The Nanjing Museum of Paleontology (Nánjīng Gǔshēngwù Bówùguǎn, 南京古生物博物馆) is not a major Nanjing tourist site, nor is it really for everyone. But for dinosaur enthusiasts or just those looking to get out of the heat and into the air conditioning, the museum makes a lovely half hour to hour stop on a trip in Nanjing.

The museum sits on the grounds of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology (Nánjīng Dìzhì Gǔshēngwù Yánjiūsuǒ, 南京地质古生物研究所), a collection of ivy-lined buildings that wouldn't look out of place in a university on the east coast of the United States. Inside, a number of models and fossil specimens trace history from the creation of the planet to the dawn of man, with an emphasis on the fun, dinosaur-filled parts. The larger dinosaur bones in the front of the museum aren't genuine, but within the halls are plenty of real fossils of a smaller size. However, it isn't just limited to primitive shellfish and plants, but includes a number of smaller versions of larger dinosaurs.

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