USA: Northeast, Tracking Dinosaurs on Vacation. Dino fanatics of all ages found their interest in the magnificent prehistoric reptiles rekindled with the ABC Mega Series of Dinotopia, based one of my favorite childhood books. Luckily nearly everyone in North America is within a short drive of ancient “lizards” and mammals.

From still active dig sites to cool hallways in which immense skeletons loom, to fascinating exhibits which display the most recent theories on lifestyle this list sums them all up. Coast to coast, from sunny California to Connecticut, the U.S. offers dinosaur lovers and their families a chance to get up close and personal with natural history. Only what we believe to be the best is featured on this list. Of course if you’ve visited a fantastic dinosaur site, let me know and I will add it. Have a great time tracking dinosaurs.

Connecticut: Peabody Museum of Natural History. From Costa Rican gold to saber-toothed cats to the once mighty dinosaurs visitors will find it all. There are eleven wildlife dioramas of North America and New England, as well as displays highlighting Plains Indians and Polynesian ethnographic collections. You can learn about the making of the museum’s bronze Torosaurus. This is a new and prominent presence on the Connecticut landscape and the first full-size public work of a dinosaur in New England. (P.O. Box 208118, New Haven, CT 06520. 1 (203) 432-5050, www.peabody.yale.edu)

Connecticut: Dinosaur State Park. Features one of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America. Beneath the geodesic dome, is an exceptional display of early Jurassic fossil tracks that were made nearly 200 million years ago by several types of dinosaurs. Things to do include making a real plaster casting of an actual dinosaur track if visitors bring their own plaster of Paris, liquid cooking oil and materials for clean-up. There is also a life-size model of Dilophasaurus on display. Special note: Hearing is believing. Onsite is PVC sculpted creation of a full-size Parasaurolophus crest. It was created to simulate the call of this herbivorous dinosaur. Powered by an air compressor, the "crest" produces a variety of impressive sounds. This display illustrates a possible function of the crest--communication. (400 West Street, Rocky Hill, Connecticut USA 06067. 1 (860) 529-8423 or www.dinosaurstatepark.org)

Maine: Maine State Museum. The exhibits of the Maine State Museum feature Ice Age Mammals, including mammoth and mastodon remains and an ancient walrus skull found by a fourteen-year-old clam digger. A newer exhibit called “12,000 years in Maine”, includes a Paleo-Indian meat cache, a reconstruction of an archaeological dig, and more than two thousand artifacts and specimens dated from the end of the Ice Age through the 1800’s. (230 State Street, Augusta, ME. 04333. 1 (207) 287-2301, www.state.me.us/museum)

Massachusetts: The Museum of Comparative Zoology. This highly educational museum has twelve departments; Biological Oceanography, Entomology, Herpetology, Ichthyology, Invertebrate Paleontology, Invertebrate Zoology, Mammalogy, Marine Biology, Mollusks, Ornithology, Population Genetics, and Vertebrate Paleontology. Bonus points: Unique to this museum’s hall of vertebrae paleontology is Stupendemys, and ancient turtle native to South America, 5 or 6 million years ago. Several other ancient and rare reptiles and fish are also on display. (26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. 1 (617) 495-3045, www.mcz.harvard.edu)

New York: American Museum of Natural History. This is an incredible place to enjoy with kids. A trip here can be overwhelming so plan to take a break in the park and return. Need I say, “Not-to-be-missed.” For the dinosaur connection there are three dinosaur halls with copious displays of mounted dinosaur skeletons. Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, Baraosaurus, and Allosaurus are among those featured. Special Note: The Science and Nature Program for Young Children offers weekday classes during the school year, designed to educate children ages 3 to 9 and their parents about the wonders of science and nature. The Summer Camp Program is offered for children entering grades 4 or 5 in September 2002. Each session includes hands-on investigations, tours behind-the-scenes, and visits with Museum scientists. The different camps offer Paleontology, Archeology, Herpetology, and Astrophysics. (Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024. 1 (212) 769-5100 or 1 (212) 769-5079, www.amnh.org)

Image provided by the American Museum of Natural History. Researched and compiled by Travel Communications. Copyright 2008.