Dinosaur Park, Paleontology park in Laurel, Maryland, US.
Dinosaur Park is a fossil site in Laurel, Prince George's County, Maryland, where remains from the Early Cretaceous period have been found in the exposed ground. The site sits along Mid-Atlantic Boulevard and consists of open dig areas where both land and marine animal fossils have come to the surface.
Fossils were first discovered in the Prince George's County area in 1858 during clay mining operations, when workers uncovered ancient bones in the ground. That early discovery drew the attention of scientists and set the foundation for the site's later role as a place for research and public education.
The park is one of the few public sites in the country where visitors can take part in real fossil digs alongside trained researchers. Children and adults work side by side in the open ground, making the experience feel more like field science than a typical day out.
The park opens on set dates each month for public programs and there is no admission fee. Sturdy shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are a good idea, since all activities take place outside on open ground.
The ground here holds fossils of Astrodon Johnstoni, Maryland's official state dinosaur, which lived long before the more famous Tyrannosaurus rex. This species is considered one of the earliest known sauropods in North America, linking the state directly to a very early phase of dinosaur history.
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