bollinger county museum of natural history

Has a variety of fossils from the Cretaceous rocks of southeastern Missouri including material from the nearby Chronister vertebrate site.

This little museum is off the beaten path and in spite of the fact that I've lived in Missouri for many years, I'd never heard of it until recently. It has a lot of Missouri (and other) fossils, civil War history, etc. It is worth the drive to Marble Hill if you have a few hours to spend. There are also hands on activities for children.

I went the museum with a group of kids, planning on staying for an hour and a half. The kids were bored within 40 minutes. I found the museum to be very interesting, as did the kids, until the workers/employees at the museum kept telling the kids to be quiet continuously. One woman was so harsh and rude that I almost left immediately with my group. The price was fair, the museum is good, but the employee ruined it for us.

The Bollinger County Museum of Natural History in Marble Hill, MO is a great place to visit on a budget. ONly $2 for adults and $1 for kids, the museum has Civil War history, prehistoric artifacts, dinosaur replicas, and quite a few things for kids to touch. We went on a spur-of-the-moment trip, and it was well worth the short drive from Cape Girardeau. The gift shop has arrowheads, various minerals, books, and other cool stuff to take home. Well worth the visit!

Surprisingly good museum in an unexpected place. Being a resident of Missouri I was astonished to discover that dinosaur fossils have been discovered in my state. This out-of-the-way museum does a good job of portraying the history and pre-history of Missouri. I am very impressed with the variety of activities available to engage children. This is not a big city museum, but the small staff is obviously very dedicated to science learning and are to be commended. Dinosaurs are not the sole focus of the museum but definitely a stand-out feature.

This hidden gem holds a treasure trove of information! I am a degreed museum professional and I am rarely this impressed with small museums. A wide variety of content was available (paleontogy, local history, some cultural anthropology) but my overall favorite was the story of Hypsibema missouriense, the missouri dinosaur. Having a state dinosaur means so much to the children I work with, that I just had to see it for myself! It was well worth the drive! Their curation team has a viewable lab so that vistors can see all the "behind the scenes" work which most museums are lacking. Their upper level has a great hands-on kids area that any budding paleontologist will be thrilled to try. Across from the kids' area are life sized replicas of Hypsibema and a wooly mammoth skull that are simply breath-taking. A must see!

This place is amazing, especially for a museum in a rural area. They have an impressive collection of large fossils from all over the world. Some Civil War history, some Native American artifacts, but the real attraction is dinosaurs. They have a lab on site where scientists are working on uncovering dinosaur bones from a nearby excavation. They have a life-size replica of the duck-billed dinosaur discovered there, complete with a nest of eggs. Also some replicas of T-rex skulls and some ice-age megafauna, like mammoths. The quality of the replicas is world-class, done by Lost World Studios. If you are ever anywhere near southeast Missouri, you must go to Marble Hill and see this museum! Kids love it.