Visit Dinosaur World in Florida!

Oh, the horror! We came upon these T Rex brothers in the prehistoric forest at Dinosaur World and gave the kids quite a scare! 🙂

‘Try to imagine yourself in the Cretaceous Period. You get your 1st look at this “6 foot turkey”. He moves like a bird. You keep still because you think his visual acuity is based on movement like T-Rex. But no, not Velociraptor. You stare at him and he just stares right back. And that’s when the attack comes. Not from the front, but from the side, from the other two ‘raptors you didn’t even know were there. And he slashes at you with a 6 inch retractable claw, like a razor, on the middle toe. He doesn’t bother to bite your jugular like a lion, oh no… He slashes you here, or here… Or maybe across the belly, spilling your intestines. The point is… you are alive when they start to eat you. So you know… try to show a little respect.’

– Dr Alan Grant, Jurassic Park

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Dinosaur World in Florida (and Kentucky & Texas!)

At Dinosaur World in Florida, the dinosaurs still roam. Just an hour West of Orlando, in Plant City, is the rare chance to walk through the Cretaceous period. Even amidst all of the super fun, cool things to do in Florida, yes, it’s worth it! Especially if your kids are dinosaur fans! And for dino-loving moms and dads like me and Bill, too! In fact, if you have dinosaur-crazed kids, it’s a ‘don’t miss!’ Over 200 life-sized dinosaurs roam the swampy grounds of Dinosaur World. Not just single color, painted concrete dino molds like those from the 1950s. But with wrinkles and texture, veins, color variation, grooves, lumps, and muscle. They’re not the only attraction at Dinosaur World, but they certainly are the stars! Any time of year is a good time to visit, even in the pandemic. Most of the activities are outdoors. It’s not crazy crowded. The Florida sunshine is out every day and the walk through the Cretaceous woods is relaxing and fun. It’s a great place for families to spend half a day and to de-stress and unplug from the modern world! Dinosaur fans shouldn’t miss!

Even daddies feel like giddy little boys walking through Dinosaur World! We ALL had a great time!

Highlights of Dinosaur World:

The life-sized dinosaurs definitely steal the show. Frequently in small herds and packs, they put in the extra effort, here. A boardwalk circles through natural areas shaded by centuries-old oak trees dripping with Spanish moss, palm trees & shrubs, and large ferns. It definitely fits the prehistoric vibe and it’s fun to imagine you’ve traveled back in time! Kids will enjoy being on the lookout to spot the next pack of dinos, grazing in the brush. There are a few scenes where dinosaurs are being attacked by another. But if your kids have learned much about dinos, at all, they know this is a reality. And the dinosaurs & ‘injuries’ are not gruesome.
Prehistoric Museum– I was pleasantly surprised by the museum here. I thought it would be silly and simple, focused on very young kids. But they actually had interesting exhibits, even for adults. They have a number of real prehistoric fossils native to Florida. There were well done cast ones, too, which are still very cool. Their fossils include dinosaur eggs and dinosaur feces. Yes, lots of little boys will have giggles about that! Also trilobites and an Allosaurus claw. Something we learned, dinosaurs have never been discovered in Florida. Yet! Many prehistoric mammals have been though, such as mastodons and saber tooth tigers. The museum has animatronic dinosaurs in a prehistoric setting that are fun.
Dino-themed Playground is fun for young kids, probably up to age 10. It has slides, swings and dinosaur play & climb equipment.
Fossil Dig– (currently closed for Covid) This is a 15 minute activity that’s included in admission for kids 3-12. There are lots of fossils here for kids to scour and find. We found plenty of shark teeth. They have gastropods, some stingray barbs, and even Mosasaur teeth. Kids are able to select their 3 favorite finds to take home as a souvenir. It was a hit for all 4 of our kids!
Gem Excavation- Tickets can be purchased for their gem mining sluice to search for treasures that include minerals, arrowheads, or gems.
Geode Cracker Activity- Small geodes can be purchased that you can crack open to reveal their crystals.

Walk around the Skeleton Garden of grazing dinosaur skeletons.

Now how often do you get a chance to come across a Chasmosaurus family with babies and everything?!

What the Wheats think of Dinosaur World:

We’ve passed the Dinosaur World in Kentucky a number of times with plans to visit. But it was really neat to visit the Florida one, first. All of the palm trees & shrubs, giant ferns shrubs, and swampy, mossy landscape really added to the Jurassic vibe! It was easy to imagine that you’ve gone back in time! There is not a full day’s worth of activities, unless you stretch it out and just make a day of it. But, that’s actually ideal for kids this age who would be drawn here. Not too long for fussy toddlers. Enough to wear the kids out but not make them so tired that they’re cranky. It has the right amount of things that won’t wear out parents, either, and kids will be satisfied that they can fit everything into a visit. It’s not high tech, it’s not the bells and whistles of Orlando, but it’s great fun and we’d go, again!

If Florida’s too far, you’ve got them in 2 other states. Boys, girls, mom, dad, every one of us enjoyed our visit. It’s not high tech like other Florida theme parks. But dinosaurs are fun and life sized ones are extra cool! We knew what it was and had a great time. If you have little dino lovers in your family, you will, too!

Wheats’ Favorite Dinos!

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? Our favorite bed time story and dino book for littles when our boys were little. We still have this book, it’s a classic!

Dinosaurs, The World’s Most Terrifying Creatures– This one! Out of the many dinosaur books our boys had, this one is our family favorite. Don’t tell I told, but my kids (including the girls) will still pull this book off our shelf and look through it. Shh, I will too if I’m looking up a particular dino. Super interesting facts & info, including size next to a human adult. So good! A must have for any child dino fan!

Jurassic Park movie– A classic. Enough said.

Double trouble and twice the bite! Run fast and don’t look back if you come across Spinosaurus times 2!

Good the Know:

Parking is free in a large lot.
Hours– Current hours are 9a- 5p, closed for select holidays.
Tickets are currently $11.95 + tax for kids 3-12, $16.95 + tax for over 12 & adults, $14.95 + tax for Seniors, kids 3-12 are $11.95 each, and 2 & under are Free. Annual, Combo & Group passes are also available. are tax deductible and available online. Online donations and sponsorships are also gratefully accepted.

Discounts are available with membership of a number of other Florida attractions. See their ticket page for current reciprocal discount partnerships. Active Duty US Military receive FREE admission with a valid, active ID.
Time– Take your time. Spend 3 hours or so and get your money’s worth! It’s large and mostly outdoors, so it’s not crowded, and the Florida sunshine is lovely!
Food is not available on site, but Dine with Dinos! pizza delivery is available and, also, snack coolers are encouraged. Picnic areas are available.

Gift Shop- A large, 7,000 square foot shop has actual prehistoric artifacts (like dino teeth & trilobites), cute toys and games, fun apparel, books, movies, geodes, jewelry, and more.
Special Activities– Birthday parties are available here. Also, Exploration Cave Show with Paleontologist-led tours through a cave, a dig site, and a work station (currently closed due to Covid). Triviasaurus Game Show is currently closed due to Covid.
Disability– Dinosaur World is handicap-accessible. Wheel chair rentals are $5 + tax.
Pets- Friendly dogs on leashes are welcome.