Dinosaur Journey Museum in Fruita is where western Colorado’s deep past comes roaring back, with real fossils dug from nearby rock, life-size skeletons, robotic dinosaurs and a lab where you can watch paleontologists at work. It’s a must for families on I-70 and anyone who has ever loved a Triceratops.

Fruita sits at the edge of one of the richest dinosaur regions in North America. The Morrison Formation rocks that ring the Grand Valley have produced famous Jurassic giants, and the museum, run by the nonprofit Museums of Western Colorado, puts many of those discoveries on display. Many of the fossils you’ll see are real specimens found right here in western Colorado, shown alongside high-quality casts that let you see complete skeletons of animals like Allosaurus, Camptosaurus and Velociraptor.

This is a hands-on museum, so plan to touch things. Kids can dig in a fossil quarry pit, handle bones at touch stations, and feel the floor shake in a simulated earthquake exhibit, while robotic dinosaurs roar and move nearby. Look for the model of Fruitadens, a tiny, feathery plant-eater whose name honors Fruita, where its fossils were found. Big windows look into the working paleontology lab, where staff and trained volunteers clean and stabilize real fossils from the museum’s quarry sites; activity depends on the day, so don’t be disappointed if the benches are quiet.

Want more than a museum visit? Dinosaur Journey runs public Dino Dig programs in summer where you can join paleontologists in the field, and spots fill early. Insider tip: pair the museum with a short hike on one of the area’s dinosaur trails, then drive the rim road through Colorado National Monument just south of town. Mountain bikers and hikers can also head out to McInnis Canyons west of Fruita.

Dinosaur Journey is on fall and winter hours (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) from Labor Day to Memorial Day, then 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in summer. Admission is $11 for adults, $9 for seniors and $7 for kids, and Experience Passes bundle it with the Museum of the West and Cross Orchards in Grand Junction. Check museumsofwesternco.org for holiday closures and upcoming Dino Dig dates.