On the outskirts of Lufkin, Texas, is an excellent museum, especially when you consider Lufkin has a population of only 35,000.
Dr. Neal Naranjo wanted to bring a museum to children and their families who may not have the ability to travel to Houston or Dallas and the natural history museums there.
The museum helps children and adults, including my granddaughter Ainsley Moore and me, understand time before, during, and after dinosaurs by examining excellent displays filled with fossils and other artifacts. There are more than 56 exhibits.
The museum results from a lifetime of collecting by Dr. Naranjo since 1960. As a result of his research and fieldwork, today’s collection contains several thousand fossils. It is as comprehensive as it is diverse. It includes a 26-foot tall Hadrosaur and a four-inch-long Coelacanth; a nurturing Einosaur mother with her child, and ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex life-size replica; a fully-grown Woolly Mammoth and multiple unhatched dinosaur eggs.
With a meticulous eye for rare finds, the Naranjo Family has built a collection that rivals most urban museums.
Each gallery takes guests through a new era of time until they turn a corner and enter a massive room filled with dinosaurs. Except for the T-Rex, the skeletons result from Dr. Naranjo’s explorations.
Other exhibits highlight the space race and ancient civilizations.
This recent visit was my third. I am always in awe of what an impressive collection Dr. Naranjo has provided for anyone living in or visiting East Texas.
