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Royal Tyrrell Museum
Category: Arts & Entertainment Museums Museums [Edit]
1500 N Dinosaur TrlDrumheller, AB T0J 0Y0
(403) 823-7707
- Hours:
Tue-Sun 10 am - 5 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
11 reviews for Royal Tyrrell Museum
11 reviews in English
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Review from Denise M.
5/21/2012
I am not a museum person...but this is one of the best I have ever been in. The displays are amazing and most are local with great stories and slide shows about the discoveries. This place is super cool, informative and just neat. You can also take all the photos you want - which we did in all kinds of fabulous poses including the dino skeletons in the background.
The outside paths/viewing platforms are also great. Well worth the drive from Calgary! -
Review from Janine W.
10/29/2011 3 photos
We're always looking for interesting family places to visit in our own backyard in Alberta and this is a perfect place to take the kiddies where the adults will get a lot out of it too.This museum and surrounding area is the perfect place to go. Everyone will leave this place learning something new and the surrounding area has lots of other attractions to visit, so making this into a fun family weekend is easy to accomplish.
The displays are interactive and engaging for both young and old. But be warned! even though this museum is a fair drive from the hub of Calgary, it is extremely busy on weekends!
This was my first visit to the museum and my husband's second. In fact, when he was a kid, he had found a tooth on a walk around the grounds. After inquiring, they tracked the record and told him he had found a tooth of a rare species of alligator. That was nearly 25 years later!!
There is a reason this museum was given a Royal designation. It is an exemplary museum. -
Review from Carrie P.
8/22/2011 4 photos
Right here in Alberta, we have, without question, many of the the most unique attractions in the world. The Royal Tyrrell Museum definately qualifies as one of them.
It is no surprise, that Queen Elizabeth II gave the museum the Royal designation during a visit in 1990, which in essence added "Royal" on the beginning of the Tyrrell Museum's name.
What I found the most fascinating about many of the exhibits, was learning about "where" the bones were extracted from. It wasn't uncommon to see places such as Drumheller, Cowley, Red Deer, Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, as well as sites in northern Alberta, Montana and Utah. When you look at these enormous dinasaur skulls, it is hard to believe that these animals roamed in many of the places where I have been for work or pleasure.
The other tidbit that I found fun while exploring the museum, was that some of the exhibits actually tell the story of how it was discovered! I enjoyed reading a short excerpt of how one big Tyrannosaurus Rex was discovered right here in Alberta by a young boy who was fishing. He told his teacher the next day at school, and the teacher filed a report with the Government of Alberta and now, this impressive display is avaiable for all to enjoy.
I try to make it to the Tyrrell Museum once or twice a year. Even though the exhibits do not change much over time, I always discover something new.
If you are in the Drumheller area, definately stop in. We are extremely lucky to have this exhibit right here in Alberta, and it is a worthwhile attraction to support. You won't be disappointed. -
Review from Sergey S.
5/10/2011
One of the best museums in its class. Definitive must visit if you are around Calgary and have a day to do something cool on your own.
Tyrrell is specifically designed around the beaten and still popular "dinosaurs around us" theme. It does not present in depth the complete spectre of prehistoric life on our planet, but that's ok - the way those horrible ancient creatures so beloved by Hollywood are demonstrated, is absolutely stunning. And there is still quite a bit about the rest of the pre-history to discover.
It is one of a few museums which could be equally interesting for both newbies and long time fans. Kids may dig out "fossils" in a smartly designed sandbox, students can work in the actual lab, and generally interested public will get a solid presentation of the fundamentals, through a totally immersive experience.
Even the location is great. You drive through some boring flats, than a canyon opens deep and wide in front - and you dive in, gradually submerging yourself in the atmosphere which does not belong to our time. It feels like magic.
Royal Tyrrell Museum is a masterpiece. My complete respect to those who have created and maintains it. -
Review from Salsaboy S.
8/4/2011
Excellent museum about dinosaurs with more dinosaur fossil remains than anywhere else I've been. The museum also documents the relationship between the dinosaur and birds and reptiles in the evolutionary scheme.
