There’s a lot more prehistoric stomping ground at the Royal Tyrrell Museum now that the 1,300 square metre museum expansion opened Friday.
A bronze-casted Albertosaurus skeleton looms in the middle of the Learning Lounge, a part of the $9.3 million expansion which gives visitors a place to rest, relax, recharge (their devices, too, with the new phone charging lockers), enjoy gender-neutral bathrooms, an eating area, and interact with displays and interactive learning stations.
Tyrrell executive director Andy Neuman said the expansion is the first time the museum has “expanded its footprint” and said the hands on displays will “truly enhance the learning experience.”
“We are proud to be the home of such a wonderful cultural gem, and this new expansion will pay dividends to all people fortunate enough to visit for decades to come,” said Drumheller-Stettler MLA Nate Horner, who spoke at the event along with Leela Sharon Aheer Alberta Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism, and Status of Women and Minister of Infrastructure Prasad Panda.
“The Royal Tyrrell Museum is one of Canada’s most visited museums and I’m so proud that the Government of Alberta has invested in its future,” Aheer said.
The expansion was cofunded by the provincial government ($5.7 million) and the federal government ($3.595 million) from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The Tyrrell welcomes over 430,000 visitors a year from all over the world.
