Reviews of Dinosaur State Park (Park)

Kevin T

Very cool place. Lots of information but presented in a fun and easy to learn way for kids and adults alike. Hiking on blue trail was rough at times but good to unplug and enjoy the outdoors.

Steve Griegoliet

I didn't see any live dinosaurs. But the footprints we're pretty cool too. Nice trails behind the exhibit center. It's a very short detour off the highway, worth stopping!

RowanNightAngel

It was a cute little place, but let me stress the "little" part. There was a walking trail with interesting bits of information on signs along the way (free to the public) and the exhibit building, but that was pretty much it. I would suggest you don't overlook the trails if you go since they allow you the sounds and smells and feel of being in an earlier time period, but be warned that part of it is a swamp, so be cautious with children, cover up, bring your bug spray, and you should be good.

Mark D. Hall

A fun place to visit, especially for children. I mean, what's more cool than seeing an actual footprint from a real dinosaur? Of course, those are rare and need to be protected, but you can make a plaster copy to take with you. There's also a couple miles of hiking trails, with some gentle paths as well as some difficult terrain along a narrow lose-rock type trail.

Nikki Stout

It's got dinos, fossils, and hiking. If you or your kids love learning and love being outdoors this is a great way to spend the day.

Nate Chertack

Awesome state park! Fossil tracks were excavated here and a dome was built on top to protect them. Walk along the indoor boardwalk to examine the tracks and learn about the dinos that made them. Learn how fossils are made and see other interesting footprints from other dinos too. The interactive room seems like it would just be for kids, but it had a ton of cool plant/animal specimens from around the world. Go outside and enjoy a couple short trails nearby. The swamp boardwalk reminded me of one near my house and was a lot of fun on a quiet relaxing afternoon. A great stop for anyone that likes dinos.

Mary Knuth

Fun place to visit, but not huge. Spent a couple of hours, but you really wouldn't spend the whole day there. Museum was very nice but small. For only 8 bucks for me and son, that was fine. A large section of the trails were closed for repair. They look like they will be very cool walkways when they are done. The open trails were nice. Great room for kids to touch and play with rocks and other items.

Jenifer Rasch

My wife and I both found it amazing that we were looking at tracks that were 250 million years old great place to bring your kids there's a lot of children activities it's a great price for adults too it's a must see if you're in that part of the world

kevin wilson

Very cool place to learn

Timothy Roy

The exhibit was educational and fun. The tracks themselves are amazing. There was a large school group there so we didn't get to see everything, but our son had a great time with what we did get to see. This review would be 5 stars but a large part of the trails were closed for repairs or renovation. Otherwise it was a great visit!

Karen Gumkowski

Fun for all ages with well marked trails and interesting dinosaur track exhibits.

B W

I love the museum, but it is glaringly apparent that it is an underfunded institution. The place is filled with glimpses of what it could be - and it could be among the premier dino museums on the east coast based on the scope of it's footprint "collection" alone. But there could be more interactive exhibits, more creative activities for children, more to do overall, which would knock the socks off of all guests. The place needs an update and it needs it yesterday. One positive, on the other hand, is that the staff seems quite knowledgeable.

Devin Knox

Good for day trips and nature hikes. Museum is small, but still has decent activities for children.

Maria Sollenberger

It was ok, the Museum is small. The shows were good though. I got there in the afternoon and I was disappointed they didn't tell me the trails end earlier than the Museum and the workers weren't very friendly. Maybe they were tired and wanted to hurry up and close...

Andrew Levick

My dad grew up on this land, the old sunny crest dairy farm. Always good to come back and see the homestead

Thomas C

Incredible place! A blast for kids and enjoyable for adults, also. Wonderful items in the gift shop and helpful, friendly staff.

Kevin Crossin

Dinosaur tracks, walking trails- a fun and informative family adventure.

Captain Marvel

Not much to see but worth a visit if going for the first time.

Travis Book

Fun place to take the family. Fun and hands on faculty. Came here all the way from Pennsylvania and it was well worth the time

Alan Schneider

Interesting little.park. definitely worth a stop by

Robert Grismer

Great place to bring the kids.

