So, for those of you who don’t know, I LOVE dinosaurs. Maybe not as much as some people. Obviously I didn’t become a palaeontologist or anything like that. However, the idea of dinosaurs is so cool and they intrigue me. Recently I discovered there is a place in Manitoba that has a fossil museum. So, here is what I have to say about the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre.
Where to Find the Discovery Centre
The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre is located in Morden, a small city located in the Pembina Valley region of Southern Manitoba. I believe the nearest city is Winkler. The building also holds a baseball museum, a hockey arena, and that’s just what I saw when I first walked in. The Discovery Centre is found by following these little footprints on the floor. There is also a small gift shop where you can find replica fossils, toys, shirts and other merchandise to remember your visit.
What to Find There
Now, some of you may remember I did a review on a dinosaur museum that is located in Drumheller, Alberta. Don’t make the same mistake I did and expect that. The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre is a much smaller exhibit and contains mainly marine reptile fossils, the highlight being Bruce. The discovery centre does tours with children where they educate them. When I was there no such tour was happening. However, I did find a little classroom type area and the sign said “Dino Camp” and there was a sandbox with a bunch of dinosaur toys in it, some tables and chairs. I didn’t go too deep into the room. Right next to this room was one titled “Dinosaur Photo Booth”, so naturally I had to check it out. There was a mosasaur for kids to climb on and get their photo taken. Naturally I had to get my photo taken.
Discovery Centre Extras
When I first walked in I saw a poster with a cool advertisement. You could be a palaeontologist for a day and go to a dig site. Naturally I am excited about that, but it does cost around $200 Canadian. I’m sure the proceeds go towards funding the digs, but that seemed like a lot of money for me right now. Perhaps I’ll go another time. That would be an exciting thing to blog about, especially if I found something. The Discovery Centre also had a closed off area where you could see them working on fossils. Again, an area I would love to discover more of and ask questions about the techniques and such. Maybe I’ll try and set something up one day.
Not Much Else
There is not much else to add. Like I said, it is a small exhibit. It was neat and I think that it has potential. There was a note on one area saying a new display was coming soon, so that could be exciting. The tours are probably quite educational for children. There was a lot of information for adults to read as well. They even had a little display showing the meteor impact, which I thought was neat. Hopefully they can continue to be supported and if you find yourself in the area, I encourage you to go check them out. Maybe one day we’ll meet up at a dig. Anything can happen, if we try.
