WHEN YOU Meet Big John at Glazer Children’s Museum

by Kate White, Glazer Children’s Museum

Take a journey through time in the new dinosaur exhibit at the Glazer Children’s Museum! The rocky façade of the entrance corridor sets the stage and builds anticipation. As you round the corner, take in the size of the colossal skeleton in front of you.

The world’s largest triceratops stares back, poised like the Wall Street Bull, as if ready to pounce.

As you stand nose-to-nose with Big John, try to imagine what it would have been like to encounter him alive in his habitat. It’s an exhilarating and slightly eerie thought. Approach the platform to go nose-to-nose with Big John, and then walk around, taking in the details from different perspectives. Climb through a spacious tunnel and pop your head up in clear domes to study him from underneath.

As you observe this 66-million-year-old fossil, start asking questions. How heavy was Big John? What did he eat? How did his bones turn into fossils? You will discover answers as you journey through the exhibit, but you’ll likely leave with new questions, too. That’s what science does; it sparks curiosity, prompts us to ask questions and inspires us to find the answers.

You’ll discover what the Earth was like when Big John lived and study the dig site map where his fossils were excavated 66 million years later. Pile onto a giant scale to see how many people it takes to reach the weight of Big John’s enormous skull. A dinosaur fossil is a lot like an incredibly complicated jigsaw puzzle—can you solve the puzzle of Big John?

HOW TO VISIT BIG JOHN ADMISSION & TICKETS

The Big John exhibit is included with the price of admission to Glazer Children’s Museum. Tickets are $18. Children ages 1 and younger are free. There is a $2 discount for first responders, seniors and educators.

ANYONE CAN VISIT

Big John

The museum is waiving its requirement to have a child with visiting adults. However, to ensure a quality experience for all guests, everyone will need to reserve a timed entry to see Big John.

Purchase tickets and reserve your time slot at BigJohnDino.com.

There are plenty of adorable photo-worthy moments in this exhibit. From posing as a hatching baby dinosaur to selfies with Big John, you will have plenty of reasons to capture the moment.

Fun Facts about Big John the Triceratops

Big John was found in South Dakota’s Hell Creek formation in 2014, the final rock unit in the United States before the Big Extinction event at which all dinosaurs went extinct.

Big John is the world’s largest triceratops fossil found to date, measuring 26 feet long and nearly 10 feet high. His skull is more than 5 feet long.

Big John is named after the property owner of the land where the fossils were found, John Weiner.

Big John has an injury in his frill that was likely caused by a fight with another triceratops. Studies show the injury healed prior to his death. You can see the injury too!