Raquel castillo

Today they had a free event, was hotter then heck inside but is understandable due to people coming in and out constantly throughout the event. Reptile show only had the snake at 2pm. Thought they would have many reptiles. Also place is very small. Or seemed 5hat way due to a very large crowd.

Jim Hickey

Grandsons had a blast making casts & doing the gem search!

jose reyes

Good place for hiking

Kevin T

Very cool place. Lots of information but presented in a fun and easy to learn way for kids and adults alike. Hiking on blue trail was rough at times but good to unplug and enjoy the outdoors.

Aerin Paulo

Love this place! Great little museum, great walking/hiking trails and really cool foliage. They even have a little garden planted with plants that attract butterflies! Their new bridge over the marshy area is very nice, and everything is well taken care of. My toddler loves coming here!

BHAWANA SINGH

Wonderful place to go with kids. We had fun family time in park. There were lots of activities for kids. We enjoyed the indoor as well as outdoor activities in the park. Trails were well managed, picnic area was good and educational activities for kids were commendable. Would like to go visit again.

Steve Griegoliet

I didn't see any live dinosaurs. But the footprints we're pretty cool too. Nice trails behind the exhibit center. It's a very short detour off the highway, worth stopping!

Abhijeet Mule

We has a great time in this museum. Great place for spending 2-3 hours.

Louis Dundin

Been going since I was a kid. Great park, fun educational exhibits and nice trails too

Beth Smith

My son LOVES this place. A lot to do! You can walk the park as many times you'd like, go to the splash pad or play on what I can only call the best play-scape ever! You can even bring your lunch!

Kanu Suguro

I thought why are we going to see dinosaur footprints until I saw it. It feels amazing to see the actual ground where dinosaurs roamed. The whole museum built around it is very nice too.

Marlena Maier

Great Midway stop from MA to S.Jersey!

Henry Barsky

Undervalued great learning experience for all ages

fortheearth

Wonderful dinosaur track exhibit and small arboretum.

Carin Mournighan

Cute and family friendly. My toddler loved it.

Jack Koenig

Waste of time. Exhibit hall was closed

Michael Mackie

Great inexpensive place to take kids/students to explore real dinosaur foot prints. Took my class there and they loved it. Very informational and engaging for the students.

Nickolous Wisniewski

Very enjoyable for the family. My children both enjoyed it very much.

Maryam A

I love bringing my children here. They gets so excited looking at the different exhibits. Great day out well worth the visit!

phansse gifts

The kids enjoyed the trails

JR Gonzalez

Lovely hiking trails.

Keven McCuller

Fun visit to the past. Well worth hopping off I91 with a car full of kids to see.

Melissa Ramos

Cool exhibit area. Staff made me feel like a bother when I asked for help. Not very friendly. Outdoor area was also nice.

Patrick 3622

Not much to see. The foot prints are interesting, don't get me wrong, but not much else to do.

Randy Bailey

Cool place to see tracks. Very informative.

Dennis Sweitzer

Great family museum. Not big, but nice to walk around inside and out. Bring plaster of Paris to make a cast of actual dinosaur footprints!

Ashley Dion

It's so neat to see the footprints left behind and learn how they were preserved. The trails are fairly easy, well marked, and beautiful. Admission to the museum is reasonable ($2 for children, $6 for adults) and the trails are free to use. There is also a small area for picnics.

Elizabeth West

Great! Small museum for younger kids but interesting for older kids who love science. Upclose encounters with real dinosaur tracks fron 200 million years ago! Incredible.

ritesh gupta

Nice place to spend with family . Dinosaur galley is amazing . Kid gonna love it . Also it has a hiking trail for those who want to do hiking . Worth going once

AtmosphericInstability

We found this by accident near where we were staying at. Pretty cool looking rock. I was a little disappointed in the Botanical Gardens lack of diversity.

Catherine McCabe

Dinosaur State Park is wonderful! The trails vary from child friendly to more challenging. The museum is small but has very engaging exhibits and is well planned. Well worth a visit!

Catherine McCabe

Dinosaur State Park is wonderful! The trails vary from child friendly to more challenging. The museum is small but has very engaging exhibits and is well planned. Well worth a visit!

