Ultimate Dinosaurs at the State Fair

On view at the Minnesota State Fair, Ultimate Dinosaurs invites you to experience a side of the prehistoric world most have never seen. This exhibition ventures beyond the familiar Triceratops and T. rex of North America to showcase spectacular dinosaur discoveries from the Southern Hemisphere — South America, Africa, and Madagascar. Trace how the ancient supercontinent Pangaea gradually split apart, isolating these southern lands and setting the stage for some of the strangest, most gigantic dinosaurs ever to walk the earth. Journey from the earliest known dinosaurs of the Triassic Period through the fragmentation of the southern supercontinent Gondwana and discover how tectonic drift and evolution in isolation produced wildly different creatures from those found up north. The journey culminates in the Late Cretaceous, where the exhibition’s dinosaurs reveal how millions of years of separation shaped two distinct dinosaur worlds.

Special for this exhibition at the Minnesota State Fair: See real fossils from Minnesota spanning nearly two billion years, including our new State Fossil — a giant beaver found in St. Paul. Discover how Minnesota scientists continue to advance our understanding of life on Earth.

Fifteen fully articulated skeleton casts anchor the exhibit, including the fearsome Carnotaurus, the sail-backed Ouranosaurus, the plant-eating crocodile Simosuchus, and the towering southern predator Giganotosaurus, a carnivore even larger than its cousin, Tyrannosaurus rex. Alongside these dramatic casts, authentic fossils and touchable specimens bring you face-to-face with real prehistoric remains, while augmented reality “skin viewers” reveal what these dinosaurs may have actually looked like in life.

Designed for all ages, Ultimate Dinosaurs is packed with hands-on fun: a multiplayer continental drift puzzle, a microfossil sifting station, tactile bronze casts of claws and teeth, and large-scale reactive walls that respond to you as you explore. Whether you’re a lifelong dinosaur enthusiast or just looking for an unforgettable day at the Fair, this exhibition offers a fresh, science-driven look at prehistoric giants the whole family can dig into.

Enhance your experience with select pop-up talks by museum paleontologists, where you can meet Science Museum of Minnesota professionals and touch real fossils from the museum’s vault. 

Free with fair admission.