There’s a new kid in town and he is about 65 million years old.
The new Dinosaur Ridge Discovery Center near Red Rocks will be officially open to the public on Sept. 23. In 2013, the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge obtained this new property on the west side of Dinosaur Ridge, an ideal location for viewing the western flank of Dinosaur Ridge where Arthur Lakes and his colleagues excavated dinosaur bones from the Morrison Formation.
Joe Tempel, executive director of the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge, says the new facility is intended to compliment the main Visitor Center (near C-470) and not replace it.
“Whereas the visitor’s center expands upon the environment of the dinosaurs, the new discovery center focuses on the animals from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.”
There are several dinosaur replicas that include hands-on exhibits, a children’s area with games, coloring and books and some fossil collections on loan from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. There will also be guided bus tours of Dinosaur Ridge.
Children’s area
Though the Discovery Center is jam-packed with fascination information, it is small–the exhibit hall and gift shop are just 2,000-square feet on the main level with an addition 2,000 feet downstairs, which will be used for classes on natural history and earth sciences.
Admission is free. However, there will be a “Wine and Cheese Party” from 4-7 p.m. on September 23 to celebrate the grand opening. A $15/person donation is requested.
Author: Amber Johnson
Amber is the founder and editor of Mile High Mamas, travel writer and former columnist for The Denver Post. She is a passionate community builder and loves the outdoors. She has two awesome teens and is happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin.
