MY LITTLE PALEONTOLOGISTS

My family and I went upstate NY to the Buffalo and Niagara Falls region for a getaway before the hustle and bustle of a new school year started. My husband and I spent a few days researching activities for our getaway trip. There were many things we were interested in, but due to Covid-19, we had to call ahead to make sure businesses were open, and we tried to avoid indoor activities. One place that I absolutely had to visit was Penn Dixie Paleontological and Outdoor Education Center. I knew the kiddos would love it.

The day we chose to visit Penn Dixie was cloudy and by the time we arrived, it began to drizzle. We said we’d still go even with the light drizzle. Within a matter of minutes, the drizzle picked up and we decided to cancel. We were all disappointed, but we didn't see the fun in digging for fossils with the rain beating down on us. On the last day of the trip, we decided to return to Penn Dixie, and I am happy that we did. The weather was beautiful! And the place was big enough to allow people to spread out with their groups and dig. 

We had a staff guide in the beginning to give us a little history and to help identify the fossils as we found them. My daughter, who is 6, found a lot of fossils and she referred to her fossil sheet to determine which ones she found. My 4 year old didn’t have an interest in looking for anything specific. He just had fun digging. 

He also enjoyed running up and down the tiny hills and the few steps on one of the hills.

When we were done, the kids dumped their buckets of fossils and we headed back to the car. Bad idea! As we said our goodbyes to the staff, they asked about the fossils we found and I explained that we dumped everything. Then they told us that we were actually allowed to keep the fossils. They said we could go back to get the fossils but I didn’t want to walk back. Several staff members came to our car asking about our specific location so they can go find the fossils the kids dumped. They were really disappointed that the kids were leaving without their fossils so they gave them two complementary packs of fossils. While I know the children had a great time and were okay with not having the fossils they found, I really appreciated the multiple efforts made by the staff to find the kids' fossils and providing them with two free packs. That was my highlight of the visit besides the kids having a blast. 

If you're ever in the Buffalo and Niagara Falls region, definitely check out Penn Dixie with your little ones. The drive is about 30-45 minutes depending on traffic.