Museum of Western Colorado

Activity Overview

The Museum of Western Colorado consists of three museums, three outdoor paleontology sites, an educational center, and a research library located throughout western Colorado. Its most popular attractions are the Museum of the West, the Dinosaur Journey Museum, and the Cross Orchards Historic Site, which contain exhibits related to archaeology, geology, history, culture, and paleontology. It also invites the public to join paleontology expeditions in search of dinosaur fossils and attend all kinds of other exciting events throughout the year.

Things to Do

• Explore the Dinosaur Journey Museum in Fruita, an interactive museum where you can see creatures like Fruitadens, the world's smallest herbivorous dinosaur!
• Visit the Cross Orchards Historic Site in Grand Junction to see what pioneer life was like in Colorado in the early 1900s.
• Check out the Museum of the West in Grand Junction, where you can climb into a stagecoach and a 1958 Cessna, see firearms that were once used by outlaws, and visit a one-room schoolhouse.

Museum of Western Colorado Insider Tips

• Don't miss the Sterling T. Smith Education Tower at the Museum of the West - it's a working weather station that provides spectacular views of the surrounding areas.
• View their calendar to learn about upcoming events such as concerts, holiday celebrations, farm days, special tours, and family picnics.
• Make it a trip to remember by going on one of their fascinating paleontology expeditions, where you can learn all about dinosaurs while digging for actual fossils!