Texas: Best Places to Find Dinosaurs on Vacation. Investigating the mystery of the dinosaurs and their world is a marvelous way to share time and have fun with your kids and lasting value to your family vacation. 

 
Here’s the scoop. Our list includes museums, places and destinations in Texas which have replicas of dinosaurs, dinosaur skeletons, interactive digs, and engaging activities related to prehistoric times. From the dino sleuthing at the Witte in San Antonio to encountering replicas of dinosaurs near Bastrop, the possibilities for unique learning experiences are endless. View more dinosaur locations in North Texas or more locations dig sites in the US Southwest.

 
San Antonio: The Witte Museum - Visit home of Patty the Apatosaurus and Herb, the Triceratops. At the Dinosaur Gallery in the Witte Museum find a delightful Triceratops named Herb and a daunting Tyrannosaurus rex. Enjoy interactive activities and the chance to unearth fossils at the museum’s paleontological dig site and step inside the cast of a dinosaur footprint. Until September of 2013 see a special exhibit – Dinosaurs Unearthed. Share space with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs and large scale articulated skeletons, real fossils from the Jurassic & Cretaceous eras. See examples of Allosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Microraptor, Protoceratops, Angustinaripterus, Stegosaurus, and more. Wait for it! Dinosaurs may be related to birds. Look for the feathered juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex and see why at the Witte. Bonus points: This museum also has tons of great programs for kids.  (3801 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209.  (210) 357-1900 or www.wittemuseum.org)

Cedar Creek: Bastrop Dinosaur Park - Go on a prehistoric scavenger hunt. Bastrop Dinosaur Park showcases replicas of dinosaurs along tree-lined nature trails with indigenous plants, trees and rocks used to create the environment of the Cretaceous in Texas.  Kids can dig for fossils in the sand and go on a prehistoric scavenger hunt using clues provided onsite to find items hidden along the trails. Bonus points: There is a replica of a T. rex head large enough to step inside and perfect for a “show-and-tell” photo when school resumes. (893 Union Chapel Road Cedar Creek, Texas 78612. (512) 321-6262 or www.thedinopark.com)

Houston: Museum of Natural Science – Take your own prehistoric safari. The Morian Hall of Paleontology is populated with prehistoric predators and prey in in settings created to emulate a typical day in the Jurassic or Cretaceous periods. Visitors are led on a "prehistoric safari" featuring the story of human evolution — from Australopithecines to courageous hunters. The hall is home to more than 30 dinosaurs and large mammals. Countless specimens are available to touch and feel adding to a tactile experience including fossilized dinosaur skin. See huge pieces of gem-quality petrified wood and a collection of petrified poop. View mummified Triceratops and fleshed-out model "Willie" the Dimetrodon. Bonus points: The museum has a special mobile app for the Hall of Paleontology. Wait for it!   See an actual skeleton of a T. rex complete with hands and feet, as well as patches of original skin. (5555 Hermann Park Drive Houston Texas 77030-1799. 713-639-4629 or http://hmns.org)

 
Clute: Brazosport Museum of Natural Science – visit Dinosaur Island. In addition to an extensive collection of shells from throughout the world, the museum showcases life-sized fossilized dinosaur skeletons and an array of prehistoric fossils, three sets of dinosaur eggs, and coprolite – “dinosaur poop.” The largest dinosaur in the exhibit is an Allosaurus.  Bonus points: The children’s area provides hands-on activities for young visitors. (400 College Blvd. Clute, Texas 77531.  (979) 265-7831 or http://bcfas.org/museum)

 
Alpine: Big Bend National Park – Dinosaur discovery news. The Big Bend area has produced specimens of more than 35 dinosaur species from the Cretaceous period. And recently a new one was added to the list - a Bravoceratops ("wild horn-face"), placing the park at the forefront of paleontological science. Plans are underway to showcase the story of the dinosaurs found new Fossil Discovery Trail. The plan may be viewed at www.bigbendfriends.org. The Fossil Bone Exhibit provides a glimpse of the evolution of the area and the Big Bend Junior Ranger program offers kids a way to understand the area by making their own discoveries. Wait for it! Even without a dinosaur connection the park is worth a visit for the stargazing. On the clearest nights, scientists report more than 2,000 stars are visible to the naked eye. (Big Bend National Park: TX 118 from Alpine to Study Butte or FM 170 from Presidio to Study Butte then 26 miles east to park headquarters or US 90 or US 385 to Marathon then 70 miles south to park headquarters.  Details at Big Bend National Park)