DINOSAUR WORLD KENTUCKY KIDS- Lions, and Tigers, and Dinosaurs, Oh My! When staying at the Mammoth Caves area, I had the opportunity to surprise my family with a visit to Dinosaur World before we headed on to Florida.

We were able to visit the Kentucky Dinosaur World right at opening, making it an excellent opportunity to experience the theme park without any interaction from other guests.

Our family has seen the dinosaurs of Disney, and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and even those at Cedar Point. So we were not too sure what to expect. Surprisingly, we really had a great time enjoying the property and the 150 plus life-sized dinosaurs around the park.

Note, the dinosaurs are not audioanimatronic like those at many other places. They are stationary statues of the dinosaurs. Guests go on a nice hike through the woods on paved paths to experience the dinosaurs. The really nice thing about Dinosaur World is there were 1) dinosaurs I had never heard of prior to our visit, and 2) each exhibit included detailed plaques that talk about various details of each species.

Following our extensive nature walk, we were invited to the Fossil Dig. Kids aged 3-12 get access to the Fossil Dig area with their admission ticket. After a brief educational briefing by the attendant, kids were encouraged to search the area for fossils of their own. Once they filled their cups, they were allowed to keep any 3 of the fossils in their containers.

In addition to the Fossil Dig, our kids were invited to the Dino Gem Excavation area. Here, guests purchase a bag of gems intermixed with sand. They then pan for their gems in a gold mine style wash. Our boys really enjoyed this part, as any time you add water to the mix, the event gets more interesting for them.

Our boys were able to take home a large back of unique gem stones, which was really neat to do, as well as identify the collection later on.

Dinosaur World also had a small museum, extensive gift shop, really nice playground for the kids, and themed restrooms.

My only complaint about visiting Dinosaur World is I fear they may go extinct due to lack of staying up with the times. The downside of stationary dinosaurs that do not move nor make sound is that people these days expect more. While I had an appreciation for the artistry that went into creating the dinosaurs, other may not. Having seen life sized dinosaurs at other parks that move and make sound, I could imagine some may be bored by the less than exciting immersive recreations.

Have you visited Dinosaur World? What did you think?

Dinosaur World Kentucky is located at 711 Mammoth Cave Road, Cave City, KY 42127, with additional locations in Florida and Texas. Admission is $12.75 for adults, $10.75 for seniors, $9.75 for kids aged 3-12, and those under 3 are free.

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Source: InACents

Note: Our family was provided passes to Dinosaur World, as well as access to Fossil Dig and Dino Gem Excavation. All opinions are those of the author.