Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
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The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology is located in Midland Provincial Park near Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. It is known the world over as an outstanding palaeontology museum and research facility. Opened in 1985 and given "royal" status by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990, its mission is to collect, conserve, research, display and interpret palaeontological history, with special reference to Alberta's extensive fossil heritage. The museum is operated by the Alberta Government's ministry of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture. It is named in honour of Joseph Burr Tyrrell (1858-1957) [1].
A series of dramatic, chronological galleries feature exhibits celebrating the spectacular history and diversity of life on Earth for the past 3.9 billion years, as well as the palaeontologists who bring the story to life. Among them are hundreds of dinosaur fossils; a large collection of Burgess shale fossils; a life-size model of a reef from the Devonian Period; and a living Cretaceous garden with over 600 species of plants. A window into the Preparation Lab allows visitors to watch the work of technicians carefully extracting and preparing the fossils for study and exhibition. In addition, guided and self-guided tours of the badlands, a discovery center for children, simulated fossil digs, fossil casting, school programs, summer camps for both children and families, and many other programs are available for education and enjoyment.
In its first year of operation, the museum attracted over 600,000 visitors, and well over three hundred thousand people a year still pass through its doors. It is open year round, closed Mondays after Thanksgiving to Victoria Day. Also closed December 24 and 25, January 1 and 2.
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