The tracks are of "amazing quality," and the center goes beyond its display to host interactive projects for kids. With 55,000 square feet of exhibit space and two miles of nature trails showcasing plants that thrived during the Age of Dinosaurs, Dinosaur State Park encourages visitors to spend at least an hour and a half wandering the grounds. The park is open year round, and the exhibit center is enclosed, so your experience will be "weatherproof."

www.travelocity.com/localsecrets
Editor Pick

Dinosaur State Park

  • October 1, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by grannola from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dinosaur State Park

We were driving north on I-91 when we saw the signs for Dinosaur State Park and decided to give it a try.

The park consists of nature trails and an interpretive center/museum. The trails are free, but the museum cost $5 for adults and $2 for kids (preschoolers free). The museum is not huge, but it is very impressive. It has lots of interactive displays, and a really cool collection of dinosaur footprints.

It seems like the museum is built right on top of a collection of footprints. You could look at the prints and imagine that dinosaurs had walked by in packs.

We learned that the first dino footprints were discovered in the Connecticut valley in 1802. We also learned that dinosaur footprints are found in areas where dinosaur bones are not found. It takes completely different conditions to save one compared to the other.

The baby loved that he could look through Plexiglas even at his height and see the displays. The 8-year-old was able to read the instructions and try some of the little activities. The 4-year-old said she was scared of the pretend lightning, but she did pretty good. She needed a walk, so she was much happier when Mom took her outside to enjoy the park for a few minutes.

We went into the program room at the end of the visit and the kids read dinosaur books, made dinosaur puzzles, and played with dinosaur puppets. I decided to check out the small gift shop. The shop had dinosaur everything, but I had to get a fossilized shark’s tooth (29 cents), a postcard (50 cents), a snowglobe pencil sharpener ($1) a mug with a dino footprint ($1), and a wallet ($1). Gotta love a sale! J]

The clerks were very helpful in recommending other Connecticut attractions.

Although it was small, we definitely got our money’s worth out of the $12 total admission. The park is open 9-5.

We did not get a chance to fully experience the walking trails, since it was a completely unplanned stop, but it was certainly enjoyable.

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