Paul Marsico

Very cool exhibit of dinosaur tracks

steven gainer

Very nice place to visit

Dennis Phillips

My son loves dinosaurs and what was there is great but it’s just not all that much. We got devoured by bugs on the outside walking section.

Jen S

Great place to bring the Dino loving kids. Definitely geared towards the younger crowd on the inside activities. My kids were too old for the inside stuff, but enjoyed the outside trails.

Cameron

Would be a great place for a school public or to visit. If anyone is slightly interested in nature or dinosaurs/fossils it's a great place to go!

zoneice grose

Omg so much knowledge I gained going here. Thanks for making me and son love dinosaurs more

Jana Taylor

Cheap entry to museum, small but neat. Walking trails are free though.

Vape Soup

Great educational place to take the kids, the indoor exhibit is awesome, with short movies, interactional exhibits that get the kids involved, and plenty of trail space to walk and explore outdoors, it's an amazing deal. $6 for the adults, kids 5 and under are free, you can't beat the price. I will definitely be taking the kids back again!

Joshua Smith

Great staff. Make sure to bring 10lbs of dry plaster of paris to make a mould of a footprint. Cheap entry to a quick exhibit, with regular presentations by staff and an interactive classroom. The outdoors area is free. Nice little rocky hike takes 20minutes and plenty of picnic tables throughout.

Christina Machiavelli

Great day trip for kids any age especially if they love dinosaurs. My 2 year old had a blast and I like that I can take her again when shes older so she can experience the educational aspect of it. Highly recommended

Trajan Spillane

It's a really nice park. It's very beautiful outside with all the different trees and trails through the swamp and woods. Inside is kind of small, but it's still quite interesting.

Reynman Nogeurra

My Daughter's loved it

Dave Baker

Great trails and really cool inside. Check for library for a possible free pass (ours had a pass for 2 adults and 4 kids)

Patrick Ryan

Small exhibit but kept my 5 yo entertained for 2.5 hours

Andy

One of historic places in CT...good for a half day tours for kids and to see the real dinasaur foot prints

Valerie Weyand

Interesting collection of dinosaur tracks!

Jessica Kane

Small but very educational! Packed full of great learning activities.

Michelle Walker

Boys loved walking and learning. If was made for all ages.

Megan Perez

Its cute, not as much to do as other dinosaur place

kevin thibdeau

Great place I just found out about. Exhibits are entertaining and the prints are amazing. Hike was rougher than expected with toddlers.

Michael J. Weatherbee

Plenty of parking, limited with a quick walk around the circular display area and even smaller selections. Good amount of stuff for children, but the entire trip can be completed in under 15 minutes. The nature walk was informative, but needs more connectivity to the museum aspect. Overall enjoyable, but limited for the money spent. Up your experience Rocky Hill DSP.

Lisa A

My 6 year old son loved the Dinosaur State Park. A lot of fun and very exciting for him to see the Dino tracks. The outdoor paths are beautiful. The staff in gift shop was very friendly and helpful.

Gary D

Nice walking trails and the indoor meseum was very interesting. They had a short movie going on that taught about the evolution.

Sarah Hawn

I want to come back and cast a footprint

Martha Patierno

I can't believe that this is here. The museum has dino footprints that look fresh! Real footprints! There is a spot to make a plaster casting of one, outside, but you need to bring your own plaster of Paris. (15 pounds, fyi) they will help you make it.

Shawn Vine

Nice trails around the park. Not too strenuous but fun. The museum is fun, too.

Randy Bryant

Good place to get super stoned and learn about velocirapters n shizzz

Mark Fekete

Great little museum. Very informative, kids will love it. They could probably use a little more funding to get all their equipment back up and running, but overall a great visit, with some nice trails. They should note on the trails that not all trails are stroller friendly, saw a couple struggling.

Daniel W. Bates

This park is easy to find and close to the highway. Geared toward youngsters, if you’re making the pilgrimage as an adult you might come away a tad underwhelmed. Visiting in the winter means you can’t make Dino casts which could be a deal breaker for some.

