Journey Through Time to Midwest, Michigan Dinosaur Museums & Attractions
Do you have a budding paleontologist or dinosaur enthusiast in your family?
Get ready to roar like a T-Rex because this list is for anyone in Michigan or the Midwest that loves dinosaurs!
There are a ton of cool places – dinosaur museums, dinosaur parks – dinosaur events – where you can see and learn about these fascinating creatures.
Add these stops to your Michigan bucket list – let’s go!
Brachiosaurus at WMU’s dinosaur park in Kalamazoo, MI
In this Article
Dinosaur Parks & Gardens
Would you like to stop at a theme park filled with life-sized dinosaur replicas? Yes?
Then it’s time to head to a dinosaur park!
While the attractions at these parks very greatly from venue to venue, you can be sure they’re all dinosaur-themed.
1 – Western Michigan University Dinosaur Park
2101 Wilbur Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49006
The WMU Dinosaur Park is a free outdoor park that is open to the public.
Visit to see seven (soon to be 10!) large-scale model replica dinosaurs, Brachiosaurus included
Triceratops at Western Michigan University Dinosaur Park in Kalamazoo, MI
Located just east of Rood Hall, this dinosaur park is tucked away on Western Michigan University’s campus.
Dinosaurs to See Here:
Get face to face with a Brachiosaurus, Spinosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Utahraptor and Parasaurolophus.
Free Bonus!
Go inside Rood Hall to the first floor.
That’s where you’ll find the Schmaltz Geology Museum and can spot Mastodon fossils, mineral specimens, and shark teeth. 
Shark teeth on display in Schmaltz Geology Museum – Source
The museum is free to enter and is open Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm (except for holidays and university closures).
2 – Dinosaur Gardens
11160 U.S. 23 South Ossineke, MI, 49766
Located just south of Alpena, MI, you’ll want to visit Dinosaur Gardens. It’s a 40-acre dinosaur park that’s open in the summertime and has been around for generations.
Take the self-guided half-mile walk to mosey amongst 13 different gigantic prehistoric creatures.
Educational signs outline dinosaur facts at each stop.
Dinosaurs to See Here:
You will be up close and personal with 13 different large scale model dinosaurs, including a Velociraptor & Stegosaurus.
📷 T-Rex at Dinosaur Gardens
Bonus:
To add more to your adventure, Dinosaur Gardens offers packages that include a variety of activities, including a fossil dig, miner’s sluice, putt putt golf and a gift shop.
Dinosaurs Museums in Michigan
If you want a dinosaur visit that includes fossils, dino replicas, and a place to see what life was like when dinosaurs were alive, you’ll want to find a dinosaur museum to visit.
Lucky for us, we have several museums with dinosaur exhibits in Michigan, as well as in nearby states.
3 – MSU Museum Dinosaur Exhibit
The MSU Museum: 409 W Circle Dr, East Lansing, MI 48823
The MSU Museum features an astonishing exhibit featuring two massive, fully articulated dinosaur skeletons and plenty of other fascinating fossils.
The dinosaur exhibit is located in Habitat Hall inside The MSU Museum.
Dinosaurs to See Here:
A complete skeleton of a Stegosaurus and Allosaurus, a life size T-Rex skull, plus a collection of various dinosaur skulls from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
📷 Stegosaurus at MSU Museum Dinosaur Exhibit
Bonus:
Admission is free to this museum but registration is required.
4 – University of Michigan Museum of Natural History
Biological Sciences Building, 2nd Floor.
1105 North University Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109
At the U of M Museum of Natural History, you will find an exhibit that will take you on a journey through 4 billion years of life on earth. You will discover dinosaur skeletons and other prehistoric animals.
Dinosaurs to See Here:
Dolichorhynchops, a short-necked plesiosaur of the Cretaceous period that lived in the shallow seas covering the land that is now Wyoming and Kansas.
Majungasaurus, a late Cretaceous dinosaur from the Mahajanga province of Madagascar and the largest predator of its environment.
📷Dinosaur Cast at University of Michigan Natural History Museum
Bonus:
Admission to this museum is free.
Traveling Dinosaur Museum Exhibitions
Periodically, Michigan museums, like the Cranbrook Institute of Science, the Ella Sharp Museum, Detroit Science Center, or the Grand Rapids Public Museum will host traveling dinosaur exhibits.
