Excavation Station
Dinosaurs, Rocks & Fossils

As you enter Excavation Station your adventure begins by walking through a cavern.  Here you’ll see and be able to touch local rock specimens.  If you’ve ever wondered what that rock in your backyard is, you’ll find out here.  Next encounter excavation sites where you can help to scrape away the past revealing the remains of plants and animals of long ago.  What will you find?

Be sure to look up at our 12-foot tall topographical map of Connecticut.  Marked are locations of various rock and mineral formations with samples of the types of stones that can be found here.  We suggest you explore these sites for yourself.

Think you have precious stones in your backyard?  So did the pioneers as early as the 1700s.  Connecticut’s geologic history has resulted in small amounts of metallic ores such as iron, copper, and platinum.   Sift through gravel and sand for semi-precious stones in our sluice. The sluice replicates the process that pioneers used to mine for commercial ore.  The running water takes the sand away and leaves the gems behind. 

At the center of it all is a group of full-size dinosaurs, including a fierce, juvenile velociraptor and flying peterosaur swooping overhead.

A relative of the dinosaurs is alive and well in our Gator Gallery.  He too is a juvenile.  Our American alligator is on display for all to see.  Attached to his area is a small cave with rocks and a scorpion that fluoresce under ultraviolet light.

The Gator Gallery and a set of child-height fish tanks mark the borders of the Dino Café.  Sit, relax and have a snack before you continue your trek through the past. There are vending machines offering healthy treats (no candy or soda) and a microwave station for warming bottles or baby food.

Discover your inner geologist in our Rock Lab.  Travel back in time when the continents were once one.  Play with the land masses and see how they fit together.  Look at the many locations in the United States that are the result of massive transformations of the Earth’s surface.  Study in detail a collection of rocks and fossils with our Discovery Drawers.  Inspect and study their structure under a magnifying glass knowing that what you are seeing took millions of years to create.  All this is set in a make-believe geology camp complete with field tent and Jeep.

Excavation Station – Dinosaurs, Rocks & Fossils is great for kids of all ages with plenty of hands-on and engaging experiences.  We hope you enjoy our new exhibit.

More about our other exhibits ...