snowmass ice age discovery center

Fascinating place!!! Very interesting place with informative volunteers and staff. Watch actual on site mastodon and mammoth bones being prepared for the Denver Museum of Natural History. Great place for folks of all ages.

You should stop by the Ice Age Discovery Center just to see what it's about. There are some displays,actual fossils, a video telling about the dig, and a zoologist and paleontologist to ask questions of. The displays aren't extensive but it is definitely enough to peak your interest about what happened in Snowmass Village a few short years ago.

Give this center a visit and learn about the Ice Age in Snowmass. Lots of fun and hands on for everyone.

Wow, considering the size of the fossil find in Snowmass, this place is a huge let down. Just a few scraps of bones and some photos and diagrams. It's worth dropping in if you are waiting for your skis to be adjusted, but don't make a special trip.15 minutes tops.

Amazing center, our kids did not want to leave, they were so impressed and amazed with all the fossils. They actually got to see first hand how Dinosaur bones are cleaned and restored and they were in awe. The staff here is really super friendly and informative it really shows that they love what they do !

We took our son to visit as he loves all things dinosaur. The mammoth discovery is great. It is great to watch the archeologists painstakingly restore found mammoth tusks.

The saying is that you learn something new every day. When we booked our hotel in Snowmass Village I knew it was a ski resort town, I knew it was not far from Maroon Bells, I knew it was not far from Aspen. What I didn’t know and really surprised me was that it’s also home to a recent major historical discovery. Apparently just a few years ago, while digging a reservoir, a worker unearthed some ancient bones. Paleontologists have now unearthed hundreds of bones from the skeletons of mastodons, wooly mammoths, giant sloths, and saber-toothed cats that roamed the area at the time of the last ice age. Information about the dig can be found at the Ice Age Discovery Center in the Snowmass Village Mall. We only learned of this place about 45 minutes before they were due to close for the day. Luckily it was only about a block away from the hotel and it was free, so if it ended up being a waste we wouldn’t really be out anything. The Ice Age Discovery Center isn’t much; it’s really only a small information center to let you know about what’s going on just on the other side of the nearby ridge. There are several displays that show what the paleontologists have found and there was a screen showing a NOVA program that had been made about the find. In the corner of the room there was a scientist that was doing some restoration on a tusk. There were several samples of things you could look at from the dig. Some things you could touch and pick up, some things you couldn’t. We stayed for a little bit, while my daughter read a book about ice age animals and I watched a segment of the NOVA program. The Ice Age Discovery center is certainly not much, but it is free and doesn’t take too long. I wouldn’t make this a final destination, but if you are in Snowmass Village already you should take the time to check it out.

I thought it was great but maybe I am a bit biased - part of my degree is in anthropology so I have an interest in prehistory. This is a great learning opportunity for kids. The staff are friendly, helpful and informative (and its all free!!)

Don't forget to stop inside while walking around the base village. Interesting photos and stories about the discovery just up the road. Kids will enjoy it also.

I'm not sure why there's so much hype about this place. I guess if you're walking around the mall it's worth sticking your head in. There are a few things to look at and as noted by other travelers the staff are enthusiastic.

The amount of information presented about the Snowmass dig and the ice age in general was amazing! It was a great stop to ponder the ancient history of the area. The staff was helpful and friendly.

Very educational and enjoyable stop for our kids- plan to spend about 30 minutes here. It's right in the center of Snowmass Village, so its easy to fit in an afternoon of shopping.

Our 6yo became obsessed with the ice age after the Mammoths and Mastodons exhibit at DMNS. So we came to Snowmass specifically to see this. Our 6 yo loved it, but to the rest of us it was just ok. The dig itself is under water and on private property so the guided walk really doesnt go anywhere near the dig. Its just a nature walk with some ice age talk. Pretty, but we didn't get much out of it. If you are in town definitely worth a look, but not worth a special trip.

Although small, this is a very educational experience for kids and adults. The volunteers that work the center were phenomenal and willing to spend their time showing us around, asking the kids what they wanted to know, and really increasing their interest. Highly recommend you stop in and look around.

It's free and right in the Snowmass Village Mall. It's really small but there's lot of information. There is a video going and a real mammoth bone, along with tons of pictures. The lady working there was very friendly and helpful. I would definitely go!