Liberty Science Center is a massive interactive science museum and learning center in Jersey City's Liberty State Park, just across the Hudson from Manhattan. The star attraction for young dino fans is Dino Dig Adventure, a permanent outdoor exhibit where kids excavate replica fossils — bones, eggs, and dinosaur poop — buried in more than 60 tons of sand across three dig pits representing the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. The 1,750-square-foot dig site is shaded by a giant Ankylosaurus-shaped canopy and sits on the second-floor terrace with sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline.
Beyond the dig, the museum offers 12 exhibition halls, live animals including naked mole rats, cotton-top monkeys, and piranhas, a 35-foot climbing gym, an 80-foot pitch-black Touch Tunnel, and the largest planetarium outside of Asia. Dino Dig Adventure is included with general admission and closes in extreme heat, rain, or inclement weather — call ahead if the forecast looks uncertain. Strollers must be parked at the top of the stairs before descending to the outdoor dig terrace.