Croc-n-Roll: Fall Fossil Fest 2025
October 17 & 18, 2025
Back for Year 5 — Bigger, Bolder, and Toothier than Ever!
Get ready to dig into an unforgettable day of fossil fun at our fifth annual hands-on fossil celebration! This year, we’re going prehistoric with Croc-N-Roll—honoring Idaho’s very own ancient crocodile! Be among the first to witness the world premiere of its massive skull and learn all about this incredible predator that once ruled the region.
October 17th join us for a lively dinner lecture with Dr. Josh Lively, one of the stars of the BBC's 2025 show Walking with Dinosaurs! More details below.
October 18th step back in time and:
-
Try your skills with ancient dart throwers
-
Test your aim with buzzsaw shark throwing axes
-
Explore real fossil discoveries from Idaho's dino days
-
Meet the scientists—from ISU professors and grad students to visiting researchers from across the country—who are uncovering these lost worlds
Whether your family is full of dino lovers, science fans, or just curious explorers, this all-ages event will have something to excite every future fossil hunter.
Get your tickets today and don’t miss the fossil fun, science surprises, and prehistoric action!
Walking with Gastonia
October 17, 2025
6 to 8 pm
$35
ICCU Bengal Alumni Center
Walking with Gastonia: life and death in the Early Cretaceous of eastern Utah
To celebrate our 5th year of Fall Fossil Fest we have added an evening lecture with Dr. Josh Lively, one of the stars of the BBC's 2025 show Walking with Dinosaurs. In this dinner talk Dr. Lively will describe his work on Gastonia, an armored dinosaur related to Ankylosaurus and Idaho's unnamed armored dinosaur. Dr. Lively has been busy uncovering the secrets of animals that lived 100 million years ago in Utah; this work helps us understand our Idaho fossils of the same age better. Learn about the latest discoveries, sneak peeks into ongoing research, and what the future of Cretaceous research might hold in our area.
Price includes dinner, lecture, a Q&A with Dr. Lively, and access to an exclusive raffle where replicas of Idaho's dinosaur-aged fossils will be taken home by the lucky winners. Museum Members receive a 20% discount with code, email ambertews@isu.edu if you did not receive your discount code.
October 18, 2025
10 am to 4 pm
We are excited this year to have the following partners:
- IMNH curators, affiliates, and staff
- Idaho State University faculty, staff, and graduate students from Biological Sciences, Geology, College of Education, and Department of Anthropology.
- Caribou-Targhee National Forest
- Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
- The Prehistoric Museum at Utah State University - Eastern
- Museum of the Rockies
During the event we will have Cocoa and Critters Chat, four short informational talks from partners. Get a taste of the current scientific research happening in Idaho. Meet four fascinating scientists in an informal, interactive setting. Each scientist will discuss their research for 30-40 minutes, then lead a lively group Q&A discussion.
Cocoa and Critters Chat Schedule:
- 11-11:45 am: Croc-N-Roll! Idaho's dinosaur-eating crocodiles with Dr. LJ Krumenacker, IMNH Affiliate Curator
- 12-12:45 pm: Weird, wild tiny crocs under the feet of (probably) Idaho's dinosaurs
- 2-2:45 pm: Different growth, same dinosaur; exploring Oryctodromeus dimorphism with Zakaria Hannenbaum, Department of Geosciences, Museum of the North, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
- 3-3:45 TBD
Tickets:
- Family: $50 (2 Adults/2 Children), $7.50/Additional child,
- Adult: $17.50
- Youth (6-17): $10 with accompanying adult
- Youth (5 & under): Free
- ISU Student: $10, must show Bengal card at entrance
- Limited edition T-shirt: $20
Museum Members receive a 20% discount on admission, if you did not receive your discount code please email ambertews@isu.edu