This was a small, well organized collection tucked away in a beautiful location where you feel like a fossil is going to jump out of the mountain right in front of you. (or something like that) When I think of Paleontology, I assume 'dinosaurs'.... and at this museum, I learned that wasn't necessarily the case..... but it was fascinating to see various specimens of familiar animals that have evolved over time.... did you know there was once a 3-toed horse? Some of these kinds of subtleties were a little lost on my kids - especially my 4 year old who kinda got the zoomies looking for a t-rex in this small space.... but the rest of us managed to enjoy it. Definitely worth it if you happen to be in this part of "the middle of nowhere." read more

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We really enjoyed our visit here! The rangers gave the kiddos in our group an activity booklet to do, and upon completing at least some of the book, they received wooden badges to pin on their lapels, and they were sworn in as junior rangers. The kids loved it. The center has tons of great exhibits and info. As for COVID protocols, they had timed entries with limited capacity. 30 minutes didn't quite feel like enough time but we didn't want to stay for another round just to look at the exhibits closer. Overall an excellent resource and worth stopping here. Oh, be sure to take the brief hike up the hill at the south end of the parking lot! Great views from there and there's a bench at the top. Beware of red/fire ants along the trail. read more

Thomas Condon Paleontology Museum - View from the hilltop after a brief hike. Pathway starts in the SW corner of the parking lot. - Museums Near Me - Kimberly, Oregon

If you're really into fossils, you'll love this place. It's located at the Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day fossil beds, and is a great place to see all sorts of fossils that were found in the area. While it's not a really big museum, it does offer a lot of information on the area and plenty (and I mean plenty) of prehistoric skeletons for your viewing pleasure. In addition, the lobby area has windows that allow visitors to watch paleontologists scraping and brushing and examining finds. Very interesting. If you've never visited the John Day fossil beds, I greatly recommend that you do. While it takes quite a while to get here, it's a very beautiful and peaceful drive and the scenery will amaze you. read more

This is a nice center. My kids did the Jr. Ranger program so it kept them interested. We skimmed through parts and it still took about 1 hour to go through everything. read more

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The Thomas Condon Paleontology Museum is located in the Sheep Rock unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. It's worth going the distance. One learns about the primeval history of Central Oregon, as well as paleontologist Thomas Condon (subject of a one-man play by Eugene playwright Dorothy Velasco) A really plus for this place is that you can watch paleontologists at work, carefully unearthing and polishing fossils. A great place for the whole family. read more

While traveling through the Fossil Beds National Monument, we stopped at this wonderful museum. It was perfect for everybody in our group -- an 8-1/2 yr old all the way up to the grandparents. The exhibits were very informative, the 18-minute video was also excellent. There's a hands on room for the children. The outside temperature that day was hot, so we also enjoyed the air conditioning while strolling through the exhibits. Fabulous!!! Definitely a MUST SEE. read more

Absolutely awesome museum in a breathtaking setting. As a visitor to nearby Blue Mountain Hospital in John Day, I stopped over when driving through. The staff were charming and knowledgeable. The displays were intelligent and well put together. The small gift store was awesome and has a great relief map of Oregon for sale (something unique and useful to put on the wall). They also have an interesting film about the fossil beds. This place really brought out the wonder of the Fossil Beds and made me feel like a kid again. Give them a visit! read more

Very nice exhibits at the museum and the overall area is very pretty and interesting. Lots of great scenery, hiking and wildlife.