If you are a Dinosaur Lover or know someone who is a die-hard fan of Jurassic Park movies then this post is a must read for you. We aim to take you to a virtual journey of some of the most exciting and must-go-once places in the United States with Dino-theme. You can Google these places all you want but visiting them is a different kind of high.
So, without keeping you waiting any long, let’s begin our journey.
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Universal Orlando Resort And Universal Studios Hollywood – Orlando, Florida, And Los Angeles, California
Both Florida and California have the Jurassic Park river raft ride, which includes thrilling close calls with dinosaurs and a splashy 85-foot drop. But be advised: The Hollywood park plans to close its Jurassic Park attraction on September 3 and will replace it with an all-new expedition-and-water-adventure combo called Jurassic World, slated to open in 2019. Don’t forget to buy a dinosaur puppet before you leave.
Dinosaur World – Plant City, Florida; Glen Rose, Texas; Cave City, Kentucky
All three Dinosaur World locations feature hundreds of life-sized dinosaurs, dino-themed playgrounds, and interactive exhibits. You can also dig for fossils, pan for gems and minerals, and excavate a skeleton in the sand with tools. The Florida outpost additionally offers two interactive shows.
Dinosaur Valley State Park – Glen Rose, Texas
Roam in the footsteps of dinosaurs as you walk along the bed of the Paluxy River. Because the tracks are not always visible at the bottom of the river, consult the site’s Facebook page or Twitter feed before heading out. The state park offers plenty of fun things to do for families: camping, hiking, picnicking, mountain biking, swimming, fishing, and more.
The Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art Village – Montville, Connecticut
Hike 1.5 miles of easy, family-friendly nature trails, where you’ll encounter more than 40 life-sized dinos along the way. Kids can also have fun finding their way through a “Maze”asaurus, slide out of the mouth of a T. Rex, cool off in the Splash Pad, and explore the T. Rex Tower and Monty’s Playground (socks required).
Dinosaur State Park – Rocky Hill, Connecticut
Check out 500 prehistoric tracks preserved under a geodesic dome at this state park, one of North America’s largest dinosaur track sites. The museum-like Exhibit Center attributes the fossils to dilophosaurus, a large carnivorous dinosaur from the early Jurassic period. A variety of dioramas, interactive exhibits, and fossil collections are also on view at the kid museum. There are also 2 miles of nature trails to explore
Dino Land at Edaville – Carver, Massachusetts
Dino Land is a section of the greater Edaville Family Theme Park (which also includes a Thomas Land) and is included in the price of admission. The seasonal self-guided tour will take you past more than 23 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs. There is also the Bone Shaker ride, a shooting gallery, and a dinosaur meet-and-greet on certain days.
Nash Dinosaur Track Site and Rock Shop – South Hadley, Massachusetts
For a piece of dino history, head to the humble location where the nation’s first dinosaur tracks were discovered. You can walk the grounds to see tracks in the quarry, but if you want to take home your very own footprint, head to the rock shop where individual impressions are sold alongside other fossils, remember to buy some adorable dinosaur puppets for your kids, they will love it.
Cabazon Dinosaurs – Cabazon, California
Mom and Dad may remember this dinosaur roadside attraction from the movie “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.” Kids will fall for the exhibit featuring more than 50 giant dinosaurs, a dinosaur dig, and fossil panning. And, just like Pee-wee, you can climb up the middle of Mr Rex for a climactic view of the desert through the teeth in his mouth. Ages 2 and under are free.
Field Station: Dinosaurs – Leonia, New Jersey
The outdoor setting of this collection of lifelike dinosaurs provides a realistic feel of how the world was when dinosaurs roamed free. Kids will love how the more than 15 types of dinos and other prehistoric creatures move and roar. Besides walking the dino trail, enjoy a mini theatre show or try the fossil dig where kids can look for hidden “bones.” Kids age 1 and under are free.
Burke Museum – Seattle, Washington
Located on the campus of the University of Washington, the Burke Museum of Natural History has outgrown its space and is currently building a whole new museum that will be 66% larger and is expected to serve up to 4,000 visitors a day and when you plan to have a bunch of dinosaurs on display, you need your space. Unlike other museums that house their dinosaurs in the basement, the new Burke will feature their dinos proudly on the top floor.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Orlando, Florida
Most people are familiar with Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which is one of four Disney theme parks in Orlando, but not everyone is aware that the park features an entire land dedicated to the Jurassic animals. What Dino Land U.S.A. lacks in science, it makes up in the form of fun. This “land” is home to the thrill ride, “Dinosaur,” where riders will travel back in time, go aboard a Jeep and attempt to rescue a dinosaur before a meteor strikes. What could go wrong? Dino Land U.S.A. also features a replica of the T-Rex “Dino-Sue” which is pretty amazing.
The Chicago Children’s Museum – Chicago, Illinois
Children’s museums are fun regardless of where you go, but the Chicago Children’s Museum gets a lot of praise for their “cool” Dinosaur Expedition.” Among other things, it features a recreation of the real Saharah expedition where Chicago palaeontologist Paul Sereno discovered a new type of dinosaur. It also features a life-size skeleton of Suchomimus (sue-co-MY-muss), an excavation pit to dig for bones and an opportunity to learn what it would be like to be part of Paul’s expedition team.
