Hey y’all! Welcome back to another museum review! Today, we’re visiting the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History in Norman, Oklahoma. I loved visiting this museum when I was little. My dad would take me, my sister, and my Nana to go see the dinosaurs. We lovingly called it the “Dinosaur Museum” and still call it that to this day!
As a child, I had an obsession with dinosaurs and wanted to be a paleontologist when I grew up. I seriously thought I could find dinosaur bones in my grandparents pasture if I looked hard enough! Ohhh to be young and full of dreams – my Nana and Papa let me dig holes to my hearts content.
Back to the museum though, my last visit to this museum was during my sophomore year of college. So the pictures are a few years old, but they are photos of the permanent collections so these items are still there! Let’s get started!
Museum History
The Sam Noble Museum of Natural History opened to the public on May 1, 2000 and is located on the University of Oklahoma (OU) campus in Norman, Oklahoma. The museum’s collection was founded in 1899! There are over 10 million specimens ranging from earth sciences, life sciences, and social sciences stored in 12 collections! Those 12 collection categories are: archaeology, ethnology, herpetology, ichthyology, invertebrate paleontology, mammalogy, Native American languages, the Oklahoma collection of genomic resources, ornithology, paleobotany, recent invertebrates, and vertebrate paleontology. Wow!
The Sam Noble also conducts extensive research and the curators teach classes at OU! Additionally, Undergraduate and Graduate students have an opportunity to do hands-on research.
Exhibits
There are 6 permanent exhibits in the museum: the Orientation Gallery, Hall of World Cultures, Hall of Ancient Life, Hall of Natural Wonders, Hall of People of Oklahoma, and the Conoco Oil Pioneers of Oklahoma Plaza.
The Pentaceratops Skelton pictured below is one of my favorite pieces in the entire collection. It’s massive, y’all. This skeleton holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest at 10.5 feet! Keep reading to see my most favorite piece!
*All photos were taken at the Sam Noble Museum in Norman, Oklahoma.
My Favorite Piece
This dinosaur skeleton is my most favorite piece in the entire collection. Remember at the beginning how I told you about my dinosaur obsession as a child – well imagine walking into the museum and seeing this right in front of you! Talk about a dream come true!
But do you want to know the coolest part? This photo was taken from an elevator that takes you to eye-level with the dinosaur! Yes, eye-level with a dinosaur. Literally, the best thing ever!
Concluding Thoughts
I love the visiting the “Dinosaur Museum,” but don’t get to go very often. It’s always a special day when I get to road trip to see the dinosaurs! I hope to make it back to this museum sometime soon!
Happy traveling! I’ll talk to ya soon! š
Visit
2401 Chautauqua Ave.
Norman, Oklahoma 73072
Kaitlyn Weldon, M.A. 