Barbara Bolich

What a fun family site! Bring plaster of paris and make your own dinosaur footprint stone. Learn about local fossils, gems. Geology. Hands on activities for the kids Interactive displays Lovely walks with flora and fauna markers No military discounts Gift shop okay...you can buy a bag of rocks and take them to the sluice to "discover" what you purchased. Wheeled chair friendly.

Travis Klein

Only five dollars to go inside and see the interesting things. I'd consider this a must see. A quick visit is possible as there isn't too much to read and most of it is aimed at children. The prints themselves are incredible if you like dinosaurs or geology or anything like that. They also have a cast of the world's only T-Rex footprint, which I've actually seen in person, so that was a treat. Much more impressive when you can stand next to it and get a feel for the size! The real thing is in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a don't-even-think-about-it fence, as it should be.

Phil Caban

Very small exhibit. Nice little hiking trails. No food. But you can purchase some nice stones there and allow kids the experience to sift for precious stones

Girish Sheelvant

Anybody who is into Paleontology this is a really good place to visit. My son was extremely happy to see the footprints and fossil exhibits. My daughter had a blast as well. The hike in the park was great as well.

Patrick Crough

Would probably have been more fun in the Spring or Summer. A lot of the activities had been shut down for Fall repairs/renovations.

Barbara Bolich

What a fun family site! Bring plaster of paris and make your own dinosaur footprint stone. Learn about local fossils, gems. Geology. Hands on activities for the kids Interactive displays Lovely walks with flora and fauna markers No military discounts Gift shop okay...you can buy a bag of rocks and take them to the sluice to "discover" what you purchased. Wheeled chair friendly.

Todd Mylott

Really interesting facts found here. I like how they left the footprints right where they were discovered, and built on top of to display and preserve. Under the lawn outside is more, but they are still waiting to get the funds to display then. The service is very friendly. Like they don't want you to leave kind of friendly. The trails are short but beautiful. Just avoid the trails after rain since there are swamps, and you'll get bombarded with gnats. Otherwise, perfect, and extremely well maintained. They even clear the leaves from the trail. The admission to the museum is cheap, at only $6 for adult at the time I wrote this. Might go again.

Kara Rapp

A fun place to spend an hour or two and perfect place to bring a picnic lunch! You can walk the trails for free. Currently (April '19) one is under renovation. There are some short stretches of boardwalks that are stroller accessable. The trees were bare when we visited, so we plan to do the trails again when it is greener. The museum itself is cool to see, especially if you are a dino lover. It's very small and not really worth $6 for an adult admission, IMO, but my kids loved seeing the dinosaur tracks and we spent about 20-25 minutes inside.

Mike Remby

It was less than 10 per person. Not a huge place, but YOU CAN SEE ACTUAL DINOSAUR TRACKS IN ROCK!!!!!! So amazing. These aren't plaster casts or some terrible recreation. These are actual tracks on the surface of some buried mountain. It's enclosed which is dope. So worth it

Travis Klein

Only five dollars to go inside and see the interesting things. I'd consider this a must see. A quick visit is possible as there isn't too much to read and most of it is aimed at children. The prints themselves are incredible if you like dinosaurs or geology or anything like that. They also have a cast of the world's only T-Rex footprint, which I've actually seen in person, so that was a treat. Much more impressive when you can stand next to it and get a feel for the size! The real thing is in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a don't-even-think-about-it fence, as it should be.

John Dryja

Simply fascinating

Lauren Christianson

Nice little trails and grounds. The museum is small, but the tracks are truly amazing!

Susan N.

Clearly marked paths.

Michael Farruggia

Fun place with a great indoor set up but only expect to spend an hour here at the most

Laura Williams

Had a blast! Mr. Albert was amazing and the kids adored him!

Mrs. LaBonte

Love this place for my girls! My daughter loves Dinosaurs and this was perfect for the littles. We loved stamping the bookmarks with Dinosaur footprints and having some snacks on the shaded trails.

Arcadio Delvalle

Very relaxing

Divya P

Museum is very small not as expected but kids will enjoy it if they like dinosaurs. Walking trial will be a good experience for kids but other than that nothing much to see.

