Dinosaur State Park

What Dinosaur State Park does

Dinosaur State Park is a Connecticut state park located in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, operated by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). Established in 1966 following the accidental discovery of dinosaur tracks during a state construction project, the park preserves and displays one of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America, with over 750 early Jurassic footprints (approximately 200 million years old) viewable in situ under a geodesic dome. Attractions include a 250+ species Mesozoic-era arboretum, over two miles of nature trails, an Exhibit Center with dioramas and a Dilophosaurus model, and hands-on activities such as gem and fossil mining, track casting, and live animal demonstrations. The park is a registered National Natural Landmark (1968) and operates under state government ownership without private equity or venture capital involvement.

The park operates a direct-to-consumer model with a mixed revenue structure: free access to park grounds, trails, and picnic areas, with paid admission to the Exhibit Center ($2–$6 depending on age), curriculum-aligned school field trip programs ($50 minimum for a 1.5-hour guided program, September–June), virtual field trips, summer group programs, picnic shelter rental ($150 plus processing fee), and museum shop sales of gems, fossils, and merchandise facilitated through the Friends of Dinosaur Park & Arboretum nonprofit. Customer segments are K-12 and college school groups, families, individuals, and summer youth groups primarily in the Northeast USA, with outreach via the Connecticut State Parks website, social media, the Connecticut Office of Tourism, and DEEP Education Programs. Digital channels include a YouTube series ("Fossil Discoveries with Kira"), virtual tours, ArcGIS StoryMaps, and interactive online learning modules, which extend reach beyond the physical site.

Name

Dinosaur State Park

Legal name

Dinosaur State Park (Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection)

Website

https://dinosaurstatepark.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dinosaur State Park is a Connecticut state-run paleontological park in Rocky Hill, CT, preserving one of North America's largest early Jurassic dinosaur trackways (750+ footprints, 200 million years old) under a geodesic dome, serving families, K-12 school groups, and summer youth groups through admissions, curriculum-aligned field trips, and hands-on fossil activities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Museum and Educational Park Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Interpretation & Education Centers (Visitor Centers, Museums) (THAAAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL)

Keywords

• Paleontology education
• Natural history museum
• Educational field trips
• Fossil trackway exhibits
• Nature park recreation

Headquarters

HQ city

Rocky Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Exhibit Center Admission Fees: Visitors pay admission fees to access the Exhibit Center which houses the dinosaur trackway, fossil exhibits, dioramas, and interactive displays. Fees vary by age group.
2. Educational Program Fees: School field trip programs including guided tours, presentations, films, and activities. Virtual field trips also available. Summer group programming including mining activities.
3. Gem and Fossil Mining Sales: Sale of mining rough bags ($7-$25) and buckets ($75) at the Friends of Dinosaur Park museum shop for hands-on gem and fossil mining experience.
4. Picnic Shelter Rentals: Private event rental of 28x28-ft picnic shelter accommodating 40 people, available Memorial Day through Columbus Day.
5. Museum Shop Sales: Friends of Dinosaur Park & Arboretum Museum Shop sells educational merchandise, fossils, and souvenirs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dinosaur State Park is a publicly operated Connecticut state park that preserves and exhibits a 200-million-year-old, early Jurassic dinosaur trackway of more than 750 in-situ footprints inside a geodesic-dome Exhibit Center, supported by a 250+ species Mesozoic-era arboretum and over two miles of nature trails. Its primary paid offerings are Exhibit Center admissions, curriculum-aligned PreK–college field trip programs (in-person and virtual), summer youth group programs, hands-on gem and fossil mining and plaster track casting activities, picnic shelter rentals, and a museum shop operated by the Friends of Dinosaur Park & Arboretum nonprofit. Park grounds, arboretum, and trails are free to the public year-round.

