SOUTH Deerfield, MA
It’s a sin that it took me more than a year of living in western MA to visit The Rock Fossil and Dinosaur Shop—a kitschy roadside attraction on Route 10 between Yankee Candle Village and Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory.
I’d driven by the sign multiple times and was naturally intrigued. I do love my dinos! Yet I was put off by what I’d read about it online. Old 1-star reviews and an outdated Atlas Obscura article describing it as “a run-down gift shop” made me think it was nothing special.
And here, my friends, is a lesson in why you shouldn’t trust everything on the internet! Because while it may have been “run-down” a decade ago, now in the year 2024, this place is awesome. Dare I say it’s dino-mite!
A quick stop turned into a nearly hour-long afternoon excursion that cost nothing besides the low price of a cool little amethyst geode I bought. The people working there are super nice and welcoming, and I left with a renewed love of gems, dinosaurs, and roadside oddities.
In pursuit of justice for its online reputation, I’m letting it be known here on the world wide web how great the Rock Fossil and Dinosaur Shop is and why you should make it a stop on your next western MA adventure!
Dinosaurs, Geology, and an Outer Space Surprise
The Rock Fossil and Dinosaur Shop in South Deerfield, MA has a collection of home-made dinosaur statues as well as educational and geological activities for kids. Visitors to the shop can expect to discover a bit of local history and cryptozoology along the way as well.
A five-acre “Dinosaur Forest” sits behind a gift shop, which also includes multiple mining-themed attractions. In front of the shop, visitors can pan for gems and gold in a mining sluice. Inside the store, kids are invited to don hard hats and lanterns to explore a mineshaft.
The real attraction though sits behind the shop, where visitors can wander through a dinosaur forest that includes over 25 dinosaur replicas, many with informational signs, plus ambient prehistoric sounds and excavation pits where visitors can brush away sand to find fossils.
A walking path takes visitors past a few unexpected surprises as well, including a “Tiny Museum,” Sasquatch, and a lit-up UFO.
The Rock Fossil and Dinosaur Shop, which opened in 2002, was renovated in 2015 under new management. It’s owned by a former first-grade teacher who reimagined it as a fun educational destination for kids.
The shop now offers a more educational approach to classic roadside Americana. This wonderful July 2024 profile in the Greenfield Recorder dives more into the shop’s history and current vision.
I, for one, hope it doesn’t go extinct any time soon!
Visiting the Rock Fossil and Dinosaur Shop
Entry to the Rock Fossil and Dinosaur Shop and the backyard Dinosaur Forest (which includes all the dinosaur replicas) is free. Kids’ activities like gemstone panning and exploring the mineshaft cost money, and prices are listed on the shop’s website and at the shop’s entrance.
The Rock Fossil and Dinosaur Shop is closed during the winter months. Check their website for information about their open times and seasons. The best time to go is in the summer, when the Dinosaur Forest is in full vegetation.
Pssst… really, you gotta check out this place!