The dinosaurs are back – and no, we’re not talking about your uncle’s dance moves at a wedding. With Jurassic World: Rebirth stomping into cinemas this July, it’s the perfect time to unleash your inner palaeontologist and explore the planet’s best dinosaur museums.
At InsureandGo, we know that travel isn’t just about beaches and cocktails (though we love those too) – it’s about discovering the weird, the wonderful, and sometimes, the prehistoric. That’s why we’ve unearthed the top-rated dinosaur museums across the globe, based on over 200,000 visitor reviews.
Where’s the best dinosaur museum in the world?
Drumroll…or should we say, dino roar please… The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Canada, takes the crown! A staggering 97.3% of visitors gave it four or five stars, making it the world’s most loved dino destination.
But it’s not the only fossil-fuelled hotspot worth a visit. New Zealand’s Tūhura Otago Museum and the UK’s Oxford University Museum of Natural History complete the top three, proving that from Canada to the Kiwi coast to the cobbled streets of Oxford, the fascination with fossils is alive and well.
Top 10 dinosaur museums on Earth (ranked by visitor reviews)
| Rank | Museum | Location | Country | % of 4 and 5* Reviews |
| 1 | Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology | Drumheller | Canada | 97.3% |
| 2 | Tūhura Otago Museum | Dunedin | New Zealand | 96.5% |
| 3 | Oxford University Museum of Natural History | Oxford | United Kingdom | 96.1% |
| 4 | Natural History Museum of Utah | Salt Lake City | United States of America | 95.3% |
| 5 | Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa | Wellington | New Zealand | 95.3% |
| 6 | Carnegie Museum of Natural History | Pittsburgh | United States of America | 95.2% |
| 7 | National Museum of Scotland | Edinburgh | United Kingdom | 94.8% |
| 8 | Museum of the Rockies | Bozeman | United States of America | 94.3% |
| 9 | Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum | Katsuyama | Japan | 94.1% |
| 10 | Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History | New Haven | United States of America | 93.6% |
| 11 | Museo de La Plata | La Plata | Argentina | 93.5% |
| 12 | Children’s Museum of Indianapolis | Indianapolis | United States of America | 93.3% |
| 13 | Dinosaur National Monument | Jensen | United States of America | 93.0% |
| 14 | Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County | Los Angeles | United States of America | 92.7% |
| 15 | Natural History Museum Vienna | Vienna | Austria | 92.5% |
| 16 | Denver Museum of Nature & Science | Denver | United States of America | 92.4% |
| 17 | Wyoming Dinosaur Center | Thermopolis | United States of America | 90.8% |
| 18 | South Australian Museum | Adelaide | Australia | 90.7% |
| 19 | Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History | Washington | United States of America | 90.7% |
| 20 | New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science | Albuquerque | United States of America | 90.2% |
| 21 | Canadian Museum of Nature | Ottawa | Canada | 90.2% |
| 22 | Melbourne Museum | Melbourne | Australia | 90.0% |
| 23 | Perot Museum of Nature and Science | Dallas | United States of America | 89.9% |
| 24 | Houston Museum of Natural Science | Houston | United States of America | 89.9% |
| 25 | Natural History Museum | London | United Kingdom | 89.3% |
Dino highlights from the top spots
1. Royal Tyrrell Museum, Canada
Tucked away in the Canadian Badlands, this museum boasts over 130,000 fossils, including Black Beauty, a stunning T. rex skeleton. It also features the world’s most complete tyrannosaurid skeleton – of a fearsome predator that predated the T. rex by 10 million years. Film buffs might recognise it as a filming location from Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
2. Tūhura Otago Museum, New Zealand
Home to the country’s largest fossil plesiosaur and a world-class collection of moa remains, this museum blends science with culture. Its name, Tūhura, means “to discover” in Māori, and with its rainforest butterfly house and prehistoric treasures, discover you certainly will.
3. Oxford University Museum of Natural History, UK
Think of Oxford and you might picture libraries – but this museum outshines even London’s iconic Natural History Museum in visitor reviews. Here you’ll find the only soft tissue remains of a dodo, all housed in a spectacular building designed to showcase British geological diversity (keep an eye out for the stone columns made from different UK rocks).
Dinosaurs around the world: who else made the list?
The USA dominates the top 25, with museums like the Natural History Museum of Utah, Museum of the Rockies, and Carnegie Museum of Natural History roaring into the rankings.
But it’s not just North America getting in on the prehistoric action. The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum in Japan, nicknamed Dinosaur Kingdom, and Te Papa in New Zealand – famous for its mummified moa head and giant fossil collections – are must-visits for fossil fans venturing further afield.
Roarsome fun with a side of travel insurance
Letitia Smith, Communications Manager at InsureandGo, sums it up perfectly:
“We all travel for different reasons – whether it’s sampling new dishes, swimming in turquoise waters, or exploring fascinating cultures. For many people, that includes visiting a fascinating destination, like a dinosaur museum.
“With the new Jurassic Park movie on the way, we wanted to highlight the museums that truly capture the awe of natural history, based on real visitor reviews. If your summer plans take you near these top-rated museums, it’s the perfect chance to experience some of the world’s top-rated prehistory.
“Thankfully, dinosaurs are no longer a threat, but travel can still be unpredictable. So, protect yourself with comprehensive travel insurance, and keep your adrenaline fix within the museum!”
Ready to explore?
If your summer travels take you near these roarsome museums, don’t forget to pack your curiosity – and your travel insurance. From delayed flights to lost luggage, InsureandGo has your back, so you can focus on the fossils.
Methodology
A seed list of 100 of the most prominent dinosaur and natural history museums globally was compiled. The proportion of 4 and 5-star reviews (from total reviews) was calculated. Museums with fewer than 1,000 total reviews were excluded to ensure fairness.