EXPLORE THE MUSEUM’S Dinosaur Trail

Time travel on the outdoor Dinosaur Trail at MDWFP’s Mississippi Museum of Natural Science!

Nestled along one of the Museum’s nature trails, you can see six large-scale, 3-D dinosaur models, including a:

  • Triceratops

  • Tyrannosaurus Rex

  • Pteranodon

  • Chasmosaurus

  • Nodosaurus

  • Appalachiosaurus, and an

  • Eotrachodon with nest and newly hatched babies.

Along the way, learn a fascinating fact about each dinosaur in this permanent exhibit as well as its height, length, weight, diet, and time period.

The Dinosaur Trail Project also includes “Blue” - a “dino-mite” large dinosaur costume that appears occasionally at the Museum during special events.

The new trail officially opened on July 1, 2022, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony honoring the memory of the project’s benefactor, Gerard “Jerry” Case, a long-time friend of the Museum (see below). The Museum and the Foundation are grateful for this gift and proud to recognize Mr. Case’s achievements in the field of paleontology with this new Dinosaur Trail that will delight generations of Museum visitors!

PLAN YOUR ADVENTURE

The Dinosaur Trail is included with MMNS Foundation Membership or the museum admission fee.

Plan to explore the state-of-the-art LeFleur’s Bluff Playground (no admission fee) during your Museum visit, too.

Get more details about the Museum’s events, permanent exhibits, and special exhibits at www.mdwfp.com/museum.

  • MUSEUM HOURS: M-F: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sat: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Sun: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. The museum and the playground will be closed on New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

  • FIELD TRIP / BIRTHDAY PARTY INFO: Please call Yolanda at 601-576-6000.

Dinosaur Trail Photos Credit: Lindsay McMurtray


ABOUT GERARD R. CASE

GERARD R. CASE

December 22, 1931 - December 21, 2022

A veteran of the US Navy, Gerard “Jerry” Case was an artist, illustrator, and author who had a great passion for paleontology resulting in an illustrious and prolific career in the field.

In all, Case named 180 fossil genera and species in well over one hundred publications and at least a dozen species and one genus have been named in his honor.

In 1992, Case received the Paleontological Society’s Harrel L. Strimple Award, which is the highest honor for an avocational paleontologist.

In 2022, Pratt Institute, Case’s much-beloved alma mater, presented him with a Doctor of Liberal Arts (Honoris Causa) for his contributions to the arts and sciences.

Read more about Jerry’s illustrious career, here.