Relive your childhood palaeontology fantasies at this spectacular dinosaur museum. It was the first museum of its kind in China and is arguably one of the best dinosaur museums in the world. Built on top of the Dashanpu excavation site, which has one of the world’s largest concentrations of dinosaur fossils, the museum has a fine collection of reassembled skeletons as well as partially excavated fossil pits.
The first publicised finds here were made in 1972. The huge numbers of fossils, mostly dating from the rarely seen early and middle Jurassic periods, baffled archaeologists at first. It is now believed that floods swept them here en masse. Budding palaeontologists will appreciate the Huayangosaurus taibaii, the most primitive and complete stegosaur ever discovered, as well as the incredibly rare skin fossil specimens on display. A child-friendly movie screens at 10am, 11am, 2.30pm and 3.30pm daily.
Take bus 35 (¥1, 25 minutes) uphill from the city centre (it's about a 45-minute journey).