Review - Texas - Dallas - Dallas Zoo - Destination: Dinosaurs

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to visit the temporary exhibit, Destination: Dinosaurs, presented by Reliant Energy. The exhibit ends September 30th, so try to squeeze in a visit if you can. It's one of the largest immersive dinosaur exhibits in America. I personally thought it was well laid out and offered plenty of hands-on fun for visitors of all ages.
The exhibit is located in the back of the North Zoo (near the Tiger exhibit and some monkeys) - follow the dino footprints on the ground. After you purchase your tickets (see below for prices) at the ticket booth, you will walk along the paved trail that loops around and returns down a long hill (for those in wheelchairs please be careful) back to the booth. You will find a few photo-ops at the front entrance.
A fun banner allowing you to compare the wingspan of several creatures hangs on a fence to the right. A photo-op sign and dino behind some benches are on the left.
Most of the dinosaurs are animatronic with moving parts and sounds. Some of the dinosaurs were just statues. All of them were nestled into the scenery. A few were placed into scenes (which I'll show in a bit).

Cute baby dinosaurs
Two "scenes" where several dinosaurs or dinosaur species are put together in an interesting display. There's a "splash" zone area with dinosaurs that squirt water and there are many signs to warn you about such a thrill in case you prefer not to get sprayed.
Here are some of the hands-on fun within the dinosaur trail. Go ahead and touch the dinosaur bones or teeth. Compare your hands or feet to dinosaurs' prints or other animals' prints. They do have a dinosaur dig site (ask ahead to be sure it's open during your visit) and a few other interactive areas.
The merchandise store/area was closed during our visit.
Overall, it was a nice walk through a well-created exhibit with lots of greenery and animations. It didn't feel crowded and youngsters seemed to enjoy it as well as older visitors.
Tickets: General Admission $6.00, Members below Patron $4.00, and Patron or Above Members Free
information, visit https://www.dallaszoo.com

Review - Texas - Grapevine - Prehistoric Park

 

Prehistoric Park in the gorgeous lake-side Meadowmere Park in Grapevine, Texas is a limited-time dinosaur walk-through experience. Open daily until April 16, 2023. There are lots of hands-on activities and if you can manage to come in the evening of April 15th they have a Dinos After Dark experience from 7pm-10pm (which might be a little scary for younger kids who don't like being in the dark).

General admission is $29/car. Children 12 and under will receive an activity sheet to punch/stamp as they explore the trail.

Please note that there are limited food options here. They did have a Kona Ice truck, a Funnel Cake truck, and (for a few hours) a Coffee truck. It's best to bring your own food/drinks and enjoy a picnic on the lawn. They do have restrooms (which were dimly lit and might be a little scary for younger kids) right inside the park.

After you pay the entrance fee, you will enter the parking lot on the left side to park before walking along the dinosaur trail.




The dinosaurs are animatronic which means they move and many have sound effects.

As your walk along the dinosaur trail, you will find some hands-on learning exhibits. For example, here are exhibits on dinosaur talons and another featuring different types of eggs.


Some of the exhibits have a self-punching device which you will use to mark your activity sheet. After you collect all the punches, you will turn in your sheet at the final tent (behind the restroom building in the market tent) to receive a free gift.


The forest trail is across the street into the trees. The trail is well-marked and there are a few dinosaur props found there (they do feature fake blood which might be scary for some kids).

Be sure to stop by the Dino Photo-Opn in the market tent behind the activities featuring scientists opening fossils.

Details:
Address: 3000 Meadowmere Ln, Grapevine, TX 76051
Hours: 9am-6pm Daily (special night hours 7p-10pm)
Admission: $29.00 per vehicle

Get more information from the official website, https://gograpevine.com/

Overall Family Review:

• 18 year old - Liked the bean bag toss
• 13 year old - Liked the activities
• 8 year old - Liked the activities
• 2 year old - Liked the fossil dig site, bean bag toss, forest trail

Review - Texas - Dallas - Dallas Zoo

Dinosaurs have invaded the Dallas Zoo! For those who love dinosaurs will enjoy their new Dino Safari ride (more details below). There's also the brand-new Rainforest Walk.



Pre-reserving tickets is still required at the Dallas Zoo. You can do that on their website. The Dallas Zoo has implemented variable pricing depending on how busy they plan to be. Simply click "Buy Tickets" button then add the number of guests. You will then pick a date and a time to visit. While you are adding your tickets to your cart, go ahead and add parking as well ($10 per vehicle). Current ticket prices: Adults $8-$21, Youth/Seniors $8-$16, children under 2 are FREE. Also, masks are not currently required.

The first attraction you will see when you enter the zoo is the Endangered Species Carousel on the left side. They have both ride-on creatures as well as sit-in features. Fun for any age. Tickets are $4.00 each which can be purchased at the booth right in the middle of the walkway.

The brand-new Dino Safari is a shuttle through the world of dinosaurs (life-sized animatronics). Children under 36" need to be accompanied by an adult. Tickets cost $6.00. There's a nice little merchandise cart at the exit of the ride with a limited number of items to purchase. The ride will be available until Labor Day in September.

Another fun ride for children is the Mini-Train. Adults can ride but it's pretty cramped IMO. The website calls it the "T-Rex Express" but the dinosaurs have been replaced with animal statues. Tickets are $3.00 each. The train goes around a large loop at a pretty slow pace so good for any age.

One of my family's favorite things to do is to feed the animals. Currently, only the giraffe feeding station is open. For $6.00 (or $10.00 for double) you will receive lettuce leaves and (at least on our visit) some carrot sticks. They discourage guests from touching or petting the giraffes. It's best to feed the giraffes early in the day before they wander off.


We had a rare treat of seeing the cheetahs pacing around their enclosure. Normally we would be searching the very back areas for a glimpse of a sleeping cat.


The lion cubs that we saw last year looked almost fully grown! And, of course, they were sleeping. The best view of these cats is inside the Serengeti restaurant. It can get kinda crowded but it's worth the wait as they usually lay right in front of the glass windows.


The hippo trio headed out of the water to munch on grass and hay. The viewing area at the end of the downward stairs isn't always the best way to see these beauties especially when the algae has grown thick.




Overall Family Review:

• 17 year old - Enjoyed the giraffe feeding; a bit too big for the mini train
• 12 year old - Enjoyed Dino Safari, mini train, and the giraffe feeding
• 7 year old - Enjoyed Dino Safari and mini train; was a bit scared to feed the giraffe
• 1 yeaar old - Enjoyed the mini train and the giraffe feeding

Zoo Address: 650 South R.L. Thornton Freeway (I-35E), Dallas, TX 75203

Zoo Hours: 9am-5pm daily

For More information, visit dallaszoo.com