With "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" taking movie theatres by storm, everybody is in a tizzy about dinosaurs so here are a handful of appropriately themed attractions and activities in Orlando for those who can't get enough!
1. Extreme Dinosaurs: The Exhibition on International Drive.
Next door to Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, Premier Exhibitions has opened another exhibit of realistic dinosaur animatronics where you can observe their lifelike behaviors from thousands of years ago called Extreme Dinosaurs: The Exhibition. They move, blink, growl, and roar! While stepping into the hands-on Mesozoic Era experience, you'll happen upon species and their predator and prey relationships, real fossils and skeletons, and both old and new discoveries regarding dinosaur history. Fun and educational, kids can explore a dig site, learn from humongous puzzle pieces, and touch the real thing! Tickets are $16.95 for 13yrs and up, $14.95 for seniors and students, $11.95 for 4-12yrs, and free admission for 3yrs and under.
2. DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney World's Animal Kingdom.
Disney's very own Animal Kingdom has a dinosaur section with attractions for all ages. If you need to let a child run down some extra energy, let them loose in The Boneyard, a playground covered in fossils and creatures to discover and climb. A more lively activity might be riding the unpredictable Primeval Whirl roller coaster. For a more intense attraction, the Dinosaur ride starts with Bill Nye the Science Guy and launches into a wild mission!
3. Build-a-Dino and T-REX Restaurant in Disney Springs.
Remember when Build-a-Bear Workshop came out and everyone was stuffing cotton and mini hearts inside plush animal bodies and taking home their new best friend? At Disney Springs, there's a Build-a-Dino where you can actually take home a plush dinosaur! (They are pretty darn cute.) Then the coolest part? The shop is within a completely dinosaur-themed restaurant called T-REX, packed with animatronics and sound effects that transport you to Jurassic times while you eat dinner. Then you get the chance to leave with awesome dino-tastic souvenir cups.
4. The Jurassic Park Land at Universal Studios.
They literally house an entire section of the park designed for the Jurassic Park theme with additions for the new films. You can meet and greet with Blue at the Raptor Encounter (where I had my ponytail chewed on), play all sorts of games to win themed prizes, face Tiffany the T-Rex on the water ride while you splash to your death, and take pictures with dinosaurs hiding in the bushes.
Maybe you have an itty bitty who would join you in the theme park. Take them to the Barney section where they can sing along with their favorite Barney tunes. Hey, he's a dinosaur too!
5. ​Jurassic World Alive Phone Game.
Not special to Orlando but certainly popular here is the phone game! In a world where dinosaurs are once again roaming Earth, it is your goal to protect them from getting extinct this time! Explore your surroundings (similar to Pokemon Go) and catch various breeds in the real world based on their specific species' behaviors. Mess with science and create new hybrid species. Amongst scientific procedures you can assemble dino teams and watch mega cool battles between your team and a friend's. The game has a subscription of $9.99/month but amongst similarly dino-crazed friends...totally worth it. Play today!
6. T-Rex Suit Shenanigans.
Buy a T-Rex suit and try to make the next viral video. I am especially supportive of this idea. I LIVE for those viral videos of people pulling pranks in this costume. It's $52 on Amazon.com. Do it and tag me so I see it (IG: @abigailclinecomposer).
Watch all the Jurassic movies and enjoy the new one! I hope you have fun attacking all of these activities with your best dinosaur ROAR!
