Texas is home to several amazing dinosaur museums.
From the small to the large, they all have one thing in common- they are educational, fun, and open to everyone!
These museums are great for kids of all ages where they can learn about dinosaurs or even volunteer at some of the museums that offer educational programs.
Check out these dinosaur museums in the Lone Star State to visit with your kids.
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Best Dinosaur Museums in Texas
From dinosaur fossils and dinosaur bones to dinosaur eggs and dinosaur tracks, these paleontology museums in Texas are the best places to learn about dinosaurs.
These museums have been collecting dinosaur fossils including bones, teeth, and trace fossils.
Some of the museums are the only places you can see specimens local to Texas such as the Onion Creek mosasaur and the Alamosaurus.
Here are our favorite places to take little paleontologists for an afternoon of exploration and discoveries.
Also Read: 16 Best family-friendly beach vacations in Texas
Houston Museum of Natural Science
The Morian Hall of Paleontology of the Houston Museum of Natural Science is home to one of the largest dinosaur fossil collections in America.
At the dinosaur hall, visitors can see not one but three T-Rex skeletons.
The theropod tyrannosaurus lived during the Cretaceous period and seeing the gigantic beast’s remains is an awe-inspiring experience.
The museum also has the most complete Triceratops skeleton ever found in the world.
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Located in Dallas, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science has plenty of prehistoric fossils to keep little dino lovers happy.
The highlight here is the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton located at the top of the escalator.
This is the second most complete T-rex skeleton ever found!
It even has a name- Stan!
The museum has many other dinosaur skeletons including the sauropod Alamosaurus, hadrosaurs, and more.
The museum also has a fossil dig area for kids as well as several educational programs.
Texas Memorial Museum
The Texas Memorial Museum is located on the UT Austin campus and is a must-visit for children.
The Hall of Geology and Paleontology at the museum has amazing exhibits including some of the lesser-known dinosaurs such as Chasmosaurus, Kritosaurus, the Onion Creek mosasaur, Alamosaurus, and more!
Apart from dinosaurs, the museum also has fossils of other animals that lived at different periods in history including the Ice Age.
The best part is that the museum is free to visit for UT Austin students and employees.
Travel Tip
Want to see skeletons and fossils of Ice Age Columbian Mammoths that lived in Texas?
Read our guide to visiting Waco Mammoth National Monument.
Austin Nature & Science Center
Another great dinosaur attraction in the Austin area!
While the museum has many interesting geology and scientific exhibits, the highlight here is Dino Pit.
The educational dig site provides visitors the opportunity to get hands-on and discover their own excavated remains of ancient beasts.
The exhibit is amazing to visit.
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
The museum in Fort Worth is a great place to learn about the dinosaurs that lived in North Texas.
Their dinosaur exhibit is called the ‘Lone Star Dinosaurs’ and features unique newly discovered Texas dinosaurs including the state dinosaur.
Their DinoLab is equally amazing where kids can try to make their own dinosaurs as well as interact with them.
On a visit, you can see fossils, enjoyed the dig pit, and have a great time.
Witte Museum in San Antonio
The Witte Museum in San Antonio is a great place to see the dinosaurs that lived in Texas million years ago.
The Naylor Family Dinosaur Gallery is perfect for kids of all ages.
They can see Acrocanthosaurus, marine prehistoric reptiles such as mosasaurs and giant sea turtles, flying pterodactyls, and of course everyone’s favorite T-Rex!
The Heritage Museum of Texas Hill Country
The Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country in Canyon Lake is a hidden gem when it comes to dinosaurs.
Here you will find several specimens of fossilized tracks made by the extinct beasts million years ago.
You can see the dinosaurs on a guided tour as well as play with their sculptures outside.
The Fossil Ridge Discovery Tour allows older kids to find their own fossils.
Dinosaur Science Museum and Research Center
Located in Keene, Texas this museum has over 30,000 dinosaur bones!
Very few people know about this museum located on the Southwestern Adventist University Campus.
The museum is a working research facility and conducts fossil-finding expeditions in Wyoming every summer.
As a result, it constantly keeps adding to its collection of dinosaur fossils.
On a visit, kids can learn not just about dinosaurs but also about the fossil collection, cleaning, and preservation process.
The museum is free to visit and cool to explore.
Outdoor Texas dinosaur museums
Apart from closed indoor museums that preserve fossils, Texas also has many other open-air dinosaur museums.
Here you will find fossilized tracks and skeletons in situ, making it a great learning opportunity.
Also Read: Best Museums in Texas
Fossil Discovery Exhibit, Big Bend National Park
The Big Bend region has a long history of rich and complete fossil finds!
The national park has one of the most complete geological records in America including up to the Cretaceous period.
Some of the famous skeletons found here include pterosaur, hadrosaurs, and an unidentified dinosaur similar to T-Rex.
The best place to learn about the park’s fossil finds is the accessible Fossil Discovery Exhibit.
The exhibit is located 8 miles north of the Panther Junction Visitor Center.
Dinosaur Valley State Park
Dinosaur Valley State Park, in Glen Rose, is one of our favorite places to visit in Texas.
Embedded in the Paluxy River Bed within the park, you will find hundreds of dinosaur tracks.
This area of Central Texas was covered by a shallow sea during prehistoric times and the tracks were left by the dinosaurs in the shallow marine Glen Rose formation.
Visitors can touch and step inside the dinosaur footprints in the park.
Hartman Prehistoric Garden
The Hartman Prehistoric Garden is located in Zilker Botanical Garden in Austin.
Dinosaur tracks were discovered here in the 1970s but they were later covered to preserve them from deterioration.
The area was however turned into a prehistoric garden and is an excellent place to visit.
You can see plants that resemble those in the Cretaceous period as well as a life-size sculpture of the Ornithomimus, who made the tracks.
Canyon Lake Gorge
The Canyon Lake Gorge in the Texas Hill Country is another underrated dinosaur attraction.
The gorge was carved out by rushing floodwaters in 2002 and the area revealed dinosaur bones, tracks, and more.
Visitors can see the gorge on guided tours and see the bones and fossils buried in the rocks.
Dinosaur Park museums in Texas
Texas also has several dinosaur parks where you won’t see actual remains but can instead see to scale replicas of the enormous beasts.
Dinosaur World
Located in Glen Rose, adjacent to Dinosaur Valley State Park, Dinosaur World is an essential visit for any budding paleontologist.
Here you will find sculptures of over 150 dinosaurs.
Walk along with the beasts from the Jurassic and Cretaceous period and join in a fossil dig!
The park also has an interesting indoor exhibit where kids can see
The attraction is a fun place to visit for all ages.
Dinosaur Park
The Bastrop Dinosaur Park is located at Cedar Creek near Austin and is a must-visit for little dino fans.
On the nature trail within the park, you will see several dinosaurs come to life.
Take a photo with them or admire their majesty – the park is fun for all ages!
Also Read: 21 Best Things to do in Bastrop, Texas
We hope you liked our guide to the best dinosaur museums in Texas!