Morrison Natural History Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1989 |
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| Location | 501 Colorado Highway 8, Morrison, Colorado |
| Visitors | 11,000 |
The Morrison Natural History Museum is an exciting natural history museum located in Morrison, Colorado. It's a fantastic place to learn about ancient life, especially dinosaurs! The museum has many real fossils that were found right in the area. Its exhibits are designed to be fun and interesting for everyone, from young kids to adults, and from curious visitors to scientists.
Contents
Discovering the Past: Museum History
The Morrison Natural History Museum first opened its doors in 1989. Since 1995, the Town of Morrison has helped run the museum. The museum gets money from people visiting, sales from its gift shop, special grants, and donations from supporters. This support helps them keep sharing amazing discoveries with everyone.
What You Can Explore: Museum Exhibits
The museum is split into different areas, each showing off incredible finds.
Lower Level: Jurassic Giants
On the lower floor, you'll find exhibits all about local paleontology. This is the study of ancient life, like dinosaurs! Here, you can see amazing Jurassic fossils. The Jurassic period was a time long, long ago when many famous dinosaurs lived.
Upper Level: Cretaceous and Cenozoic Wonders
As you go upstairs, the exhibits continue with fossils from the Cretaceous and Cenozoic periods. The Cretaceous period was the last age of the dinosaurs. The Cenozoic era came after the dinosaurs, when mammals became very important.
Outdoor Adventures: Rock Garden and Dig Pit
Outside the museum, there's even more to explore! You can walk through a rock garden. There's also a special fossil dig pit. This is a fun place where you can pretend to be a paleontologist and dig for your own "fossils."
Amazing Displays: Meet the Dinosaurs
Some of the most exciting things you can see include huge skulls of famous dinosaurs. Imagine seeing the skull of a Tyrannosaurus or a Triceratops! You can also see parts of skeletons from a Stegosaurus and a flying Pteranodon. Don't miss the tiny tracks made by baby dinosaurs! The museum also has live reptiles and amphibians on display, showing you some modern-day creatures.
Behind the Scenes: The Paleontology Lab
The museum also has a special paleontology lab. This is where scientists and experts work carefully with fossils. They clean and prepare them for exhibits. They also study them for scientific research, helping us learn even more about Earth's ancient past.
