Zoo Part 2: Dinosaurs

The zoo has a secondary exhibit called Dinosauria.  It costs an extra $4 a person, but I thought Cal might enjoy it because the "animals" were up close and not hiding in their dens.  Best money we spent all day.  The exhibit is set along a half mile path through the woods with the dinos set back among the trees.  They are animatronic so they move and growl and hiss.  Cal was a big fan of this.  He liked to yell back.

I really hope they have this exhibit again when he is older.  At the end there is an activity area where kids can hunt for fossils that looks like fun.

The Pros: The shady location and the mist make this a great stop on a hot day.  The dinos are close to the path and move, so it is much more interactive and interesting than some of the other animal exhibits.  There are neat info cards by each dino that give a phonetic spelling of their name and some other information (carnivore or herbivore, weight, habitat, etc).

The Cons:  It costs extra, which can get expensive on top of zoo admission.  A few of the exhibits are graphic (dino eating another dino, dead dino with blood coming out of his mouth and nose) which could be tough for some kids.  They force you through the gift shop at the end, which made no difference to us now, but I am sure that an older kid would really want an expensive toy.