Dinosaurs once roamed Utah and their presence is felt to this day with several dinosaur museums of varying sizes dotting the state. The Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi claims a distinction among those venues, as it is home to one of the world’s largest displays of complete dinosaur skeletons. Visitors of all ages likely will agree that “awesome” is a good description for both the collection of those 60 dinosaurs and the size of each of them. Ocean creatures are also part of the museum’s landscape.

Welcome to the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point!

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The Museum of Ancient Life has a spacious design, giving visitors plenty of room to roam among the five dozen dinosaur skeletons.

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What’s a dinosaur museum without a T-Rex?

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Ruth the Gorgosaurus is one of the more recent additions to the museum’s collection of dinosaurs.

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This display creates the sense of walking underwater while displaying ancient life in the Cretaceous era.

Taneli Mielikäinen/flickr There is also a collection of extinct fish known as pachyrhizodus, which help expand the museum’s offerings beyond traditional dinosaurs.

There is a considerable variety of dinosaurs in the museum, where paleontologists and volunteers are actively working.

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This visitor and the modern-day shark lend some perspective to the size of this fierce prehistoric sea creature.

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Easy access is among the selling points of Thanksgiving Point. The Museum of Ancient Life is one of five venues on the property that’s immediately off Interstate 15, 25 miles south of downtown Salt Lake City. You can purchase a day pass to all five attractions or just the museum. You’ll want to budget at least a couple of hours for the museum because of the volume of displays and more than 50 hands-on exhibits, including the opportunity to dig for fossils. For more information about weekly presentations and special events, check the museum’s website.

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There is also a collection of extinct fish known as pachyrhizodus, which help expand the museum’s offerings beyond traditional dinosaurs.

Brian/flickr

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Address: Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point, 2929 N Thanksgiving Way, Lehi, UT 84043, USA