Aegean-Blue-11
How often do you get to excavate the remains of creatures that are over 65 million years old? It is just an amazing, thrilling experience to chip and brush away at the dirt and come upon bones, teeth, scales, shells... And more than likely you'll find substantial sized remains. We went as a family of five, a bit anxious at first about the long day with our 10, 8 and 6 year old but... it went in a flash and we didn't want to leave.Walter was unbelievably terrific. Super friendly, humorous, immensely professional and knowledgeable ...and terrific with the kids... and had the patience of a saint. Importantly, he professionally measured and recorded all significant finds.The fossil dig was certainly the highlight not just of our two weeks’ holiday but of our many years of adventure travel. It was mind-blowingly awesome and has just strengthened my son's desire to become a paleontologist! Thank you so much!Oh.. and we came away with some amazing finds including a beautiful 1-inch long tyrannosaur tooth...that we actually unearthed....now how cool is that!
smilingmola
If you've always had a thing for dinosaurs and wanted the ultimate dinosaur experience, paleoadventures will be something you never forget!!! You get to actually have your hands in dirt that hasn't been uncovered in millions of years. It's a treasure chest waiting to be opened and you never know what you're going to see or find. Walter made the experience complete with his humor, knowledge, and patience. I'm an educator naturalist and Walter did a great job with his dinosaur talk and his being able to entertain the kids while we are all digging at the site. The best part about this experience for me is finding a fossil sticking out of the dirt and then using the tools and techniques that Walter teaches you to uncover the fossil. This is a real hand's on experience with a real paleontologist showing you the ropes. I came away with more fossils than I was expecting to find and had so much fun, that I stuck around an extra day on my trip so I could go out with Walter again. If you go, bring plenty of water, expect it to be hot and yes you might get a little dusty or dirty, but hey, if you want to be like a real paleontologist that's the price you pay and believe me, its a small price compared to the memories you will gather during this true adventure.
EricaH519
Would be one way to describe my son and myself on this adventure. Walter is so good with kids and adults. If you are looking for a one of a kind adventure in South Dakota plan a trip with PaleoAdventures. Walter Thank you! My son cannot stop talking about the trip and when asked what was the best part of our 8 day trip to South Dakota-he answers fossil hunting every time!
Freq_Flying_Fanatic
Walter Stein's Paleoadventures franchise provides an authentic experience, led by a true dinosaur expert. I have traveled all over the world (35 countries so far), and I must say, this experience ranks earns top ranks. The experience consists of driving out to a remote dig site located on private land and digging for fossils on site in a small group (5-6 people). Though Mr. Stein charges a fee for the excursion, the emphasis is educational, not commercial. Stein has written at least one book on paleontology and has been a part of many significant full dinosaur skeleton discoveries over the course of his career. He definitely knows his stuff. Everyone on the trip uncovered multiple fossils, and we got to keep most of what we found (with the exception of the rare stuff, which gets sent to museums or is donated to science). Everytime we uncovered something, we learned what it was and what else might consequently be nearby. We were doing real digging here -- no fake stuff -- so it's necessary to bring kneeling pads and plan to get dirty. My husband even found a rib bone from a rare dinosaur for which only 30 partial skeletons exist worldwide! If you book this trip, you won't be disappointed. Our whole family (adults and 12-year old) loved it!
jarodd_12
If you like dinosaurs, fossils and such, this is the trip for you! Walter Stein takes you on a great adventure in search of real Dino fossils! You and your children will learn a lot, not only about dinosaurs themselves, but the hard work paleontologists do to uncover and preserve the past. Expect to get a little dirty, expend a little energy, but have a lot of fun!
phil08848
PaleoAdventures turned a typical vacation into a lifetime memory. It's a bit of a journey to the dig site, but then the magic happens. My family and I learned to recognize fossils, found lots of tiny fragments, then started brushing away where Walter, our paleontologist suggested. By the end of the day, our family found multiple, very impressive bones, bone fragments, and even a T-Rex tooth. This isn't some contrived pseudo-experience, we really were paleontologists for a day, finding real things. At one point, my 10 year old daughter was using an Xacto knife to extricate a large bone and I asked "what if she breaks the fossil". The answer was "then we will glue it". All of a sudden I recognized that she really was the only human to ever touch this 65 million year old fossil. There was no re-do. This was the real deal. If you've ever even thought for a second it would be cool to be a paleontologist, then this is your chance to fully experience it for a day.
paGottschall
Our guide, Walter... so funny. Loved the family friendly jokes and off-road path. My daughter and I had a superb time. Way better than our expectations.