Field Station: Dinosaurs – Derby, Kansas and Leonia, New Jersey
With two dino-mite locations, the Field Stations take families on tours that are full of mystery, surprise and over 40 life-sized realistic (and moving!) dinos. Get up close and personal along the trail and take part in over 30 live shows, games and activities in the parks. Here you can dig for fossils, learn about a dinosaur’s diet during a live musical show and play a game of Dinosaur Discovery miniature golf. As they say, “Science had never been this fun, this scary or this big!”
National Museum of Natural History – Washington D.C.
The Hall of Dinosaurs has fossilized skeletons and cast models, including Tyrannosaurus rex cast facing a Triceratops cast. The Triceratops exhibit shows the first accurate dinosaur skeleton in virtual motion, achieved through the use of scanning and digital technology. The collection consists of 46 “complete and important specimens” of dinosaurs.
The Field Museum of Natural History – Chicago, Illinois
The Field Museum was already a hot-spot for dino fans even before SUE—the most complete T-Rex skeleton ever discovered—arrived in 2000. Evolving Planet takes guests on a journey through four million years on Earth; there are videos, hands-on interactive displays, and an expanded dinosaur hall. SUE, of course, is the highlight and doesn’t disappoint.
Museum of Science – Boston, MA
The Museum of Science’s first Tyrannosaurus Rex model was first created in 1960 and was based on three incomplete skeletons. Since then, over 30 skeletons have been found and so today’s model of the creature looks a bit different than its brethren. Here, you’ll learn what separates the prehistoric creatures from modern animals, check out “bone dictionaries,” play with scale models of Coelophysis, learn about Mesozoic murals and what future dinosaurs might look like today.
T-REX Cafe – Lake Buena Vista, Florida
What a great idea! The T-Rex Café is part restaurant, part museum but all fun—and very popular. Throughout the restaurant you’ll find large animatronic dinosaurs (“Honey, we’ll find a table over by the T-Rex…”), exotic plants, aquariums (with real tropical fish), hands-on educational activities in the Paleo Zone, a Discovery Dig fossil sandpit, the Discovery Creek water mill where kids can pan for precious gems and stones (it’s a bit of a reach, but we’ll let it slide) and “meteor showers” that take place every 20 to 30 minutes. The most realistic dinosaur costume can be found here, it would be a great place for dino-lovers to visit.
The Prehistoric Gardens – Port Orford, Oregon
If you’re up for a road trip to the Oregon Coast and want a fun pit stop that is more Pee Wee’s Big Adventure than Smithsonian museum, this place is for you. It’s a campy, cool dinosaur park with dinosaur sculpture looming amid gorgeous, lush Pacific Northwest forest. In short, it’s awesome. While the dinos aren’t real, the ancient Oregon forest is.
Great Plains Dinosaur Museum & Field Station – Malta, Montana
The Great Plains Dinosaur Museum may be small, but it’s mighty. Home to Leonardo, the world’s best-preserved dinosaur, it’s also one of the best places for those who really want to get dirty, dino-style. Kids ages 5-11 can sign up for the Junior Paleo Field Experience: three hours at a real dinosaur dig with the pros, then back to the lab to process, analyze and write up their finds.
Dinosaur Park – Rapid City, South Dakota
Dinosaur Park in Rapid City has been celebrating the state’s paleontological history since its opening in 1936. The public (and free) space boasts life-size concrete dinosaur figures the kids can climb, and the 360-degree view of the Badlands is worth the uphill trek necessary to reach the park. The park is a must-see spot if you are in the area!
Wyoming Dinosaur Center – Thermopolis, Wyoming
There are over 30 mounted skeletons and hundreds of displays and dioramas in the museum, all designed to educate and thrill even the tiniest dino fans. It’s hard to say exactly what’s the star attraction, “Jimbo” the Supersaurus or the real-life dig action that happens from late spring into early fall. Families are encouraged to sign up, and if anyone finds a fossil, it’ll be labelled with their name and kept on display at the museum.
American Museum of Natural History – New York
Who wouldn’t want to meet “Rexy” from the Night at the Museum movies? Not only that, but you’ll also find the 122-foot long Titanosaur, a Velociraptor and the Triceratops, among thousands of other super cool specimens. And a brand new (although temporary) exhibit opens on March 11, 2019. At T. Rex: The Ultimate Predator, you’ll learn how one dinosaur became the most fearsome carnivore of the Mesozoic, meet the entire Tyrannosaur family, engage with amazing interactives and jump into a multiplayer virtual reality game.
Jurassic Park at the Islands of Adventure – Orlando, Florida
“It’s lunchtime and you’re on the menu,” teases the Jurassic Park River Adventure ride. Sure, the water cruise starts innocently enough, but soon, your family will be bumped off course and will float toward the restricted area of Jurassic Park. And while you’re there, be sure to check out the hands-on activity centre, where kids can test their DNA to see what kind of dinosaur they would be, answer dino trivia, examine dinosaur eggs and, if they are lucky, watch a baby velociraptor “hatch.” There’s also Camp Jurassic, a prehistoric playground perfect for families with kids of all ages. You can also see staff wearing realistic dinosaur costumes performing on stage, it is super impressive.
Dinosaur National Monument – Jensen, Utah
Welcome to a dino digger’s dream. Over 1,500 prehistoric bones are still encased in the rock at Dinosaur Quarry exhibit hall on the Utah side of Dinosaur National Monument, and visitors can view reconstructed dinosaur fossils—like Allosaurus and a baby Stegosaurus.