Rocky Hill’s Dinosaur State Park exhibit center will close four to five weeks, beginning Feb. 25, for renovations to upgrade and expand the park’s aging Discovery room. The dinosaur track area, restrooms and bookshop will also be closed.
School vacation week programs from Feb. 16-17 and Feb. 19-24 are scheduled to take place before the renovations begin, the state agency that runs the park said.
The 2 ½ miles of outdoor hiking trails will remain open from 9 am to 4 pm daily during the renovation.
The renovation to part of the building at 400 West St. that opened in the late 1970s includes exhibits for both adults and children and will allow hundreds of specimens that have never been on display to be viewed by the public, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which runs the park.
One of the new exhibits, “Connecticut’s Geologic Treasures” will feature an interactive geologic map of the state, drawers containing dozens of specimens from Connecticut and an “Investigation Station” where visitors can examine mica, crystal structures and more.
“Life Through Time Exhibit” will showcase hundreds of fossil specimens from different time periods and different parts of the world. Other exhibits include a giant Mesozoic Magnetic Wall, a bird sounds station and a rock core display.
The Friends of Dinosaur State Park and Arboretum funded the initial design costs, DEEP said.
