If you’ve ever dreamed of finding fossils, standing beneath massive dinosaur skeletons, or snapping selfies with life-sized dinos, this road trip is made for you.
Pennsylvania might be known for its rolling hills and historic towns, but some seriously awesome prehistoric stops are located all across the state.
We’re talking real fossil pits where you can dig up ancient sea creatures, dino skeletons that’ll leave you in awe, and giant dinosaur statues perfect for your Instagram feed.
So let’s hit the road—there’s a whole prehistoric world waiting to be explored!
1. Dippy the Dinosaur, Pittsburgh
Dippy the Dinosaur is a massive, 22-foot-tall replica of a Diplodocus skeleton standing outside Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
He’s one of the museum’s biggest stars, modeled after the original Diplodocus fossils dug up in Wyoming way back in 1899.
People love snapping selfies with Dippy—especially since he’s often decked out in scarves, hats, and even sports jerseys, depending on the season!
Fun fact: Dippy’s skeleton inside the museum is part of one of the largest dinosaur collections worldwide, packed with real fossils and life-size prehistoric creatures.
2. Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Step inside the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and you’ll find an entire hall lined wall-to-wall with dinosaur skeletons.
Highlights include a jaw-dropping T. rex and the towering Diplodocus fossil that inspired Dippy outside.
The museum’s Dinosaur Hall stretches across two galleries and features more than 230 fossils that bring the prehistoric world to life.
You can get right up close to real prehistoric bones, observe the massive skeletons, and even see scientists working on fossils in the PaleoLab.
If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you’re walking through a real-life Jurassic World, this is the place to do it.
3. Doolittle Station, DuBois
The next stop is Doolittle Station in DuBois, where dinosaurs meet trains in the weirdest way possible.
This place has life-sized dinosaur statues scattered throughout, including a giant T. rex and a pack of raptors chilling next to vintage train cars.
You can grab lunch inside an old passenger car, snap pics with a stegosaurus, and stumble across something unexpected around every corner.
It’s equal parts roadside attraction and dino park—and 100% the kind of weird, wonderful stop you never knew you needed.
4. Montour Preserve Fossil Pit
Ready to get your hands dirty?
The Montour Preserve Fossil Pit in Danville lets you dig for roughly 395-million-year-old fossils—no fancy tools necessary, just a bucket and your own two hands.
Expect to find loads of ancient sea creatures here, like brachiopods and crinoid stems, all leftovers from when Pennsylvania sat beneath a shallow ocean.
Best of all, you can keep whatever fossils you find—it’s basically the ultimate prehistoric souvenir!
5. The State Museum of Pennsylvania
If you’re rolling through Harrisburg, The State Museum of Pennsylvania is a must for fossil fans.
Their Paleo Hall is stacked with Pennsylvania’s best prehistoric fossils, like a large mastodon skeleton and ancient trilobites that once crawled across the ocean floor.
One of the coolest features is the life-size diorama showing what the state looked like 300 million years ago.
Picture giant ferns, swampy forests, and strange creatures lurking everywhere.
It’s the perfect spot to see how wild and weird Pennsylvania was long before it became the Keystone State.
6. Dinosaur Rock via Horseshoe Trail
For a little outdoor adventure, hit up Dinosaur Rock via the Horseshoe Trail in Cornwall.
The hike is a 5.8-mile round trip, winding through the woods and leading you straight to a huge rock formation covered in amazing erosion patterns (and graffiti unfortunately).
Locals swear the rock looks like a giant dinosaur, and the view from the top is excellent.
It’s a fun stop that mixes a bit of prehistory with fresh air and forests.
7. Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
When in Philly, be sure to visit the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, one of the country’s oldest natural history museums.
Their Dinosaur Hall is loaded with enormous skeletons, including a 42-foot-long Tyrannosaurus rex.
You can also peek into their Fossil Prep Lab, where real paleontologists clean and piece together ancient bones right before your eyes!
And don’t miss the interactive dig site—it’s a great spot to channel your scientist.
8. Hadrosaurus Foulkii Leidy Site (New Jersey)
If you’re up for one last prehistoric pit stop just across the Pennsylvania border, swing by the Hadrosaurus Foulkii Leidy Site in Haddonfield, New Jersey.
This quiet little park is where the first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton in North America was dug up back in 1858.
It’s basically ground zero for American dinosaur discoveries, so it’s perfect for imagining what it was like when scientists first realized dinosaurs existed.
It’s an easy stop with some serious history and the best way to cap off your fossil-filled adventure.
Bonus tip: The bronze Hadrosaurus statue in downtown Haddonfield is also worth checking out.
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