Dinosaur special exhibit to open at Dunn Museum

LIBERTYVILLE – Dinosaurs will visit the Bess Bower Dunn Museum in Libertyville with the opening of a special exhibition “Dinosaurs: Fossils Exposed.”

The exhibit runs from Oct. 7 through Jan. 15, 2024, at the nationally accredited museum that is operated by the Lake County Forest Preserves. Museum hours and admission prices are at DunnMuseum.org.

The new exhibition explores the bones and fossils belonging to the giant creatures that once roamed the Earth. Visitors can view and touch six full dinosaur skeletal molds including a Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor. There are additional molds of skulls, arms, legs, eggs, footprints and a 6-foot-1-inch Apatosaurus femur.

“People’s imaginations work overtime when it comes to developing their understanding of dinosaurs,” Director of Education Nan Buckardt said in a news release. “They include some of the largest animals ever to roam the Earth and some that were just chicken sized. This exhibit will explore dinosaurs from full skeleton replicas to fossilized eggs.”

“Dinosaurs: Fossils Exposed” was conceptualized by the Arkansas Discovery Network, a unique six-museum partnership of which the Dunn Museum is a member. The Preservation Foundation, the charitable partner of the Lake County Forest Preserves, provided support for the exhibition.

“Often with dinosaur exhibits, the crucial background information is overshadowed by the shear majesty of these massive animals,” said Kathleen Lawson, Arkansas Discovery Network director. “But Dinosaurs: Fossils Exposed will educate and excite visitors while dispelling common misconceptions and engage people of all ages.”

The exhibit will feature Tully monster fossils from the Dunn Museum collection. Central Illinois is the only place in the world where the fossils have been found.

“This creature has baffled scientists since it was first discovered in the late 1950s. Even today, there is no agreement if it even has any living relatives,” Buckardt said. “One of the things I’m most looking forward to is seeing the wonder and joy on the faces of our visitors as they move through the exhibition.”