Kids love dinosaurs, and there are a number of places to see them in the Chicago area. I caught up with Elliott Sagal, a well-known aficionado of dinosaurs and other prehistoric fauna, in his North Shore home to discuss his favorite dinosaur museums.
Do you like the Field Museum?
Yes!
Why?
Because it has Sue.[That would be Sue the T. rex, centerpiece of the Field’s Evolving Planet exhibition and one of the largest and most complete T. rex fossils ever found. It even has its own merch and social media accounts.]
Why do you like Sue?
Because she’s a talking T. rex!
Does Sue talk?
Yes![Sue does not, in fact, talk.]
What else do you like about the Field Museum?
The thing I like about the museum is the gift shop.
Why do you like the gift shop?
Because it has amazing dinosaur toys and books.
OK. Now let’s talk about the Dinosaur Discovery Museum in Kenosha. The one that has a big room filled with dinosaurs.
There’s also a playroom.[This small, free public museum, which has an impressive display of replica fossils, focuses on the link between meat-eating dinosaurs and birds.]
Yes, there’s a playroom downstairs. Do you like that one?
Yes. And that’s where I got my allosaurus.
In the gift shop?
Yes.
I also wanted to ask you about the Volo Museum. That’s the one where the dinos move. It also has cars.
There’s no museum like that.[This 65-year-old family-run museum in far northwest suburban Volo features an extensive display of classic cars, along with other attractions, including Jurassic Gardens, a scientifically accurate display of full-size animatronic dinosaurs.]
There is. We’ve been there. Twice.
No.
We were just there a little while ago. You and me and Teddy.
Liar, liar, pants on fire.[Teddy is Elliott’s 3-year-old brother.]
So you are telling me the Volo Museum doesn’t exist?
Mm-hmm.
So where did we go when we went to the museum?
To the Volo Dinosaur Museum.
So what do you think of that museum?
I hate that museum! It’s the most boring place I ever went to![He doesn’t hate it. He loves the animatronic dinos there. He finds them very exciting and a little scary, which is also exciting.]
