Museum Boasts New Inhabitants, New Exhibits

The Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, has opened its doors to its newest inhabitants. Four Albertosaurus sculptures created in Calgary recently traveled the 135 km (84 mi) via an open flat-deck trailer to their new home. Click here to see photos of the move from Calgary.

The models, which took over 11 months to create, include a 10-foot juvenile, two 25-foot young adults and a 35-foot adult. Visitors can now walk amongst these life size replicas set in a recreation of a lush Cretaceous riverbed environment—how Alberta looked 70 million years ago: humid, rich with swamps, ponds and marshes. The Cretaceous Garden exhibit houses the largest living collection of prehistoric plants in Canada.

The museum is located 6 km (4 mi) northwest of the town of Drumheller in southern Alberta’s Canadian Badlands—where some of the world’s most significant dinosaur finds have been made.

How it All Began

In 1884, the Museum’s namesake, geologist Joseph Tyrrell, accidentally discovered the skull of Canada’s first meat-eating dinosaur in the rocks exposed in the badlands. The largest predator of its time, it later became known as Albertosaurus sarcophagus, “the flesh-eating lizard of Alberta.” And the rest, as they say, is history.

Home to some 125,000 fossil specimens, one of the most popular and impressive exhibits is the gigantic Dinosaur Hall with nearly 40 mounted dinosaur skeletons. Tyrannosaurus rex—"king of the lizard tyrants"— dominates the display, awing children and adults alike.

New Exhibits

Having recently completed a period of renewal, the museum now boasts 21,000 square feet of new exhibits. With three new permanent galleries and one travelling exhibit, visitors can travel back 70 million years to the Cretaceous Period, come face to face with Alberta's newest dinosaur, walk among the province's most ferocious carnivores, and learn what cold really meant. Be sure to visit the Nexen Science Hall, where interactive stations help prepare you for your journey through the museum.

You'll find many hands-on exhibits, computer simulations, and multimedia exhibits, such as the Burgess Shale diorama. Now a mountain ridge 2300 m (7546 ft ) above sea level, the Burgess Shale was once the underwater home of more than 140 species that lived together 545-490 million years ago. In the walk-through exhibit you can enter their strange world and see 46 of the creatures recreated to 12 times their actual size.

The museum offers many programs for families, including day trips and overnight camps for children. Join a guided hike to a nearby excavation site or into the coulees and canyons of the badlands.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum celebrates the spectacular history and diversity of life on Earth. It is Canada’s only institution devoted entirely to palaeontology and is internationally recognized for its innovative research, extraordinary collections and dynamic galleries.

Visit our Canadian Badlands...and stay awhile!

There is much to do with dinosaurs in our Canadian Badlands. When planning a trip to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, include a trip to Dinosaur Provincial Park. This UNESCO World Heritage Site offers bus tours and guided interpretive hikes through badlands, bone fields and fossil beds. The Museum operates a field station at the park, where palaeontologists continue the work of unearthing plant and animal fossils from these ancient beds.

Plan to spend some time to take in the Hoodoos and the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site.
For a variety of regional badlands driving tours, and a whole lot more local information, visit Canadian Badlands.

For more information on things to do and see in the area, return to Drumheller—Heart of the Canadian Badlands.