Currently, the Ella Sharp Museum and Cranbrook Institute of Science are hosting traveling dino displays.
📷 A Past Grand Rapids Public Museum Dinosaur Exhibit
5 – Cranbrook Institute of Science
39221 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303
*Open now through April 30, 2023
Come and experience the awe-inspiring power of SUE: The T-REX Exhibition, straight from The Field Museum in Chicago.
Make a trip to the Cranbrook Institute of Science and you will experience what it may have been like in the middle of a battle between a mighty T-Rex and an Edmontosaurus with the floor to ceiling screen.
Dinosaurs to See Here:
Visitors will be greeted by an exact cast of the famous T-Rex named Sue. She measures in at 40 feet from snout to tail and 13 feet tall at the hip.
📷 Sue the T-Rex from The Field Museum in Chicago, IL
Bonus:
Stop by the interactive stations to smell prehistoric plants and scientists’ best guess of what SUE’s breath would have smelled like. Plus, you can hear how deep a dinosaur’s roar really is.
6 – Ella Sharp Museum
3225 4th St, Jackson, MI 49203
*Open now through May 14, 2023
Discover the enchanting world of Dinosaur Safari, where lifelike, dynamic dinosaurs come to life, capturing the imagination of young ones.
At the Ella Sharp Museum, kids can climb on a dinosaur, engage in imaginative play by dressing up in a safari tent or driving a safari jeep, and discover big, realistic simulated fossils at two excavation sites.
Dinosaurs to See Here:
You will be amazed by seven animatronic dinosaurs including a T-Rex, Triceratops & Pterodactyl. 
📷 Pterodactyl at the Ella Sharp Museum
Note:
For those sensitive to loud noises, bring headphones.
Traveling Dinosaur Events
Keep an eye out for traveling dinosaur-themed events. They tend to visit a city for a few days or weeks and then move along and are not typically associated with a museum.
Some national tours that are known to visit Michigan and the Midwest include:
Jurassic Quest
– Chicago: March 3 – 5, 2023
– Indianapolis: April 14 – 16, 2023
Dinos Alive
Dino & Dragon Stroll will be back on tour spring 2023.
Indoor Dinosaur Play
If your little one is a dinosaur lover and just wants a fun dinosaur backdrop, consider a visit to an indoor, dinosaur-themed play area.
7 – Stage Nature Center
6685 Coolidge Hwy, Troy, MI 49098
At Stage Nature Center in Troy, MI, kids will love pretending to be an archaeologist as they dig through rubber mulch for Mastodon fossils at this indoor dig site.
After you’ve discovered fossils, stop by the exhibit hall to learn about Michigan’s native wildlife, see live animals on the aqua wall then hit up the trails for some fresh air.
📷 Mastodon Dig Site at Stage Nature Center
Bonus:
Free Admission
8 – Fun Zonez
27200 Joy Rd, Redford Charter Twp, MI 48239
Fun Zonez is located 25 minutes west of Detroit near Livonia.
Play, eat and celebrate at this dinosaur themed indoor family fun center. Immerse yourself in virtual reality games, Jurassic World themed laser tag, a dinosaur themed play structure, toddler area + more.
Dinosaurs to See Here:
Take in the life sized animatronic dinosaurs, including a T-Rex.
📷 Animatronic T-Rex at Fun Zonez
9 – Dinoland
26450 Ford Rd, Dearborn Heights, MI 48127
Bring your socks to play at Dinoland.
Let your kids channel their inner dinosaurs and release their boundless energy at this indoor play area and café, designed with a dino-themed twist.
Littles 12 months and up will love the soft climbing play structures, slides, tunnels and the life like dinosaurs.
📷 Dinoland
Bonus:
Free admission for adults.
Midwest Dinosaur Exhibits, Parks & Museums
If you’re a dinosaur enthusiast, you’ll find the Midwest’s dinosaur exhibits, museums, and experiences to be incredibly fascinating.
With just a weekend trip to Indianapolis or Chicago, you can immerse yourself in some of the region’s most impressive dinosaur-related activities. 
Archaeology Lab and Dig Site inside of the Indianapolis Children’s Museum
10 – Children’s Museum of Indianapolis – Indianapolis, IN
3000 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208
Why you should go:
At the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis you can explore three floors filled with dinosaur skeletons, casts, dig sites, and even have the opportunity to touch real dinosaur bones. 
