More than three years in gestation, this dinosaur of an experience hatched in 2016 and comes highly recommended for fans of the Jurassic period and anyone interested in the evolution of life on the planet. Featuring interactive science-focused displays, the opportunity to get hands-on with genuine dinosaur fossils, life-size fossil casts and convincing animatronic beasties. A multistory ropes course completes the fun.
Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience
Top choice in Southern Front Range
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
28.13 MILES
Pikes Peak (14,110ft) may not be the tallest of Colorado's 54 fourteeners, but it's certainly the most famous. The Ute originally called it the Mountain…
2.43 MILES
In 1929 this 1260ft-long suspension bridge was built across the 950ft-deep Royal Gorge, which stretches for 10 miles west of Cañon City. The bridge and…
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
28.92 MILES
In 1873 Dr AC Peale, as part of the USGS Hayden expedition, was on his way to survey and map the South Park area, when he reputedly discovered these…
18.85 MILES
This museum is set in the old Teller County Jail, which rather remarkably operated from 1901 all the way until 1992 when the ACLU filed the lawsuit that…
5.79 MILES
Set in the original women's prison, right outside the stone walls of the territorial prison, each of the 30 cells is decked out with a different exhibit…
6.27 MILES
The second-largest Jurassic graveyards in Colorado, and still one of the largest in North America, these are one of the quarries that spawned the Bone…
19.08 MILES
Set in an old midland train station terminal is the city's official museum. Between 1896 and 1949 the train came up from the divide four times daily. The…
7.25 MILES
When United Artists were making John Wayne Westerns in Cañon City, this is where they lived and worked. A turn-of-the-20th-century Colorado Fuel & Iron…
Nearby Southern Front Range attractions
2.43 MILES
In 1929 this 1260ft-long suspension bridge was built across the 950ft-deep Royal Gorge, which stretches for 10 miles west of Cañon City. The bridge and…
5.79 MILES
Set in the original women's prison, right outside the stone walls of the territorial prison, each of the 30 cells is decked out with a different exhibit…
3. Royal Gorge Museum & History Center
6.08 MILES
Good for that rare rainy day is this municipal museum, which introduces the region's early history. In 2013 it incorporated the local dinosaur museum…
6.19 MILES
Connected by footbridge to the Whitewater Kayak & Recreation Park, this place is called 'duck park' by locals, thanks to the numerous web-footed residents…
6.27 MILES
The second-largest Jurassic graveyards in Colorado, and still one of the largest in North America, these are one of the quarries that spawned the Bone…
7.25 MILES
When United Artists were making John Wayne Westerns in Cañon City, this is where they lived and worked. A turn-of-the-20th-century Colorado Fuel & Iron…
7. Outlaws & Lawmen Jail Museum
18.85 MILES
This museum is set in the old Teller County Jail, which rather remarkably operated from 1901 all the way until 1992 when the ACLU filed the lawsuit that…
8. Cripple Creek District Museum
19.08 MILES
Set in an old midland train station terminal is the city's official museum. Between 1896 and 1949 the train came up from the divide four times daily. The…