Dinosaurs are a fascinating topic! And the Texas Hill Country has its fair share of footprints they’ve left across our region, ensuring that we know exactly who was here first. If you’re looking for your next Triassic, Jurassic, or Cretaceous fix, a trip to the Texas Natural Science Center at the Texas Memorial Museum (University of Texas at Austin campus) is definitely in order.
Things to Do
Texas Natural Science Center: The Mesozoic Era Leaves its Mark in the Texas Hill Country
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Photo: Wikimedia
Some of the finest dinosaur footprints ever to grace Texas have been restored and processed at the Texas Natural Science Center (i.e. the sauropod and theropod tracks from Glen Rose), and the four floors that await you at this building will do nothing less than impress. The natural science of Texas will take you through displays and exhibits on geology and paleontology, including 500 dinosaur and fossil specimens, impressive displays such as a 30-foot Mosasaur, and a number of meteorites that have pebbled the Lone Star State.
Photo: Wikimedia
The center’s Paleo Lab is a great feature where paleontologists, as well as interns, can answer visitor questions while they’re actually preparing fossils for future display, research, and education. You can bring fossils from your back yard in for inspection and identification, and use “Discovery Drawers” that show specimens which you can compare yours to. The enormous specimen of a Pterosaur amongst the Great Hall exhibits is suspended from the ceiling in a flying pose, showing the reptile in a natural state. Unearthed in West Texas by The University of Texas at Austin scientists, it’s the largest flying creature ever discovered, with a wingspan of 40 feet! If he could get off the ground without much issue, it makes you wonder why our problems with present-day flight are so numerous. Perhaps he was more like a try, and try, and try-ceratops. All jokes aside, visit the Texas Natural Science Center for a Mesozoic experience that will both amaze and astound you!
