Dino Festival

**PLEASE NOTE THAT THE 2020 DINO FESTIVAL HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19.**

**The Drive-thru Dinosaur Experience has reached full capacity and we are unable to accommodate additional visitors at this time. We greatly apologize for the inconvenience and disappointment this has caused.



Thursday, July 30 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Though the museum can't host this year's Dino Festival due to the current health situation, we can still provide you with a small piece of it!



Experience an array of dinosaur fossils and dino displays from the comfort of your own vehicle!



On Thursday, July 30 from 5 to 8 p.m., the museum is hosting the Drive-thru Dinosaur Experience! During the event, museum research and education staff will be on hand to feature a variety of displays of actual dinosaur fossils, dinosaur casts, and other dino-related specimens! The event is open to the public and free of charge.



(This event was originally scheduled for July 23, but was postponed due to severe weather.)



Some of the displays that will be available include: dinosaur footprints from Virginia, Stegosaurus plates and skull, a giant sauropod femur, a Triceratops skull, a Triceratops horn with Tyrannosaurus rex bite marks, and a massive, inflatable T. rex!



Museum research staff will also show-off the comparisons between a Tyrannosaurus rex skull and an Appalachiosaurus skull, as well as explain how dinosaurs are still among us in the form of birds!



Museum staff will even have a limited number of gift bags to hand out that include an educational craft and souvenir wrist bands!

Please note the following:

Due to the potential of inclement weather, this event may need to be canceled on short notice. Please check this listing before traveling to the museum to ensure the event is being held as scheduled.

Please note that the museum will NOT be open to visitors during the drive-thru experience and visitors are asked to remain in their vehicles during the event. The drive-thru experience is free of charge, but donations will be accepted.

Displays are subject to change.



CANCELED: DINO FESTIVAL

(This event has been canceled due to COVID-19. Below are the original details for the event.)



Friday, July 24 and Saturday July 25, 2020

9 a.m. to 4 p.m.



Admission (Tickets available at the door)

$10/adult, $5/ages 3-17, $5/seniors 60+

Free for children under 3

Free for museum members

Free for members of ASTC Passport participating institutions

Groupons accepted

Crowds roaring into the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25 for the museum’s Dino Festival will be greeted by an amazing assortment of life-size cast dinosaur skeletons, actual dinosaur fossils, presentations by renowned paleontologists, as well as dino-themed activities and crafts!

Life-size cast skeletons and skulls!



Platecarpus tympaniticus

A 17 foot long cast skeleton of a massive sea serpent or reptile that lived 81 to 84 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. This animal once swam in waters that covered what is now the central United States.

Triceratops

A large, plant-eating dinosaur distinguishable by its large frill and three horns that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, from approximately 68 to 66 million years ago

Stegosaurus

A large, plant-eating dinosaur distinguishable by two rows of bony plates on its back that lived during the Late Jurassic period, from approximately 155 to 150 million years ago

Acrocanthosaurus

A massive, carnivorous, theropod dinosaur that existed in what is now North America during the Early Cretaceous period, from approximately 125 million to 100 million years ago

Allosaurus

A large, carnivorous, theropod dinosaur of the Late Jurassic period, from approximately 155 to 150 million years ago

Dromaeosaurus (skull)

A medium-sized carnivore that lived in what is now the western United States and Alberta, Canada during the Late Cretaceous from approximately 77 to 74 million years ago

Albertosaurs (skulll)

A genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaurs that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, from approximately 70 million years ago

Edmontosaurus (skull)

A genus of duck-billed dinosaur that lived in western North America during the Cretaceous Period approximately 73 to 66 million years ago.

Dunkleosteus (skull)

An armored fish from a group of fish called plackoderms that lived approximately 360 to 380 million years ago.



A Dino Fossil Masterpiece!

Beyond the spectacular displays, the festival will boast an abundance of dinosaur fossils from the Virginia Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of Natural History, including the only fossil evidence that Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops engaged in battle!



Festivities abound!

A dino dig pit, costumed dinosaurs, face painting, balloon animals, and a host of dino-themed children's activities and crafts will take place both days of the event.



Special thanks to our event sponsor!

Helen S. and Charles G. Patterson, Jr. Charitable Foundation Trust