Joseph Vazquez

Kids loved it

Raquel Torres

This is an awesome place to take your kids and also go for a hike.

Gopal Patil

Amazingly preserved fossils.

Gerald Smith

Is a great place to take your family very educational and reasonable price it's nice that Governor Malloy gave us something free today

Keith Saroka

Great exhibits.

Robert

Fun place to walk around. Free admission and the trails well maintained.

Heleen Raes

This park is okay. The footprints are very impressive and you can make molds of dino teeth and footprints, which is a lot of fun for kids. The exhibitions are old though and some parts of it were out of order. It’s a good place to take your dinosaur crazy kids, but do warn them they won’t see any bones or anything, it’s just the footprints.

Paulina A

Expected more.

Trevor Levesque

I saw a dinosaur! Sorta.

Anna Livingston Adams

Great place for families! Doesn't take long to see, but very interesting!

Kelly Connor

It's all about kids! and kids love it here so we love it here too. Great place to have a nice picnic with friends and family.

Ashes Bijoux

I really enjoyed this museum. Very cool how it was built. Love seeing all the fossils & learning about the history in that area!

Danielle Toews

Ranger went above and beyond. We still treasure our relief of a dinosaur foot print.

Jim Lee

My wife and I both found it amazing that we were looking at tracks that were 250 million years old great place to bring your kids there's a lot of children activities it's a great price for adults too it's a must see if you're in that part of the world

Bob Allen

Very nice place to visit. Inexpensive and friendly

Phil Caban

Very small exhibit. Nice little hiking trails. No food. But you can purchase some nice stones there and allow kids the experience to sift for precious stones

Jon 12563

Great for kids. Bring supplies (plaster of Paris and vegetable oil) and make a dinosaur footprint cast!

Chris Lisle

Had higher hopes for this place. Website made it sound real neat and it was but just to a point. Presentation they did was really cool and seeing the tracks was great. But we were done with the place in less than 30 minutes. If they hadn't had the presentation it would have been close to a waste of time.

Michael Penton

Great nature trails, and picnic spots. The hours and days the actual museum are open are pretty small, but there is just as much to do outside for free as there is inside, sdn you can still see dinosaur tracks. Not really a place to spend the day, but a nice morning or afternoon.

Deen Bandhu

Good for picnic and outing for half day

Joseph Rizzo

We found this park unexpectedly and were pleasantly surprised. My boys aged 2 and 6 had a blast looking at the dinosaur prints, and other related exhibits. The museum is small, but has good outdoor space too.

Kenny Kaplan

Lots of fun the museum itself is not huge only takes a short amount of time to go through. Beautiful area around the building with lots of walking paths and trails! Definitely will go back

Girish Sheelvant

Anybody who is into Paleontology this is a really good place to visit. My son was extremely happy to see the footprints and fossil exhibits. My daughter had a blast as well. The hike in the park was great as well.

Sangee

Very beautifully kept.

Kailynn Cerny

Very neat park. A bit small but there are trails outside. Perfect place to take kids and spend a nice afternoon and picnic.

NASA F

Is this place good? I thought it was terrible, as a kid. 1 footprint. That's all i remember. I thought i was a bore. But its been a while, so...

Canary Ly

The trails were great, very family friendly and accessible. The timelines were a wonderful visual to see how far we've come on this earth

Tech Gaming Addicts

Vary nice park with a lot of information about

Patricia Hartley

Not good. Staff minimal so no movie and little to see or do. I am impressed with dinosaurs and their remains though.

Ginja Ninja

Lots of fun even if the building is not open! Good walk!

Cyber Techie

Very cool to actually see the exact place where the dinosaurs made their tracks in the ground. Our kids really enjoyed it. Lots for them to do including making their own cast of a dinosaur foot print.

Barbara Michalowska

Its ok. Not big park. Little to do. But ok for dino lovers

Shane Bordonaro

I was 30 when I found out this place existed.... how did I not know about it sooner!? Absolutly fascinating. My wife, daughter, and I loved it. Great stuff for adults as well as children. Definatly worth the trip.