Contemplate and theorize which dinosaur would be victorious in a hypothetical battle between a Triceratops and a T-Rex.
The whole family will be captivated by the chance to design their very own dinosaur, which is brought to life on a projection screen.
Dinosaur casts at the Indianpolis Children’s Museum
Bonus:
Dinosaur Train the traveling exhibit is visiting and open until July 30, 2023.
11 – Jurassic Gardens – North of Chicago, IL
27582 Volo Village Rd, Volo, IL 60073
Why you should go:
Immerse yourself in a thrilling adventure at Jurassic Gardens, featuring more than 30 animated dinosaurs, dark passageways, and thundering sound effects.
Engage in a hands-on experience at the Dino-lab, Dino-dig, and Moldville Plastic Factory, where you can create your very own plastic dinosaur right before your eyes.
📷 T-Rex from Jurassic Gardens
Note:
For those sensitive to loud noises, bring headphones.
12 – Field Museum – Chicago, IL
1400 S Lake Shore Dr. Chicago, IL 60605
Why you should go:
At the Field Museum, you can encounter the largest dinosaur ever discovered by scientists. Meet Maximo the Titanosaur, a towering long-necked herbivore that originated in Argentina.
For an in-depth look at this colossal creature, catch his story from hatching to adulthood at the 3D theater.
📷 Maximo the Titanosaur from The Field Museum
Bonus:
You can explore the rich history of the earth and its inhabitants, from single-celled organisms to humankind, by visiting Griffin Halls of Evolving Planet plus you’ll see Sue the T-Rex too. This exhibit is included with admission.
13 – Children’s Museum – Chicago, IL
700 East Grand Ave. Suite 127, Chicago, Illinois 60611
Why you should go:
Make your next destination in Chicago the Children’s Museum, where kids can have a blast digging for bones in the excavation pit and embarking on an adventure to discover a realistic re-creation of a Saharan expedition.
📷 Excavation pit at Chicago Children’s Museum
14 – Bess Bower Dunn Museum – North of Chicago, IL
1899 West Winchester Rd, Libertyville IL 60048
Why you should go:
At the Dunn Museum you can observe their oldest artifact, a fossil rock estimated to be 420 million years old. Additionally, you can learn about the dinosaurs that lived in Lake County, and get up close and personal with Dunn’s very own Dryptosaurus.
📷 Fossils from Dunn Museum
Bonus:
Don’t forget to help excavate the ice age dig site.
15 – Center of Science & Industry – Columbus, OH
333 West Broad St. Columbus, OH 43215
Why you should go:
Embark on a journey to COSI and prepare to be thrilled by the sight of a six-foot-long mechanical T-Rex model that moves in place, an eight-foot-long femur belonging to a Titanosaur, and a life-size model of an Oviraptor nest with 20 eggs that can be climbed on.
Your admission to COSI includes access to “Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs,” where you can learn about these prehistoric flying creatures through casts of rare fossils, life-size models, and interactive exhibits that allow for hands-on exploration.
📷 Center of Science & Industry (COSI) Dinosaur Exhibit
16 – Fossil Park – NW of Toledo, OH
5705 Centennial Road, Sylvania, Ohio
Why you should go:
Fossil Park abounds in fossilized brachiopods, coral, and over 200 different species of prehistoric life. Uncover these hidden riches through excavation and keep what you discover!
📷 Fossil Park
Bonus:
Fossil hunting, admission & parking are free.
Dinosaur FAQs
What dinosaurs lived in Michigan?
Dinosaurs fossils have never been discovered in Michigan. Fossils tell us that prehistoric creatures like wooly mammoths and mastodons once roamed Michigan, though.
Are Mastodons Dinosaurs?
Mastodons (mammal) are not dinosaurs (reptile), although they are prehistoric creatures. Mastodons and dinosaurs did not roam the Earth together – they existed during different time periods. For reference, mastodons were similar in size to Triceratops but mastodons looked like shaggy elephants
Are mastodons a big deal in Michigan?
Yes! The state fossil of Michigan is the Mastodon. So many mastodon fossils were found in Michigan that in 2002, school kids from Washtenaw & Wayne counties campaigned to make the mastodon the Michigan State Fossil, They were successful! it became our state fossil in 2002. The most recent Mastodon fossil was found in 2022 in Kent County and will hopefully be displayed in the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
