About Wyoming Dinosaur Center
Thermopolis may be a small Wyoming town, but its dinosaur museum operates on a giant scale. The Wyoming Dinosaur Center contains dozens of mounted skeletons, hundreds of displays, and fossils representing animals from across the prehistoric world.
Its centerpiece is a 106-foot Supersaurus, one of the longest mounted dinosaurs anywhere. Visitors can also encounter Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, marine reptiles, flying reptiles, and smaller creatures that reveal how varied prehistoric life really was.
The museum is unusual because the fossils do not end at the exhibit hall. Nearby dig sites expose Jurassic rock from the Morrison Formation, allowing visitors to join guided programs and see active paleontology in the field. Some programs let participants help search for and excavate real fossil material under supervision.
One famous local discovery is Jimbo, a remarkably complete Supersaurus specimen excavated near Douglas. The center’s collections connect Wyoming’s rugged modern landscape with an era when enormous animals crossed floodplains that existed here more than 150 million years ago.
Why it’s weird: A town of only a few thousand people houses a 106-foot dinosaur, a world-class fossil collection, and active dig sites where visitors can work beside paleontologists.
Visitor info: The museum is in Thermopolis. Dig programs, hours, and prices vary by season, and field experiences generally require advance reservations.