WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (KOAA) — Getting out and exploring Colorado Springs and the surrounding area doesn't need to break the bank.
We're highlighting businesses, organizations, and happenings that you can engage with for under $40; the focus for this article (and outing) is the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center (RMDRC) in Woodland Park.
The space is packed with more than 300 exhibits both large and small that feature a range of full-size replicas as well as original fossils. The wealth of displays feature dinosaurs (like the enormous Tyrannosaurus rex), ancient marine life and prehistoric mammals.
When you walk into the RMDRC's first display room, you can expect to be staggered by the size and number of dinosaurs that greet you.
We are the largest commercial paleontology lab in the United States. We go out and find our own fossils, we bring them back here to Woodland Park, we clean up the dinosaur bones, and then we make copies of them. And this here is kind of our showroom for other museums. Our owner actually walks other museum owners through, shows off what we can do, gives them ideas, and then they kind of build their museum off of that.
Aside from the three large rooms dedicated to displays, the RMDRC also provides a space for visitors to watch paleontologists work on fossils.
"We have a viewing area for our laboratory," stated Goderis. "So, you can actually go and see our paleo-techs and paleontologists working on the dinosaur bones."
The RMDRC is always adding to and switching up their exhibits. Currently, they are transitioning part of one room to feature ice age mammals. The Resource Center hopes to have this display fully realized at some point over the summer.
"Since the beginning of the year, " said Goderis. "We have almost a dozen new displays out; so if you come in, there will almost always be something new to look at."
Admission to the museum costs $13.00 for adults and $9.00 for children with discounts provided for seniors and military. There is no admission charge for children under the age of five.
Included in the price of admission is a tour that museum staff says will last between an hour and a hour-and-a-half.
For additional information, visit RMDRC's website.
_____
_____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
