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****** Masks are necessary for all ages during fossil prep. ******
NEW OFFERING!
A hands-on deep-dive into preparing real fossils using authentic tools and techniques.
Have you always wanted to try your hand at fossil preparation?
Maybe you've been on one of our tours and left thinking, I wish I had more time with the tools and fossils.
Or maybe you found a specimen on your own adventures and want to find out what may be hidden inside.
Whether you bring your own fossil-finds or work on one of our lab's pieces, our newest offering is a unique opportunity to get hands-on access to our fossil prep educators and tools.
Over the years, thousands of fossil-lovers have walked through our doors
in awe of the adventure and beauty of fossil discovery and display.
The art of fossil preparation
is the crucial step that makes it possible for us to
see under the layers of rock on a newly-found fossil.
When a fossil is found it's covered in layers of rock, which needs to be carefully removed in order to see the full fossil. During this hands-on experience, participants get to learn how to take this rock layer off of real specimens under the trained guidance of our educating staff.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own fossils to work on, or they can work on the ones we provide. Our educators might be able to help you identify what you’ve brought in, or how old they might be as well!
Participants will also be given the chance to purchase the specimens they work on, allowing your love of fossil work to continue at home.
In addition we will be giving each participant a "Foundation of Fossil Preparation" passport that they can get stamped each time they visit us. At 4 stamps our guests will be able to work on a real dinosaur bone, and at 10 their next visit is free!
These tours will run Friday afternoons at 1pm, and Sundays at noon. Make sure to book your spot today before they fill up!
60 minutes
Anyone age 4 and older can attend these sessions.
Please note that for children aged 4-12, a supervising adult (18+ years old) needs to accompany the child. These supervising adults don’t need to pay admission if they are not working on fossils themselves, but will be required to wear safety equipment.
Ages 13+ can attend unaccompanied.
This one hour experience costs $20 per person, with supervising adults getting to observe for free!
Because of the in-depth nature of this experience, we are limiting the group sizes to 5 participants. This allows every visitor to get as much guidance as possible in identifying the difference between a rock and a fossil, and ensuring that our guides can keep everyone and everything safe during the excavations.
A safety demonstration will be given at the beginning of every session to ensure we all know how to operate the power tools provided (similar to in our full dinosaur experience), and you will get a more in depth understanding of how the tools work and are taken care of. Our staff reserve the right to halt any fossil work that is deemed to be unsafe to the fossils, other participants, or guides, and fossils that are intentionally damaged will be purchased by those responsible, (even though we hope it never comes to that).
