The New Jersey State Museum takes a prehistoric trip through time in their Natural History Hall

TRENTON, New Jersey (WPVI) -- The New Jersey State Museum brings the essence of the prehistoric era to Trenton with their Natural History Hall.

"We really try to show the whole range of life in New Jersey through time...as you kind of progress through the hall you're also progressing through geologic time, " Dr. Dana Ehret, Curator of Natural History at The New Jersey State Museum.

Take a look at casts and fossils of the creatures who once roamed New Jersey before us.

"It's a sense of awe that you look at New Jersey and Pennsylvania today, and millions of years ago we had fighting dinosaurs," said Dr. Ehret.

Inside the hall contains an entirely original skeleton of a long extinct animal with great meaning to the curator.

This display is what sparked the interest in paleontology for Dr. Ehret as a child.

"It's my favorite specimen because when I was a small child, my grandmother used to bring me to the museum, and that's one of the first fossils I ever remember seeing...now I work here and I get to see it every day," said Dr. Ehret.

Open Tuesdays to Sundays for free, the museum showcases a wide array of enriching displays.

"We have cultural history, fine art, natural history and archeology. The plan is that every time you come back you're gonna see something different and learn something new that you didn't know before," said Dr. Ehret.

For more information on the New Jersey State Museum, check out their website.