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The announcement Tuesday that Philadelphia\u2019s Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University<\/a> would be closing its museum doors later this month figures to leave a dino-sized hole in the city\u2019s cultural landscape.<\/p>\n For years, the two-century-old museum has been a dinosaur enthusiast\u2019s dream. In all, more than 30 species are highlighted in the heralded Dinosaur Hall \u2014 many in full skeletal representations. The permanent exhibit boasts a Torosaurus skull, dinosaur eggs, and a touchable T. rex bone fragment. <\/p>\n There\u2019s still time to visit: The last day open to the public with regular business hours will be Sept. 27. There\u2019s also a \u201cDinos After Dark\u201d event slated for Sept. 18, complete with a beer garden and pay-as-you-wish pricing. <\/p>\n For those hoping to get their fossil fix in the future, meanwhile, rest easy: There remain other places in and around Philly with plenty of dinosaur-related programming. <\/p>\n Edelman Fossil Park & Museum<\/p>\n Located just across the Delaware River in New Jersey \u2014 less than 20 miles from downtown Philadelphia \u2014 is Rowan University\u2019s Edelman Fossil Park & Museum. <\/p>\n Opened a year and a half ago,<\/a> the museum boasts a lineup heavy with dinosaurs and other extinct creatures: fossil teeth from the Cretolamna, an ancient shark that inhabited the state; a hadrosaur egg fossil; and full-scale renderings of dinosaurs from up and down the East Coast.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really feature the dinosaurs and other extinct creatures from New Jersey and Pennsylvania,\u201d said Kenneth Lacovara, paleontologist and EFM\u2019s founding executive director. <\/p>\n For an additional cost, patrons can also join an interactive fossil hunt at the museum\u2019s 45-foot-deep quarry in Mantua<\/a>, N.J., which over the past century has turned up more than 100,000 fossils.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udd52 Open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., \ud83d\udcb5 $29 for ages 13+, $24 for ages 3-12, free for ages 2 and under, \ud83d\udccd 66 Million Mosasaur Way,\u2028Mantua, N.J. 08080, \ud83c\udf10 efm.org<\/a><\/p>\n North Museum of Nature and Science<\/p>\n The Lancaster museum\u2019s \u201cDinosaur Discovery Hall\u201d exhibit seeks to get visitors up close and personal with \u201cthe fossils, minerals, and plant species in prehistoric life,\u201d according to the venue website. <\/p>\n There\u2019s a focus on the T. rex, and in the Paleontology Gallery, you can handle real bones and fossils. <\/p>\n \ud83d\udd52 Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. \ud83d\udcb5 $13 for general admission, \ud83d\udccd 400 College Ave., Lancaster, Pa. 17603, \ud83c\udf10 northmuseum.org<\/a><\/p>\n New Jersey State Museum<\/p>\n The museum\u2019s ongoing \u201cWritten in the Rocks: Fossil Tales of New Jersey\u201d takes visitors more than 3.5 billion years into the past.<\/p>\n The star of the show might be the Dryptosaurus \u2014 reconstructed in life-size form for the first time \u2014 but there\u2019s also a life-sized cast of a Hadrosaurus foulkii and a Mosasaurus maximus, plus a look at Ice Age creatures.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udd52 Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m., \ud83d\udcb5 Free, \ud83d\udccd 205 West State St., Trenton, N.J., 08608, \ud83c\udf10 nj.gov<\/a><\/p>\n Wagner Free Institute of Science<\/p>\n In 1891, the Wagner purchased a collection of Camarasaurus bones from the Colorado quarry of Edward Drinker Cope \u2014 which Cope\u2019s assistant traveled to Philadelphia to help arrange. Today, the remains are still on display at the museum. <\/p>\n \ud83d\udd52 Tuesdays through Fridays, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and select Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m., \ud83d\udcb5 Free, \ud83d\udccd 1700 W. Montgomery Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19121, \ud83c\udf10 wagnerfreeinstitute.org<\/a><\/p>\n Please Touch Museum<\/p>\n Though Philly\u2019s favorite hands-on museum isn\u2019t currently hosting any fossil-related exhibits, the pint-sized dinosaur lovers in your life might enjoy the upcoming \u201cDino Day\u201d later this month \u2014 a celebration of all things dino.<\/p>\n Kids can handle fossils, dig for bones, and take part in dinosaur-themed arts and crafts during this one-day event. <\/p>\n \ud83d\udd52 Sept. 12, \ud83d\udcb5 $24 for general admission (discounts available), \ud83d\udccd 4231 Ave. of the Republic, Philadelphia, Pa. 19131, \ud83c\udf10 pleasetouchmuseum.org<\/a><\/p>\n Montour Preserve Fossil Pit<\/p>\n At roughly 400 million years old, there are worse places to go fossil hunting than this one-acre site of exposed shale located three hours northwest of Philly. <\/p>\n Once upon a time, the site was covered by water, and while you probably shouldn\u2019t expect to come away with any velociraptor bones \u2014 the most common finds at the site are the fossils of small sea creatures \u2014 the site is free to the public, and visitors are welcome to keep any fossils they find. <\/p>\n