The deinonychus skeleton that spurred Ostrom down this road is part of the museum's spectacular collection, which is among the largest in the nation. There's a working paleontology lab where you can see staff members preparing fossils for future display, and a popular video attraction called the Time Machine, where you can confront surprisingly realistic animations of the creatures from Jurassic Park. The Field Museum is about to become extremely popular, thanks to Sue, the largest and most complete tyrannosaurus rex ever found. Although the more celebrated dinosaur exhibits are located in the East, the most fertile fossil beds are out west. Tate Geological Museum 125 College Drive, Casper, Wyo.
Visitors can also view the prep lab, where scientists work on the latest finds from Wyoming.
Both offer a wide array of skeletons and models, and the Utah museum has an intercom connected to the prep lab that enables visitors to ask the scientists questions as they work. Most of these museums, and many more, are profiled in the excellent book Dinosaur Digs, edited by Blake Edgar. And for the latest dinosaur information, just ask some third-graders what they've been learning in school lately. Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.