The main attractions at Dinosaur State Park in Connecticut aren't dinosaur fossils, but dinosaur footprints. This park's dome covers 500 of the over 2,000 footprints discovered in the 19th century by the famous American paleontologist Edward B. Hitchcock (the rest are buried, unmarked, for purposes of preservation). To date, no one has identified the exact genus of dinosaur that made these prints, though experts think it may have been a carnivorous theropod similar to Dilophosaurus.
Besides its famous footprints, Dinosaur State Park has a host of dinosaur-themed exhibits for kids and families, including interactive displays, dioramas of the Connecticut lowlands during the Triassic and Jurassic periods, and an auditorium for shows and lectures. The park's arboretum specializes in plants that prospered in North America 200 million years ago, and is adjacent to numerous hiking trails that wind into the surrounding woodlands.