Beastlyflower
This adventure was amazing. My college friend and I went on this adventure as part of our 4500 mile trek across country. We learned so much about how fossils are carefully excavated from the soil using a simple soft brush and a very small exact-o-knife. Patience is a must on this adventure. Water and sunscreen and a true interest in the adventure make the difference. Walter makes the adventure fun and informative. Thanks to Walter I want to do this again and am planning to do it again in the near future. The price is moderate for the adventure of a lifetime.
940shelleyt
Digging for dinosaur bones with Walter was truly amazing. I would rank it as one of the best 3 experiences of my whole life, along with the birth of my daughter and a college trip to Italy! When searching for things to do to fill out our trip to SD, I came upon the PaleoAdventures site, read the reviews, and called Walter. There are other places where kids can do a pretend "dig", but PaleoAdventures is the real thing - real rock, real, undiscovered fossils, and a real (very well respected, as well) paleontologist to teach you! Before, I would never have imagined we could ever do something like this - and there we were in July, tools in hand, finding Triceratops teeth and frill. Walter taught us how to dig, and was GREAT with my 9-year-old daughter - he coaxed her out of her fear of snakes with a Trike tooth :-) This is on our list to do again!
BridgerCap
If you have any interest in fossils, geology, paleontology, or dinosaurs, this is a fantastic experience. Our family spent the day with Walter (our 4 children, ages 4 - 11), and it was the perfect combination of learning, fun, and a unique experience. Walter is an excellent instructor at all age and knowledge levels (my wife and I are very involved in the natural history field), and we look forward to a longer second visit. This is an experience our children regretted leaving, and future cross-country trips will include a stop to this corner of South Dakota.At the dig site, you will absolutely discover fossils and learn how to properly retrieve them. Adults and kids are equally enthusiastic, and Walter can adjust his program to the requisite skill, age, and knowledge level required.
american_foxhound
I take my children abroad each summer, but not sure about this summer. So, I wanted to do something special for them. We signed up with Walter at PaleoAdventures to learn all about how to be a Paleontologist. We went as two families, and the 7 of us was the perfect group size. Ages of the kids were 5-8, but I tell you, all of the adults were just as into it as the kids. This is the real stuff. We first spent about 45 minutes understanding what we might find and how we'd work. Then, we drove out to the site, about 90 minutes away. During the drive, we learned all about the geology of the area, local history, and of course everything about dinosaurs. We spent a full day at two sites that were near each other. Each site was so different. We left with non-commercial, non-research quality bits of dinosaurs. Everyone found something. One of the kids found bones that look like something bigger. We can't wait to hear about what they turn out to be! I've traveled to over 50 countries. I've hiked, I've dove, I've climbed... Nothing was as cool as this. And to think it was in my own country! I'm so happy that my family inspired us to take this trip, and this adventure. Both families feel the same way. We love Walter, and I hope we make it back every summer. I can't recommend this enough.
DavidH36254
My 70 year-old father, my 8 year-old daughter and I had the most fantastic experience with PaleoAdventures. We drove over 2000 miles round trip to join Walter on this excursion and it was worth each and every inch traveled. Walter is the coolest scientist we know (we are sure you will agree) and his passion for sharing the world of paleontology is infectious. Coupled with our excitement over our dinosaur fossil finds, we had the trip of a lifetime. My family and I look forward greatly to our next PaleoAdventure!
Carolyn3125
As a busy family, between work and school, you always feel vacations are needed, then once on them, sometimes you feel it would have been better to stay home-Not this trip. This is a trip even a non outdoor enthusiast will love. We had a full day of learning and a full day of fun for every member of our family. Yes, one 11 year old girl, one 13 year old boy, and two parents that work all the time-ALL LOVED IT. Walter was our guide and we still talk about Walter at least once a week. This was one vacation that we ALL agreed on to do again this year. As a normal family, we still did not agree on where to eat, but we all agreed to go back to PaleoAdventures for our yearly vacation! Looking forward to more quality family time!