CANADA - 2003/01/01: Canada, Alberta, Drumheller, Royal Tyrrell Museum, Interior, Dinosaur Skeleton, Stegosaurus. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)

LightRocket via Getty Images

Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology

Top choice in Drumheller


This fantastic museum is one of the pre-eminent dinosaur museums on the planet, made even better by a $5.9 million expansion project completed in 2019. Even if you have no interest in dinos, you'll come out feeling like you missed your calling as a paleontologist. The exhibits are nothing short of mind-blowing. Unlike some other dinosaur exhibits, there's nothing dusty or musty about this super-modern place. Children will love the interactive displays.

Look for the skeleton of 'Hell-Boy,' a dinosaur discovered in 2005, and 'Black Beauty,' a 67-million-year-old T rex rearing its head into the sky. You can learn how the dinosaurs are extracted from the ground and even peer into the fossil lab.

There are also summertime opportunities to get among the badlands on a guided tour and discover your own dino treasures on a fossil search ($10) or a dinosaur dig ($15) – you'll feel like you've stepped right into your very own Jurassic Park.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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