Product overview

Dinosaur State Park is a 200-million-year-old paleontological site and educational facility in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, operated by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The park's core offering is a geodesic dome Exhibit Center showcasing over 750 preserved dinosaur footprints from the early Jurassic period, complemented by an educational arboretum with over 250 Mesozoic-era plant species. The park provides structured educational programs including in-person field trips (grades PreK through college), virtual field trips, and summer group programs. Visitor activities include gem and fossil mining, dinosaur track casting, and over two miles of nature trails. Digital educational resources include interactive StoryMaps, the Otozoum Activity Series, Geoscience Activity Series, and the Fossil Discoveries with Kira YouTube series. The park also offers picnic shelter rentals and a museum shop. The park is registered as a National Natural Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibit Center Geodesic-dome museum housing over 750 preserved early Jurassic dinosaur footprints from a 200-million-year-old trackway, plus a Dilophosaurus model, Triassic and Jurassic dioramas, fossil collections, and hands-on interactive exhibits. Open Tuesday-Sunday; admission is free for ages 5 and under, $2 for ages 6-12, and $6 for ages 13+.
• In-Person Field Trip Programs Guided 1.5-hour school programs available September through June for grades PreK through college, including a presentation, guided trackway tour, film, and hands-on activity. Curriculum-aligned themes include Fossil Discovery (PreK-1), Fun with Fossils (Grades 2-5), Layers Through Time (Grades 6-8), and The Speed of Dinosaurs (Grades 9-12 and College). Pricing is $1 (ages 5 and under), $3 (ages 6-12), $7 (ages 13+), $6 (adults), with a $50 minimum program fee.
• Virtual Field Trip Programs Live virtual programs led by park staff via video conferencing, covering Connecticut's Geologic History, Dinosaurs of Connecticut, and Fossil Discovery (PreK-1st Grade). Sessions last 30 to 45 minutes each.
• Summer Group Programs Summer programming for summer schools, youth groups, and summer camps including exhibit center exploration, movies, trail walks, animal demonstrations, live fossil programs, and gem and fossil mining sluice access.
• Gem and Fossil Mining Outdoor mining sluice activity available May 1 through October 31 where visitors purchase bags of mineral/gem or fossil mining rough (priced $7-$25 per bag, or $75 per bucket) and mine for treasures with park staff assistance. One bag is recommended for up to 3-4 people.
• Track Casting Hands-on activity available May 1 through October 31 where visitors cast their own dinosaur footprint using real Eubrontes track prints and Plaster-of-Paris, with materials provided by the park, producing a one-of-a-kind take-home souvenir.
• Nature Trails and Arboretum Access Over two miles of nature and hiking trails through swamps, dense forest, meadows, and a traprock ridge of basalt rock, including the 0.75-mile Red Trail Loop and boardwalk, plus a 250+ species Mesozoic-era arboretum of firs, cedars, pines, spruces, ginkgo, and giant sequoia. Free access, open 7 days a week.
• Picnic Pavilion Rental 28x28-ft picnic shelter rental for groups of up to 40 people with four large picnic tables and nearby accessible restrooms; no electricity or running water. Available Memorial Day through Columbus Day for $150 plus a $9 processing fee.
• Museum Shop Retail store operated by the Friends of Dinosaur Park & Arboretum nonprofit inside the Exhibit Center, open Tuesday-Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., selling fossils, gems, minerals, and dinosaur-related merchandise.

Quantifiable outcome

• One of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Friends of Dinosaur Park & ArboretumcoreOthersNon-profit friends organization that operates the museum shop within the Exhibit Center. The organization supports the park through retail operations, merchandise sales, and community advocacy for the dinosaur track site and arboretum.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dinosaur World: Outdoor dinosaur attraction parks in Florida, Kentucky, and Texas featuring hundreds of life-size dinosaur models, fossil digs, and gem mining — overlapping both the dinosaur educational and gem/fossil mining revenue streams.
• Dinosaur Valley State Park: Texas state park preserving in-situ dinosaur trackways along the Paluxy River, offering a near-identical paleontological attraction model with hiking, exhibits, and educational programming operated by a state government entity.
• Dinosaur Park (Maryland): Maryland county park preserving Early Cretaceous dinosaur footprints discovered during iron mining, offering guided tours, track casting, and educational programs — directly comparable fossil-track visitor attraction.
• Field Station: Dinosaurs: Outdoor dinosaur-themed amusement/educational park with life-size dinosaur replicas, themed shows, and paleontology programs; competes for the same family/school group audience with a more amusement-park delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• American Museum of Natural History: World-class natural history museum with extensive dinosaur fossil halls and educational programming — a vastly larger incumbent in the same dinosaur/museum space with overlapping school group and family tourism audiences.
• Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History: Major Connecticut-based natural history museum with significantly larger paleontology collections, exhibition footprint, and research institution affiliation — overlapping dinosaur education but at far broader scale and academic depth.

Regional players

• Connecticut Science Center: Hartford-based science museum with interactive exhibits, school programs, and 3D theater — comparable as a Connecticut science-education visitor destination targeting families and school groups, though with broader STEM focus.
• Berkshire Museum: Regional New England museum combining natural history, art, and science exhibits with educational programming — comparable as a smaller-scale regional museum with mixed nature/history/science visitor proposition.
• Montshire Museum of Science: Vermont-based hands-on science museum with indoor exhibits, outdoor nature trails, and K–12 educational programs — closely comparable New England regional science-education destination with trail/exhibit hybrid model.

Emerging players

• Squam Lakes Natural Science Center: New Hampshire nature center combining live animal exhibits, nature trails, and school field trip programming — comparable regional nature-education visitor model with trail-based recreation plus educational exhibits.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@dinosaurstateparkct
• Facebookfacebook.com/DinosaurStateParkFriends
• Instagraminstagram.com/dinoparkct
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dinosaur-state-park

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dinosaur State Park