The Natural History Museum of Utah is a museum located in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The museum shows exhibits of natural history subjects, with an emphasis on Utah and the Intermountain West. The mission of the museum is to illuminate the natural world and the place of humans within it. A new building, named the Rio Tinto Center, opened in November 2011. The museum is part of the University of Utah and is located in the university’s Research Park.
My Thoughts
Getting to visit the Natural History Museum of Utah was honestly one of the biggest highlights of the entire trip. From the moment I walked in, it was clear this was a special place. I also had the opportunity to meet Alex Straley, who was incredibly kind, and getting to see the museum’s prep lab was such a cool behind-the-scenes experience. Being able to get up close to fossils that are still being prepared and see recently discovered dinosaurs before they become finished exhibits was something I’ll never forget.
The exhibits themselves were absolutely incredible. One of my favorite displays was the wall of ceratopsian skulls arranged as a taxonomic tree. It is such a unique way to show how these horned dinosaurs are related, and seeing so many different skulls side by side really puts their diversity into perspective.
The Barosaurus facing off against a pack of Allosaurus was easily one of my favorite museum displays I’ve ever seen. Those are probably my two favorite dinosaurs, and since Barosaurus is so underrepresented in museums, finally seeing such an incredible mount featuring it was amazing. It tells such a dynamic story and immediately grabs your attention. On top of that, getting to see Lythronax in person was another huge highlight. Between the incredible exhibits, the behind-the-scenes access, and meeting such passionate people, this museum has easily become one of the coolest museums I’ve ever had the chance to visit.
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