It's about a 90-100 minute drive from downtown Calgary on boring backcountry plains-roads, but the museum is world-class and worth the trek.
Recommended. Undoubtedly one of the best of its kind. -
Review from alison t.
Mission, BC
11/3/2011
This was so educational and neat. The exhibits were very cool, it was nice to get to watch the paleontologists and their staff working on fossils. I learned so much here. I was not initially enthusiastic about going here but boy was I glad we did! Recommended for kids of all ages :)
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Review from Steven M.
Vancouver, BC
9/28/2010
This museum exceeded my expectations, which were already high.
I was expecting fossils located in a bland, warehouse type museum. Instead, I was treated to an interactive, high tech museum.
The exhibits are incredibly well done. Often, the skeletons are displayed to re-enact certain situations. The scene of the two saber tooth tiger skeletons attacking a mammoth skeleton was just great! And the 360 underwater exhibit was super eerie. Well done.
I also had no idea how many fossils are still being discovered. The number of skeletons that have been unearthed since 2000 really made me appreciate how much more may still be out there that we don't know about.
Finally, if relevant for you, the museum is great for kids. Forget about the fact that they'll be in awe anyway by the huge skeletons. There are all sorts of interactive exhibits and games to keep them entertained. -
Review from Sapna G.
Calgary, AB
10/27/2009
One of THE best museums I have ever seen. In my books, it's right up there with the Smithsonian museums in D.C..
The Royal Tyrrel Museum is everything Dinosaurs. The entire museum focuses solely on dinosaurs and fossils. They've got the most amazing dinosaur exhibits and they even have this cool computer game where you can 'design your own dinosaur' and then when you're done, the game will tell you whether or not the dinosaur you created could have actually existed with the features you gave it! It's fascinating!!!
The Museum has an interactive area for children, it has a place to eat, it has a gift shop and it's also got tours. It's notorious all throughout Canada and it's especially noted for its collection of more than 120,000 fossils.
The Royal Tyrrel Museum will whisk you away to a place where dinosaurs roamed the earth. It educates you, fascinates you and keeps you occupied for hours on end.
It truly is amazing and most definitely worth seeing. -
Review from Luke A.
Toronto, ON
10/19/2008
The Royal Tyrrel Museum is the place to go to see dinosaurs. While you can't see them in their natural habitat like in Jurassic Park, at the Tyrrel you can see their impressive skeletons in the location where a lot of them ended up. The museum itself is great even for non-dino fans, and you can even catch a glimpse of paleontologists working away in the lab with the bones.
The only downside is that it's not exactly conveniently located: I've come to Alberta many times to visit family, and it was only on the last trip that we made time to drive out to Drumheller to see the museum. (I was constantly promised a trip out there as a kid, back when I was heavily into dinosaurs.) But even the drive is interesting, as it takes you through the fascinating geography of the Alberta Badlands. -
Review from Starsia E.
Calgary, AB
9/18/2011 3 photos
I live museums and Tyrrell has been in my life since early childhood. When I went back after the rebuild recently having not been there in years I was excited to see what had changed. The museum is beautiful, fun, informative and even a little scary. The Tyrrell museum is a reason for Alberta pride. The exhibits are just as interesting for adults as they are for kids. They have added multiple areas for kids to play with interactive items that teach as well as entertain all throughout the museum. The whole time I was there I could here kids laughing and many wows escaping mouths. As an adult there was lots to look at too. There are hand sanitation stations throughout the museum which I found handy since I have a bad immune system. The souvenir shop had clothes, books, stuffed animals and loads of science experiments and fun items at I think pretty reasonable prices. I highly suggest having a walk on the paths around the museum. In the summer the paths are filled with curious little surprises and breathtaking scenes. Watch out for dinosaurs! You never know what lurks around the corner;)
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Review from T C.
Lloydminster, AB
12/24/2008 7 photos
The museum is not nearby the other major attractions in the province,
so some trip planning will be necessary to get here. And it is worth it.
Driving through the badlands is interesting in it's own right.
You'll see 11 well prepared exhibits of the dinosaurs.
There is also a gift shop.
I have never heard a negative word about the museum.
See my photos.
