Dinosaurs in the Park

Dinosaurs in the Park comes to Shelby Bottoms Nature Center on Friday, October 16, with paleontologists from the Earth Experience museum bringing fossil casts of dinosaur skulls and actual fossils, including some found right here in the region. They'll be sharing stories from their dinosaur digs in Montana, so it's as much about the work of digging them up as it is about seeing the fossils themselves.

One of the best parts is that you're encouraged to bring your own fossils and rocks for the paleontologists to identify. If you've got a strange stone from a trip or something you found in your own backyard and never quite figured out, this is your chance to get a professional take on it. The whole day is open to all ages, and there's no registration required, so you can just drop in whenever works for you.

The event is held at the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center, an environmental education and recreation facility run by the Nashville Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation. It's a spot where you can learn about the city's natural and urban landscape, its flora, fauna, and cultural history. Inside, the center houses natural and cultural history exhibits, an art and photography exhibition space, a library of field guides and children's books, an organic demonstration garden, and a children's Nature Play area.

Beyond the building, the center serves as the gateway to more than 950 acres of the Shelby Bottoms Greenway and 336 acres of adjacent Shelby Park in urban East Nashville. You can spend the morning with the fossils and then head out onto the trails. The center is located at 1900 Davidson St, Nashville, TN 37206.