Edelman Fossil Park & Museum is located at 66 Million Mosasaur Way in Mantua, New Jersey. The museum is located a bit south of Philadelphia, in southern New Jersey.
Edelman Fossil Park & Museum features a large building with dinosaur and climate-related exhibits, as well as a playground and quarry area for digging.
Timed tickets are available on their website. Museum and quarry dig times are available, and especially the quarry dig times can sell out. If visiting the indoor museum, quarry dig tickets can be added to the museum admission at a discounted rate. Quarry dig-only tickets are also available. The playground is free to visit.
Upon entering the building, kiosks are available to check-in with your pre-purchased tickets. Tickets can also be purchased at the kiosk, though tickets can sell out. The kiosk programs your Explorer Key, which is a card that unlocks the museums interactive exhibits.
The exhibits on the main floor also include a fossil scavenger hunt, to track the hidden fossils throughout the galleries. This area includes the full-scale reconstructions of dinosaurs. There is a lot of written information about each display, though there are also interactive kiosks.
On the bottom floor of the building houses Critter Cove, which includes several live animal exhibits and a touch tank. When we visited, new horseshoe crabs had been added to the touch tank and were acclimating to their new environment. More animals are planned to be added in the future. The bottom floor also includes an additional cost virtual reality free-roaming adventure.
Food is available at the museum, with snacks and drinks available. Cookies, cupcakes, muffins, chips, and veggies are available for purchase. There is also a variety of drinks. The cafe has an indoor seating area, as well as an outdoor veranda with tables to enjoy your food.
Outside, there is a large playground designed to resemble a scene from the Cretaceous period. It includes a large Pteranodon that can be climbed. There’s also some smaller play structures and a slide. The playground area is fenced, and also includes a sand pit where you can “dig” for the hidden dinosaur bones.
There is also a quarry dig available as a separate ticket or an add-on to your museum ticket. The dig has specific times each day, and is open from May 1st until around the end of October. The dig can be dirty, so be sure to bring a change of clothes and wear old clothes for the dig. Check out their website to find more specific information about the quarry dig.
Looking for more fun things to do in the area?
Check out Deptford Memorial Park, Diggerland, and Adventure Aquarium.
