Dinosaur bones, like many magical objects, are entrancing to some people but frightening to those who fear being turned into a frog. Behold the supernatural remnants of prehistoric thunder lizards with today's Groupon: for $5, you get two adult admission tickets to the Alaska Museum of Natural History in Mountain View (a $10 value).
The Alaska Museum of Natural History chronicles the state’s fascinating past by way of interactive and enlightening geologic and ecologic exhibits. The museum catalogues many of the rare finds collected from Alaska’s Arctic Coastal Plain, a famed dinosaur graveyard that hoards thousands of prehistoric claws, teeth, and toe rings from over a dozen species from the late-Cretaceous period. The time-tested treasures include a recently assembled juvenile duckbill dinosaur, a velociraptor skeleton, and a T. rex skull. Of all the ice cats ever to have gotten stuck in ice trees, “Thera,” or panthera leo atrox, remains the coolest, dating back 19,250 years and equipped with sizable front teeth perfect for tearing into flesh and Ice Age-era Fancy Feast. One ticket obtained via today's Groupon can be used for a child's admission, providing your itty-bitty history buff with access to hands-on educational tools such as the volcano simulator, which teaches a valuable lesson about where not to make penny-fueled wishes.
Alaska Museum of Science and Nature
With its craggy mountains, monochrome tundra, and verdant valleys, Alaska itself stands as a monument to the beauty and power of nature. Focusing on the state's prehistory, the Alaska Museum of Science and Nature's sprawling collection of artifacts educates the public with engrossing and educational dioramas and displays. Among the museum’s notable exhibits is its newest installation, Ice, which delves into the profound geological changes wrought by the last Ice Age. Likewise, the Schmidt Mine exhibit lets visitors touch and pick up craggy specimens from the collection, including meteorites and fluorescent stones. Ancient mammoth bones and fearsome saber-tooth tiger jaws show patrons the fauna encountered by Alaska's first human inhabitants, whereas fully assembled dinosaur skeletons transport viewers even further back in time, way before the Jurassic Park movie came out.