As you are planning your Spring and Summer travels. Don’t forget to put Dinosaur World in Plant City, Florida on your travel list.
Why? Because Dinosaur World in Plant City features over 200 life-size dinosaurs throughout the outdoor theme park. Yes, the theme park is outdoors which is great for those who are slowly transitioning to social activities.
Location
Dinosaur World is conveniently located right off of I-4 at Exit 17 at 5145 Harvey Tew Road in Plant City, FL 33565. Parking is free and additional free parking is located at the rear of the parking lot.
Admission
All visitors must enter through the Gift Shop, where you choose and pay for what attractions you will participate in. Masks must be worn in the Gift Shop, as well as the Indoor Museum.
A daily admission adult ticket is $16.95 (plus tax). However, children will appreciate the Excavation Pass which is $18.95 (plus tax). Included in the Excavation Pass is a Fossil Dig ticket and the Lucky Strike bag at the Dino Gem Excavation.
At the time of our visit, we received our green wristbands and tickets, a map of the park, the times for the Fossil Dig and Exploration Cave Show Tour, as well as tips for exploring the park.
We were encouraged to visit the Museum to see the animatronic dinosaurs as we waited for the Exploration Cave Show and the next Fossil Dig.
Please remember masks must be worn in the Indoor Museum.
Indoor Museum and Touch and Tell Boxes
Aside from the highly attractive, animatronic dinosaurs, museum goers are greeted with exhibit boxes of interesting dinosaur facts and various artifact replicas such as eggs, claws, and teeth.
After exiting the museum in Cave City, your next exhibit is the Guess and Tell boxes, but in Plant City, they are a little while into the park. But, regardless of where they are located, they are still a favorite of the boys.
Fossil Dig and Bone Yard
The Fossil Dig and Bone Yard are very similar at both locations.
For the Fossil Dig, tickets are taken and children are given a bag and instructions on how the Fossil Dig works. For 15 minutes, the children go rambling and digging in the sand, trying their hardest to find (three) random, historic-like teeth that they are able to keep as souvenirs to take home.
The Bone Yard is another exhibit in Dinosaur World that allows children to dig and brush around. In the Bone Yard, children are equipped with a brush and shovel where they fill the shoes of paleontologists to uncover and examine the 27-foot skeleton from under the sand.
Dino Gem Excavation
Additionally, is the Dino Gem Excavation. As a note, masks are mandatory on the playground and at the Dino Gem Excavation.
During the Gem Excavation, each of the boys were given a bag that contained sand and rock-like matter with “gems” and began panning.
The most exciting part of them panning was that, like the Fossil Dig, they were able to take home whatever they found. So, they each left with a pretty, nice size bag of gems that we later discussed with the Gem Identification Card that was also given to us.
Interactive Shows
Dinosaur World in Plant City offers two interactive shows that are not a part of the Dinosaur World in Cave City, Kentucky. These include the Triviasaurus Rex Game Show and Exploration Cave Show.
Before exiting the tour, we received more information on dinosaurs, such as how fossils are preserved and packaged and how to determine the type of dinosaur it is by the shape of its mouth. For example, does the dinosaur have a beak mouth? Why is that?
Carnivore Boardwalk, Deinonychus Island, and Fish Pond
As we continued on our excursion throughout the park on the Carnivore Boardwalk, Deinonychus Island, and Fish Pond, we learned about so many different dinosaurs because they were all labeled with a metal plate with snippets of educational information regarding that particular dinosaur.
Mammoths, Giants of the Ice Age
With so many interesting exhibits, it is hard to have just one favorite. So, another one of our favorites was the Mammoths, Giants of the Ice Age. Upon entering the exhibit you come face to face with a decorated wall of cute pictographs.
While Dinosaur World is definitely fun, it is also amazingly educational. You will walk out so much more knowledgeable than when you walked in.
Playground
Finally, we finished our excursion with the playground and later exited back through the Gift Shop where we took some time to browse around before finally leaving. Don’t forget that masks must be worn on the playground.
Final Thoughts and Recommendation
Normally, we do a majority of our travels during the off-peak season, this time, however, we went during Florida’s peak season. While we did have to wait in line for many of the exhibits, they were all worth the wait. So, with affordable admission prices, friendly staff, interactive exhibits, and free parking, Dinosaur World is definitely a win of a trip this spring and summer.