The Big Dig
Open Saturdays and Sundays
The Big Dig
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Imagine you are clad with expedition attire and goggles, your fossil brush in hand. You step gingerly over some rocks as you take in the wind-swept badlands of New Mexico. In the distance, something catches your eye. You can almost make out a promising shape slightly exposed on the brown, dry terrain. You are a curious paleontologist, and you simply must find out what it is.
Nestled inside The Big Dig, the Little Dig activity involves using a brush to sweep aside child-safe inert cork bits to reveal dinosaur bones. Younger paleontologists will likely uncover a Lambeosaurus skull or an Ornithomimus arm and claw. A clever clipboard graphic identifies the bones found in the dig.
Digging isn’t the only thing to occupy explorers in The Big Dig exhibit. A dramatic play wall with magnetic, movable dinosaur silhouettes covers the low wall opposite the digging space. Placed upon a charming Cretaceous landscape, dinosaur magnets that match the species in the dig are labeled with a scientific name and illuminated by custom-designed LED lights. You may have a hard time deciding which activity to choose first!
So what’s hiding under the rocks? Will you uncover a duckbill dinosaur or a Tyrannosaurus rex? Find out during your next visit. Get information on hours and transportation.
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The Academy is especially grateful to the Leo Model Foundation for making the renovation of The Big Dig possible.