Inside: Looking for a fun day trip for the whole family? If your kids love dinos, The Dinosaur Place is a must-see this summer! (Grab a coupon for your visit at the end of this post.)
Brachiosaurus, Triceratops and T.Rex! Those are just a few of the many dinosaurs your kids will be calling out when you visit a kid-friendly attraction, The Dinosaur Place.
Nestled inside the Nature’s Art Village, sits the popular 60-acre dinosaur outdoor adventure that makes an unforgettable day trip for kids who love dinos.
We recently had a chance to visit the popular destination spot with our three dinosaur-obsessed boys — and when I say obsessed, I’m not exaggerating (they own almost every dinosaur figurine imaginable…including these parent-approved models!!)
What a Day Trip at The Dinosaur Place Includes
Dinosaur Trails
The Dinosaur Place hosts 40 life-sized dinosaurs over 1.5 miles of kid-friendly nature trails. The pristine Southern Connecticut woodlands has a Jurassic era vibe filled with fun adventure, education and exploration for the entire family!
Once you make your way through the gift shop entrance, you will encounter all the glory of the dinosaur park, starting with greeting Tyrannosaurus Rex. From there into the park, you’ll begin to see some of your favorite dinosaurs.
Down one of the first trails past the massive Brachiasaurus, you’ll spot dinos hidden throughout the woods…some perfectly camouflaged between trees and dinos your kids are sure to recognize (but ones with names you can barely pronounce) like Spinosaurus, Euoplocephalus and Parasaurulophos.
You’re future Paleontologist will even get to guess what dino objects are contained in the “What am I?” educational activity boxes scattered throughout the trail, giving them a chance to compare shapes, sizes and textures of a variety of natural objects including dinosaur teeth.
Further down the path, you’ll make your way to Raptor’s Bay – a 7-acre man-made lake that includes a rumbling volcano — a site to see for sure!
While the biggest attraction are the life-sized dinosaurs you’ll encounter on your journey, you can easily make a day trip out of your visit. Because beyond the actual dinos, here’s what else you get during your visit:
Monty’s DINO-Sized Playground
With your entry you get access to Monty’s Playground — a playground designed for children of all ages. Kids can play inside, outside or whichever way they choose in the jungle gyms. The playground includes a 3 foot tall climbable Pachyrhinosaurus (thick-nosed lizard) skull and Connecticut’s first Evos® playsystem — a 3-D design with various ways to enter, exit & play throughout it.
“MAZE”asaurus
Deeper into the woodlands you’ll also discover a “MAZE”asaurus — a giant complex maze kids must navigate through carefully to escape. (I’ll admit I did get a little dizzy myself in there chasing after the kids, but all twists and turns lead to a slide down T.Rex’s open mouth – talk about excitement for the kids!)
T.Rex Tower
Within the play area, you can’t miss the two-story enclosed tower (socks-required) which features new fun in each little room. Get in line so kids can climb throughout the obstacle filled tower, swing across the zip-lines, bounce around and slide down for more fun — my boys didn’t want to leave!
Splash Pad
Worried about the summer heat during your trip? Well, within the Dinosaur Place sits New England’s largest Splash pad — a zero depth water playground for kids to cool off from the summer heat (just be sure to check hours as it was closed the first time we were there closer to closing time). It accommodates children of all ages with a separate play area perfect for infants to toddlers and dinosaur-themed features including a water cannon and dumping buckets!
Monty’s Munchies or the Ice Cream Shop
Working up an appetite? Grab a bite to eat at the outdoor food area Monty’s Munchies — selling hamburgers, hotdogs and pizza. Just be sure to check the hours. While you can only purchase food seasonally, you can always pack a lunch bag and take a break at the various picnic tables on site.
You can even end the day with some ice cream behind the park.
And if you’re planning a trip to The Dinosaur Place this summer grab this voucher for a FREE milkshake just for our readers! It will be an extra little treat from us so you can sit back and relax!
Thanks to the folks at The Dinosaur Place for providing us complimentary tickets during our visit. If you’d like to learn more and plan a trip this summer, be sure to visit them here for all the details!
Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a prenatal and postpartum educator at MommysBundle.com.
The post A Kid-Friendly Day Trip Idea for Dinosaur Lovers appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.