Dinosaurs come alive at The Exploration Place, Prince George

Like Dr. Henry Jones (from the Indiana Jones movie franchise) says in his older years, get out of the library and into the field to learn! But you don’t need a time machine like Marty McFly or HG Wells at The Exploration Place. This Northern BC attraction has an entire hall dedicated to all things paleontology, perfect for those on the #dinotrail.

The action starts with their multi-million dollar upgraded Gaia Hall right out of the gate, showcasing the science and sustainability of aquaponics is what it’s all about.

Faced at entry with a wall of ancient forest, you look around and realize you are not alone in this strange landscape. A world of remnants of prehistoric ocean life, as reptilian creatures lurk in the underbrush.

Trace a trail of giant footprints leading you to enormous, armoured giants that once ruled these lands.

Exploration Place’s Assistant curator Chad Hellenius says the foyer area alone traces British Columbia’s ancient past from 565 million down to a mere 66 million years ago. Talk about a new leaf.

"It lets our visitors know that plant and foliage recovery is important."

Trace time from when the planet and British Columbia was covered in water, to greenery, to sea life, to eventually, life on land.

The touch and feel, interactive and hands-on nature of The Exploration Place allows visitors to experience things first-hand, he says.

Slide out from underneath a mammoth skeleton, get your hands dirty with all kinds of touch and feel, interactive, science to excite the mind.

"It's that tactile ability to grab hold of these items that our visitors love," says Hellenius.

More recent histories are there to be explored, and discovered, deepening understanding and knowledge.

"Sturgeon are a connection to this ancient past – they are truly living fossils," explains Hellenius.

With Prince George located on the unceded ancestral territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, the facility’s Hodul’eh-a: A Place of Learning brings together the streams of knowledge, quite literally.

The word Lheidli means "where the two rivers flow together" and T'enneh means "the People"

Long lost maps on the floor, and a priceless ceremonial headdress are on majestic display. Treasures.

Did you know lands of central British Columbia is divided into keyohs by the traditional property laws of the Dakelh (the Dene people of the central interior of British Columbia).  True story. History.

Keyohs are not be confused with "Indian Bands," also known as First Nations, a form of government created by colonial governments.

This exhibit showcases a 200-year-old human hair headdress on loan from the Royal Ontario Museum. This regalia was worn on ceremonial occasions by the Keyohwhudachun (chiefs) of the Maiyoo Keyoh.

Thursdays are absolute hits at The Exploration Place – as are feeding times – for the animals. Visitors can catch a 10:30am daily animal ambassador feeding, as well as daily 2:30pm meet the keeper or a 4:30pm feed the black-billed magpie times.

If you are looking to feed your crew after a day of exploration and adventure through time – set them down in the Origins Kitchen where you can engage the taste buds more than everywhere else in The Exploration Place.  Milkshakes are their speciality along with tons of menu options should a diet of straight up ice cream not work you.

When you go

Prince George’s The Exploration Place is open every day from 9 to 5pm and Thursday's till 8pm.

The attraction is located in downtown Prince George and is an approximate four-hour drive from Tumbler Ridge, or about five and a half hours from Wembley Alberta, home to the Philip J. Currie Museum.

This summer, join ZenSeekers as we travel across Northern Alberta and Northern BC to link together paleontology experiences. Start or end in Prince George (home to The Exploration Place), take this Trackway Tour in Tumbler Ridge, camp in Wembley Alberta to experience the Philip J. Currie Museum and go virtual in Grande Cache with their VR dinosaur track experience.  

We’ve made it easy for you to do it all, just visit #DINOTRAIL

Let us know what you uncover, use the hashtag #dinotrail so we might be able to feature you.