601. Tyrell Museum
Ah, yes. The Royal Tyrell museum. The dream of every child who has ever watched “The Land Before time”. Any child who has learned that dinosaurs did really walk this earth and we have only bones to remember them by has at some point begged their parents to take them there. Spoiler, my begging never got me far so as an adult I finally indulged my inner child and my own children in one go.
On a sunny Saturday we made the drive to Calgary which is only roughly another hour from Drumheller and my destiny. We stayed in an epic hotel called Staybridge Suits. I highly recommend this place as the beds were comfy, the rooms were clean, they had the friendliest staff and the pool was so fun.
After enjoying an epic breakfast we sailed off into the rising sun to see some dino remains. I could not believe my eyes upon arrival into the town. Not only did we go from regular Alberta plains to, quite suddenly, prehistoric landscape, but there were dinosaurs everywhere. The streets were named after dinosaurs as were tattoo parlors, tech repair companies, restaurants, conference centers and parks. There were dinosaur statues, sculptures and images all over the town. I fell in love with this town instantly as well as all the unique scenery it had to offer. Seriously, with the layers of sediment and hoodoos that surround the town you can picture dinosaurs walking there.
Anyway, we arrived at the museum itself and were so surprised to see that there was a playground outside and you can guess where my kids bolted to. It was truly the best with obstacles, climbing spots and levels that would surely get me lost in a heartbeat. Don’t worry, my children have far better navigation skills than I, they get it from their father. But! the coolest part of this whole playground was the buried replica of Black Beauty, which they had the actual fossil of inside.
Black Beauty was a T-rex that had been found buried in a location that was ripe with minerals; these minerals caused all of the bones to turn completely black, hence the name ;). Back to the replica it was buried in a sand pit on the playground and allowed for the kids to actually be able to practice digging up a fossil. My little sunshine’s enjoyed this immensely, but I would have to say that my husband enjoyed it most of all. Being in construction he happily made sure the whole excavation was up to grade, dug holes, packed dirt, made piles for sand and dirt that were removed and shaped the walls of the dug out spaces so there would be no fall out. Truly he is a comedian.
Once we had finally moved inside my daughter actually started feeling sick and we weren’t sure quite why. (As an afterthought I think she just got too hot on the playground). So we spent the first half of the museum quickly marveling at fish fossils, shells, skulls, and Black Beauty itself. As we neared the middle of our journey we swapped the baby out of her stroller and replaced her with our 10 year old as she was now starting to overheat and exacerbate her sudden sickness. We went through the next quarter of the museum passing the baby back and forth and pushing a child in a stroller that she didn’t quite fit into.
Suddenly we hit a wonderful pit stop. A kids haven if you will. This space had interactive attractions, perception dinosaur heads, dinosaur noise pods, tunnels, etc. Anything you could imagine for a child (or adult) to play with and get an understanding of what it must have been to be a dinosaur was in this room. And on the plus side my daughter was finally able to get enough of a drink at the water fountain to finally feel better.
The rest of the museum was a breeze. We flowed through the botanical room, enjoying all the ancient plants that had kept themselves alive through their following generations. We followed hallways and hallways of more undersea creatures and braved a glass floor.
Our final reward was the last two rooms. One being the main event. Every dinosaur fossil that the museum had enquired throughout the years. Some if them were names I had never even heard of before. Some were so small I would have been scared to catch them underfoot. Others loomed above us making us feel quite small. We simply could not help but “ooo” and “aw” at the history that surrounded us. Although I will say that they should also definitey post The Land Before Time names on the signs to make it easier to connect the dinosaurs. (Although we did see a some long necks, Duckie’s family, and a few Petrie’s.)
The final room had more so ancient animal fossils; saber tooth tigers, a mammoth, etc. (Not going to lie, that was my favorite part). Then it was a quick stroll through the highly priced gift shop and back out for one last play on the park.
In final summation, it was worth the drive. It was worth waiting 25 years to see. Some of it was underwhelming, but everything else was more than what could have been asked for. It was a journey that I will gladly be making again… making sure no one is sick this time, so maybe we could really take in ALL the museum has to offer.
Thank you Royal Tyrell Museum, we’ll see you soon!
