See real, 200 million year old dinosaur tracks preserved in place. Enjoy hiking trails, gardens, track casting, mining, and a Discovery Room.
In August of 1966, bulldozer operator Edward McCarthy was excavating a rocky site for a state building. He turned over a slab of gray sandstone and saw something very exciting: six large, three-toed footprints. Within a few weeks of the discovery, state officials decided to preserve the site as a state park. Two seasons of careful excavation resulted in one of the largest on-site displays of dinosaur tracks in the world. Fossil tracks are named independently from fossil animals. No skeletal remains were found at the Rocky Hill site so scientists speculate that the animal was similar to Dilophosaurus based on the shape and size of the footprints and the age of the sandstone where they are found. Come learn all about it during a track talk!
The Park offers school field trips for grades 1 and up during the school year. As well as family-oriented programming on weekends, school vacations, and during the summer months.
The anniversary celebration will include a “First 50” giveaway one Saturday a month for the first 50 families that pay admission on that day. The dates will be posted by the end of 2015. The giveaways will not be posted until the day of the events but will include a different item each month. Books, videos, posters, and dinosaur toys are examples of some of the items that will be given away. The park will have several days where admission will be free over the summer months. These dates will be posted after the New Year and will include Connecticut Open House Day in June and Dinosaur State Park Day in August. Lectures, animal programs, book signings, and other special programs sponsored by our Friends group will take place throughout the year. You will want to visit over and over again!
The Friends of Dinosaur State Park and Arboretum, Inc. (FDPA) was established in 1976 in response to a need for the protection and preservation of the tracks at Dinosaur State Park. The FDPA is an organization devoted to promoting greater public knowledge of the natural history, paleontology, and geology of the Park. Towards that end, the FDPA sponsors educational programs, lectures, special events, and will be the primary sponsor of the 50th anniversary celebration. The Friends also operate the museum’s bookstore. Incorporated in 1987, the FDPA operates as a private, non-profit organization governed by a board of directors.
Volunteers are an essential part of the FDPA’s efforts to support the park. Volunteer opportunities include office work, artwork, research, gardening, trail maintenance, carpentry, and more. Annually, volunteers donate more than 2,000 hours of time to the park.
