Dinosaurs take over PumpHouse Museum with Dinosaurs Among Us exhibit

Dinosaurs are coming to Kingston! The City of Kingston’s PumpHouse Museum is thrilled to announce the opening of Dinosaurs Among Us, an extraordinary exhibition on loan from the American Museum of Natural History, opening April 15, 2025. The experience will run for a full year, offering visitors the chance to explore the astonishing connection between ancient dinosaurs and the birds that soar through our skies today.

Featuring vibrant, large-scale illustrations and fossil evidence, Dinosaurs Among Us delves into the evolutionary journey that transformed prehistoric giants into the birds we see every day. The exhibition showcases how dinosaurs developed feathers, how flight evolved, and how certain species adapted in ways that continue to shape life on Earth.

In addition to the main exhibition from the American Museum of Natural History, visitors can get a close-up look at dinosaur casts and specimens on loan from the Royal Ontario Museum, including a prehistoric ostrich skull, a full raptor cast, and a real dinosaur leg bone. A special feature from the Miller Museum of Geology will also highlight local fossils, offering a look at prehistoric life that once thrived in the Kingston region.

"Dinosaurs Among Us brings prehistoric life into the present, challenging the way we think about the world around us,” says Melissa Cruise, City Curator. “Visitors of all ages will be amazed to see the connections between dinosaurs and modern birds come to life right here at the PumpHouse Museum."

Exhibit highlights:

• The Evolution of Birds from Dinosaurs – Discover the fascinating journey of how certain dinosaur species evolved into modern birds, featuring vibrant scientific illustrations.
• Dinosaur Fossils and Casts – Marvel at over a dozen fossilized dinosaur bones on loan from the Royal Ontario Museum and even touch a real dinosaur leg bone!
• Local Prehistoric Discoveries – Explore fossils from the Kingston area, connecting our local history to the age of dinosaurs.
• Engaging year-round programming – From Dino Trivia Nights to Dinosaur Murals and even Dino Skates, the PumpHouse Museum will offer exciting events throughout the year to complement the exhibit.
• Fun and educational school programming available. Fossils & Feathers explores the connection between birds and dinosaurs. Thanks to our Velociraptor Visionary Sponsor, Loopstra Nixon LLP, for supporting educational programming.

Plan your visit

Location: PumpHouse Museum, 23 Ontario St., Kingston
Dates: April 15, 2025 – April 15, 2026
Admission: Included with museum entry
Suitable for all ages – Engaging enough for adults, interactive enough for young minds!

Dinosaurs Among Us is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org), with support from Museo de Ciencias, Universidad de Navarra, Spain; North Museum of Nature and Science, United States; Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, Canada; and Universum Museo de las Ciencias de la UNAM, Mexico.

The exhibit features additional artifacts on loan from the Royal Ontario Museum and a special display from the Miller Museum of Geology.

About the PumpHouse Museum

Located on the historic Kingston waterfront, the PumpHouse Museum is one of Kingston’s most unique cultural sites, housed in a 19th-century waterworks building. Through interactive exhibits and engaging programming, including the Swyrich Train Room, the museum explores themes of science, technology, and Kingston’s rich cultural history. The PumpHouse Museum brings history to life for visitors of all ages.

For more information about the Dinosaurs Among Us exhibition and upcoming events at the PumpHouse, please visit https://www.kingstonpumphouse.ca/Exhibitions/DinosaursAmongUs

About the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)

The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869 with a dual mission of scientific research and science education, is one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. The Museum encompasses more than 40 permanent exhibition halls, galleries for temporary exhibitions, the Rose Center for Earth and Space including the Hayden Planetarium, and the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation. The Museum’s scientists draw on a world-class permanent collection of more than 30 million specimens and objects, some of which are billions of years old, and on one of the largest natural history libraries in the world. Through its Richard Gilder Graduate School, the Museum offers two of the only free-standing, degree-granting programs of their kind at any museum in the U.S.: the Ph.D. program in Comparative Biology and the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Earth Science residency program. Visit amnh.org for more information.