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Location
Visitor tip
Take advantage of the interactive fossil digging experience in the outdoor mock fossil pit for hands-on learning. This paid add-on activity is popular with kids and provides a more memorable, immersive educational experience beyond viewing displays.
Visitor tip
Use the self-guided tour booklet actively while exploring to maximize learning about the 15,000 fossils from the Fairmead landfill excavation, including Mammoth, Smilodon, Dire Wolf, and other Ice Age specimens. The displays cover both fossils and the history of local Native tribes.
Visitor tip
Don't skip the outdoor pond habitat area—it's well-maintained, features labeled local plants and trees, and provides a nice break from indoor exhibits while reinforcing learning about the region's natural history.
About Fossil Discovery Center of Madera County
Family-friendly fossil museum & dig site. Family-friendly museum & dig site showcasing fossils from the middle Pleistocene period.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Natural History Museum
- Location
- Madera County
- Highlights
- 15,000 Middle-Pleistocene fossils including Mammoth, Smilodon, Dire Wolf
- Time Period
- 780,000 years ago
- Notable Feature
- One of largest middle-Pleistocene fossil excavations in North America
What visitors say
This is a really cool place to bring the kids in your life. We bought a groupon to visit, but without the groupon the price is affordable. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The tour is self guided, you're handed a booklet to…
Love this place this is my first time here.. super nice bring your kids and discover new things here… buy your tickets at Groupon is cheaper
Really nice facility. We started with a short video about the discovery made and the background information. There are many displays of fossils and other things from the area. The outside pond habitat is a nice walk where you can see…
From 431 Google reviews Read all reviews
Did You Know?
- The museum features 15,000 fossils from the middle Pleistocene period, primarily from the Fairmead landfill excavation, including specimens of Mammoth, Smilodon, Dire Wolf, Sloth, Camel, and Horse
- Visitors can participate in hands-on fossil digging experiences where they can excavate up to 19 real fossils from a mock pit, taking approximately one hour to complete
- The museum is restoring Mammoth Orange, a historic 1950s roadside landmark, as part of a special project to convert it into a concession stand
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