Online booking for timed tickets to Colchester Museums’ major new Easter exhibition, Discover: Museum Wonders, are now open!
What is the Discover: Museum Wonders exhibition about?
The exhibition, hosted at Hollytrees Museum, presents a truly magnificent highlight: a genuine dinosaur skeleton, known as ‘Juliasaurus’, measuring over six metres long, making its world premiere in Colchester. This will be the first real dinosaur skeleton ever displayed in Colchester and early research even suggests it may represent a new species!
This extraordinary specimen – on generous loan from an international collector, facilitated by David Aaron – is regarded as one of the most important dinosaur fossils uncovered in North America in recent years. Its arrival in Colchester offers an exceptional opportunity for residents and visitors to experience a globally significant prehistoric treasure in the heart of the city.
Alongside the dinosaur, visitors can also explore a rich selection of objects discovered from Colchester’s past, including fossils, mysterious witch bottles and shoes once concealed beneath floorboards for protection – objects that reveal centuries of belief, superstition and scientific discovery.
In addition to the exhibition, a pop-up Dino Store will also be available at Hollytrees Museum offering a selection of fossil and dinosaur themed items such as books, toys, stationery and gifts – perfect for dinosaur fans of all ages.
Ticket information
Timed entry will be in place due to the limited capacity of the historic Georgian galleries at Hollytrees Museum. Three two-hour timed slots are available for visitors to book Mondays to Saturdays and a limited number of places will also be available each day specifically for Colchester Museum Pass holders and Guardian Members.
Tickets are now available to purchase online at colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/discover for visits from 3 April 2026, excluding Sundays when the Museum is closed.
Councillor Lee Scordis, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Heritage and Environment, said: “Bringing a world‑class dinosaur to Colchester is an extraordinary moment for us all. This is the first time this astonishing skeleton has been seen anywhere in the world, and we are incredibly lucky to be hosting its global debut. Combined with a range of curious and surprising objects from our own collections, Discover: Museum Wonders promises to be a truly unforgettable experience.
“We’ve seen incredible interest and excitement building around the Discover exhibition, and we’re delighted to announce that tickets are now on sale! We expect demand to be high, so we encourage visitors to book early and enjoy what promises to be a truly memorable experience.”
Salomon Aaron, Director, David Aaron, added: “We are thrilled to be working with Hollytrees Museum on the historic loan of ‘Juliasaurus’ for the Discover: Museum Wonders exhibition. This will be the first dinosaur fossil ever displayed in Colchester making this project all the more meaningful for us and I hope for the local community.”