More than a Summer Movie

Families that see Jurassic World, the blockbuster summer movie hit about dinosaurs, can experience the real thing by visiting Utah’s Dinosaur National Monument in Vernal, about three hours east of Salt Lake City.

“Kids love learning about dinosaurs, especially at the Wall of Bones,” said Lesha Coltharp, director of tourism for Dinosaurland. “It’s the best way to make a vacation both fun and educational.”

The 210,000-acre monument, which is celebrating its centennial this year, houses dinosaur skeletons in its Quarry Exhibit Hall, and has a Wall of Bones that features the remains of at least 100 intertwined dinosaurs. The fossils have been there an estimated 149 million years.

Other area attractions include a natural history museum and a Dinosaur Garden with life-sized dinosaur replicas. Red Fleet State Park is covered with hundreds of three-toed dinosaur tracks.

The Dinosaur Diamond National Scenic Byway takes motorists on a 512-mile loop to see excavations, petroglyphs and wilderness. For information, visit dinoland.com.