Dinosaur State Park Celebrates 50th Anniversary

ROCKY HILL, CT - Throughout 2016, Dinosaur State Park is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the discovery of dinosaur tracks in Rocky Hill with special events and Facebook activities for families.

The March events that are sponsored by the Friends of Dinosaur Park and Arboretum include:

March 19: Prizes to the first 50 families who pay admission. Prizes include books, toys, videos, poster and more.

March 19: A Facebook event sponsored by the Friends of Dinosaur Park and Arboretum, providing an opportunity to ask the experts about dinosaur tracks. The event will feature former State Geologist Ralph Lewis on March 19. To sign up visit the Park’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DinosaurStateParkFriends

Discovery of Tracks and Creation of Dinosaur State Park

It was back on Aug. 23, 1966, fossil tracks were uncovered during excavation for a state building. When Edward McCarthy turned over a slab of gray sandstone with his bulldozer, he saw six large three-toed footprints. The news of the discovery spread quickly as more tracks were uncovered. Within a few weeks, officials decided to preserve the site as a state park. As a result of careful excavation, the park has one of the largest on-site displays of dinosaur tracks in the world.

Weekend programs include:

• View a Film: Films are shown throughout each day beginning at 10:00 a.m. Last showing begins at 3:30 p.m. All films are 25 minutes or less.
• Make a craft (Saturday only): Sponsored by the Friends of Dinosaur State Park and Arboretum (FDPA) -- a craft area will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. where visitors will make a craft to take home.
• Naturalist-led Programs: A live animal program takes place at 11:00 a.m. and a Track Talk at 11:30 a.m.

Location and Museum

Dinosaur State Park is located at 400 West St., Rocky Hill. The Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. More than 600 real dinosaur tracks preserved in gray sandstone are on view inside the museum. The 200-million-year-old tracks were left behind by a large carnivorous dinosaur and date from the early Jurassic.

The museum also features exhibits with the tracks, a bookstore, and a Discovery Room with a small live animal collection, a young visitor area, an investigation station that features activities with rocks and minerals, an interactive geologic map of Connecticut, and a bird sound station.

The 2 ½ miles of hiking trails are open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission

All special programs are included with your admission. Adults (13 and up) are $6, Youth (6-12) are $2 and children under 6 are free. The park accepts MasterCard, Visa and Discover. Charter Oak Passes are available for seniors (65 and older) who are Connecticut residents. Picture ID must be presented to acquire a pass.

For more information, visit Dinosaur State Park website at www.ct.gov/deep/dinosaurstatepark or contact the park at 860-529-5816 or at margaret.enkler@ct.gov .