Cocoa Beach, FL – The Museum of Dinosaurs and Ancient Cultures

 I really like the unique setup of The Museum of Dinosaurs and Ancient Cultures in Florida.  The museum is a privately owned facility that began as an extension to a huge gift shop called the Dinosaur Store.  The owners have clearly invested a ton of energy and funding into the museum portion of the complex to re-create many natural and manmade phenomena, such as life-size dinosaur replicas, ancient Egyptian tombs, and the Terracotta Army sculptures from the tomb of China’s 1st Emperor.  The dinosaur collection is the main attraction though, or course!  Their Stegosaurus stands in a life-like pose that incorporates the latest science, and also appears in front of a beautifully painted mural that brings a full Jurassic scene to life. I would definitely recommend checking this place out. Just make sure you have some spare cash for the gift shop…it’s a good one!