Charles Loya

Great for children to learn. Good hiking trails

mayra ocasio

Grate for walks around with the kids

Tasha Coleman

That trail was everything to my little one

dolores cahill

Great place for the family

Maria McKean

Totally worth going. Please make sure you check out their footprint making class and MAKE SURE YOU BRING YOUR OWN BUCKET and PLASTER OF PARIS.

Richard Rousseau

Great experience for kids, live animals, dinosaur fossils, lots of info and local history, free trails to walk, and nice scenery/gift shop inside. There are a few dinosaurs with lots of scenery and sounds, but the exhibits themselves are somewhat comfy. Nice little theater and rest area.

Charles Bruechert

If you bring plaster rags and oil you to can go home with an actual dinosaur footprint casting( they don't sell it there ,they would make a small fortune if they did). It was pretty cool, took atleast an hour for the plaster to dry. If you have a couple kids they ask you to only make one understandable bc there was only like 6 prints to cast at close to an hour a pop if a big family came they would monopolize the casting area... anyway hiking trails for after and a small museum to show you where and how they found the prints.

gaurav kumar

Good place to spend few hours on a weekend and gain some knowledge about dinosaurs & Connecticut valley

Steven Czarnecki

Nice time, kids loved it

Toni Chin

Great little outing for kids

Stephen Palermo

Very informative, lots to see and do, plan to be there for a few hours. Great for families and all. Pack a lunch and enjoy the outdoors there.

Felipe Cobos

Great place to visit with the kids, the trails are well preserved and gives you an idea in how everything looked millions of years ago. Exhibit was a little bit shorter and some of the screens didn't work, it would be nice if they have more resources. Pretty interesting.

Patrick Topitzer

Really interesting place. I had been here as a child, but it was fun to come back as an adult! Seeing everything from that perspective gave me a new appreciation for what they have there. Definitely worth my 6 dollars.

Dan Bishop

incredible boardwalk

Nicholas Suggs

Awesome place really cool

Muthu Kumar

Dinosaur foot prints are there what else we want?

Robb Higgins

Great place to take the kids!

Moha Adams

Loved it. Great for kids.

Kimberly Spada

Educational and fun for all ages. The grounds are beautiful.

Muazzam Khan

Kids love this place

Nikki Notyou

Dinosaur State Park is wonderful. The staff are very knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend taking the kiddos to see this place.

Monica Jamison

We took our kids here for the first time last weekend! What a great place. Such an informative staff. Kids had a great time! We will definitely be back!

Cyber Techie

Very cool to actually see the exact place where the dinosaurs made their tracks in the ground. Our kids really enjoyed it. Lots for them to do including making their own cast of a dinosaur foot print.

Peter McKnight

I didn't get inside but the trails were nice

Pamela Stacy

A nice park. Not very big but was enough to hold the attention of my 5 + 11 year old niece and nephew. They actually enjoyed the wooded trails over the fossils and dinosaur tracks. Of course the gift shop was a hit as well! This park has been a family tradition for each of our past 3 generations since it was built! You'll like it.

Erica Bousquet

Great for kids and adults! Great trails to walk through.

Nicholas A. Gaeta

It was still frozen, wet, muddy and snowy when we went. But that's on us. We can't wait to go back in the dry season and walk all over the great property, they also have what's looks like an awesome garden! Haven't been inside yet but that's also on our list. Great for little ones.

Bryan Pudlo

My four year old loves this park. Good hiking trails and a great activity center.

Robert Bagchi

Affordable day out for the family, with something to interest everyone

None

Kids loved it.

Scott W.

Worth a stop. The visitors center is not big, but there are enough activities to keep the kids busy for a couple of hours. The dinosaur tracks are really impressive when you stop and think about the magnitude of what they are. Really cool. The trails give you a nice opportunity to get your steps in forbthe day. Would have been 2.5-3 stars without tracks.

Julie Chen

Amazing exhibits.

Thomas Regan-Lefebvre

The trails are good, the museum not so much: dated and dusty => looks sad in and out. Better to scrap the whole thing and focus on the trails. For Dino hunters, best is to hit the road to New Haven and visit the Yale museum of natural history.