Wyoming Dinosaur Center
110 Carter Ranch Rd, Thermopolis, WY
Thermopolis, WY
A hall of towering dinosaur skeletons steps from the working quarries where new bones still come out of the Wyoming rock.
The Wyoming Dinosaur Center is one of the few museums in the world where you can walk among towering mounted dinosaur skeletons and then step outside to see the very quarries where such bones are still being dug from the ground. Set in the fossil-rich Bighorn Basin at Thermopolis, it joins a serious research collection with active excavation on the same grounds.
Wyoming is one of the great dinosaur states, its ancient rock layers filled with the bones of creatures that lived here well over a hundred million years ago. The center brings that deep past to life with real fossils, full skeletons, and the rare chance for visitors to try their own hand at uncovering the past.
What Guests Love
- Towering mounted skeletons of dinosaurs under one roof
- Active dig sites on the same grounds, where real fossils still emerge
- Dig-for-a-day programs that let visitors work a real quarry
- Pairing dinosaurs with the town's hot springs for a full Thermopolis day
Worth Knowing
- The center is open year-round, with dig programs offered mainly in the warmer months
- Dig experiences often need advance booking, so plan ahead if you want to join one
- The dig sites are working quarries, so follow staff guidance closely
- It pairs naturally with Hot Springs State Park just across town
Details
Thermopolis, WY
Learn about Wyoming Dinosaur Center
A hall of giants
Inside, the center displays mounted skeletons of dinosaurs large and small, from long-necked plant eaters that towered over the ancient landscape to fierce predators. Many are casts, but the collection also holds real fossils and preparation areas where staff work to free bones from the surrounding rock.
The exhibits trace the age of dinosaurs and the changing environments of ancient Wyoming, when this dry high country lay under warm seas, swamps, and floodplains. Standing beneath the great skeletons gives a real sense of the scale of the creatures that once walked here.
Working quarries next door
What sets the center apart is that the dig sites are right on the property, in the hills a short ride away. These are working quarries where paleontologists and volunteers continue to excavate dinosaur bones from the rock, and new discoveries keep coming.
Visitors can tour the active sites and see fossils in the ground, exactly where they have lain for tens of millions of years. It is a rare window into how paleontology actually works, connecting the polished skeletons in the hall to the dusty, patient labor of the dig.
Digging into the past yourself
The center is known for its dig-for-a-day and similar programs, which let visitors join a working quarry and help uncover real fossils under the guidance of the staff. It is a hands-on experience that turns museum-goers into participants for a day.
For families and budding scientists, the chance to brush away rock and reveal a bone that has waited millions of years is unforgettable. These programs usually run in the warmer months and often need booking ahead, so it is worth planning if a dig is on your list.
Thermopolis and the fossil country
Thermopolis is best known for Hot Springs State Park and its steaming mineral terraces, so a visit here can pair prehistoric giants with a soak in the healing waters across town. The two make a full and varied day.
The Bighorn Basin all around is a landscape of colorful badlands and rock layers that continue to yield fossils, from dinosaurs to the fish of ancient lakes. The dinosaur center is the anchor for that deep-time story, open year-round and rewarding for anyone curious about the ancient life beneath Wyoming.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Thermopolis
Hot Springs State Park
About 2 miles west
Steaming mineral terraces, a bison herd, and a free public bathhouse on the Bighorn River.
Wind River Canyon
About 5 miles south
A dramatic canyon where highway and railroad thread past towering, layered rock walls.
Legend Rock Petroglyph Site
About 30 miles northwest
A cliff of ancient rock art, some of the oldest and most significant petroglyphs in the region.