Fossil Discovery Center
Fossil Discovery Center
4
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4.0
23 reviews
Excellent
9
Very good
11
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Why bee
United Kingdom22 contributions
July 2024 • Family
It’s a small place, only need a couple of hours, not somewhere you’d go out of your way to but it was a perfect stop on our way to Fresno.
For the price it is a great attraction. Lots to learn about fossils found locally as well as further afield. Interactive displays and activities that my 12year olds also enjoyed. Dino mad 9year old loved it. Also a very reasonably priced and varied gift shop. Staff were super friendly, chatting to us, I felt bad as we were there well past closing.
Overall a lovely little dinostop, glad we went!
For the price it is a great attraction. Lots to learn about fossils found locally as well as further afield. Interactive displays and activities that my 12year olds also enjoyed. Dino mad 9year old loved it. Also a very reasonably priced and varied gift shop. Staff were super friendly, chatting to us, I felt bad as we were there well past closing.
Overall a lovely little dinostop, glad we went!
Written 4 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert B
Madera, CA122 contributions
Sept 2012
While digging for a landfill, fossil bones were discomered. A group of volunteers has worked together to create a museum. Though small, it is a good beginning for showing pre-historic animals in the central San Joaquin Valley. The group is slowly incorporating what native Indian life was like prior to the white man coming to this part of California. It is a great start for depicting pre-historic and early life in the San Joaquin Valley.
Written 24 September 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bjl22
Fresno, CA12 contributions
Jan 2014 • Couples
I've been a San Joaquin Valley resident for many years and I love to explore new places and to find one of these locally makes it all that more exciting.
Great things come in small packages, well that is until you assemble all the "packages", (bones) and you find you have unearthed a Columbian mammoth! WOW they were huge and to think they roamed the Valley grasslands is awe inspiring! And there is so much more.
Yes it is a small fossil exhibit but very interesting and the staff are extremely friendly and knowledgeable. You can take a self tour or have the staff be your guide to the rich past of the San Joaquin Valley.
Great things come in small packages, well that is until you assemble all the "packages", (bones) and you find you have unearthed a Columbian mammoth! WOW they were huge and to think they roamed the Valley grasslands is awe inspiring! And there is so much more.
Yes it is a small fossil exhibit but very interesting and the staff are extremely friendly and knowledgeable. You can take a self tour or have the staff be your guide to the rich past of the San Joaquin Valley.
Written 22 January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KneeHow
Oakhurst, CA20 contributions
Nov 2012 • Friends
Great learning and viewing experience, for ALL ages.
Though small, it is a good beginning for showing pre-historic animals in the central San Joaquin Valley. The group is slowly incorporating what native Indian life was like prior to the white man
Though small, it is a good beginning for showing pre-historic animals in the central San Joaquin Valley. The group is slowly incorporating what native Indian life was like prior to the white man
Written 11 October 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Practicaltraveler4
Casa Grande, AZ141 contributions
June 2012 • Couples
A fully assembled mastadon skeleton, LOTS of small fossils, multi-media presentations, and a place for kids to dig in the dirt to "discover" buried fossils.
What's not to love? Especially if you're traveling through the Valley and need a place to get the kids out of the car for awhile.
What's not to love? Especially if you're traveling through the Valley and need a place to get the kids out of the car for awhile.
Written 9 July 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
melrox559
Fresno, CA168 contributions
Sept 2018 • Family
A few months ago, I bought a Groupon for $14 for 4 adults to the Fossil Discovery Center. Just before the expiration, I took my family to the center to check out the place. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. There is a great little documentary video to start off your museum experience. After that, you are provided a brochure to which you conduct your own self-guided tour. It is a relatively small center with a few exhibits a full-size fossil replicas, but it is worth the visit. They also offer a Dino dig experience for those with young children for about four dollars per person.
Written 4 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brandi M
61 contributions
Nov 2015 • Family
Kids were bored driving back to southern California so googled things to do and found this place. Reasonable prices though I don't think we should have to pay extra for the "fossil" dig. The staff was very personable, funny and friendly. There were a few ppl there but it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. Small but enough to keep us entertained. I love the exhibits, some are don't touch and others are touch carefully. Lots of hands on things, looking through magnifying glasses, etc. A small pond out back and of course the fossil dig. My kids LOVED this, they've done it before at another amusement park but this seemed more authentic. There were field notebooks where they could compare what they found and try to guess what animal it was. I had to drag them out! Perfect for a quick stop, glad we found this place!
Written 27 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
22MargP
Emigrant Gap, CA15 contributions
July 2014 • Family
We stopped here on a whim while driving north on 99. We didn't see the signs on the southbound 99. The building was air conditioned which was refreshing, because it was 104 outside! The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. We were able to observe the restoration of a mammoth bone up close - great for the teens.
Written 1 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
darkfalcon500
Fresno, CA30 contributions
July 2018 • Family
If you live in the Fresno area and you like museums with fossils or like the animals from the ice age this is a nice little museum for you to visit. While it may take from a little over an hour to even less than that to go through the whole place the fossils and replicas in the museum are quite interesting and is something you don’t find unless you drive out to LA or go to another museum that is far from here.
The history of the place is really interesting as at the time of finding the first fossils in Madera county, Jurassic Park was coming out which led to a fossil craze for a period of time which I imagine made the fossil findings even more exciting and the idea of making a museum in Madera gained a lot of attention. Most of the fossils inside the museum are from during the times where mammoths and saber tooth tigers existed. In other words don’t expect to find dinosaur bones here. There is also a dig site for kids so if your bringing kids they can do the dig. Also I should mention this place never gets crowded unless a school comes over so crowds aren’t an issue.
If you live nearby and haven’t been come check this place out.
The history of the place is really interesting as at the time of finding the first fossils in Madera county, Jurassic Park was coming out which led to a fossil craze for a period of time which I imagine made the fossil findings even more exciting and the idea of making a museum in Madera gained a lot of attention. Most of the fossils inside the museum are from during the times where mammoths and saber tooth tigers existed. In other words don’t expect to find dinosaur bones here. There is also a dig site for kids so if your bringing kids they can do the dig. Also I should mention this place never gets crowded unless a school comes over so crowds aren’t an issue.
If you live nearby and haven’t been come check this place out.
Written 2 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mony C
Livingston, CA17 contributions
Nov 2015 • Family
Very interesting my son liked it. I didn't see much dinosaurs if your coming for them. It was a mammal museum of the ones that were discovered right in the Same area. Museum was cool, the tour was rushed. I felt the guide a little rude towards the kids if they didn't answer correctly.. A lot of under the tongue comments... I think only an adult would catch them. We spent digging up fossils for 7 min.. It should of been 15. The kids had money that's were they spent most of the time at. We left an hour early.
Written 10 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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