George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park, Ogden

Utah didn't always look like Utah. Far back in the geological timeline, America's west was home to living, breathing, and roaring giants: dinosaurs. Today, Ogden Eccles Dinosaur Park pays tribute to the state's earliest residents.

• Size: more than eight acres of immersive environment bring Utah's indigenous dinosaurs back to life
• Outdoors: Triceratops, Utahraptors, and other full-scale dinosaur sculptures are placed in realistic tableaux
• Indoors: the Elizabeth Dee Shaw Stewart Museum houses real dinosaur fossils
• Eye Catcher: the 45-foot long, 20-foot high Tyrannosaurus Rex
• Don't Miss: a working dinosaur laboratory, where scientists prepare samples from the area and debate which dinosaur was the coolest
• Hands-On Experiments: kids can split geodes, pan for gold, and dig a stegosaurus skeleton from the quarry
• Special Programs: dinosaur-themed day camps