Dinosaur World- a MUST SEE when traveling!

Those are my kids near the feet!!!

What child doesn't love dinosaurs?  There is just something about them that appeals to almost every child that I know.  Dinosaur World is something a bit out of the ordinary- part museum, part dino-shopping-center, but mostly- a fun activity-based adventure to have with your little ones.  Dinosaur World in Cave City, Kentucky, is a great way to spend the day.  The idea of spending the whole day with all sorts of pre-historic beasts was just too exciting for my Little Man. Walking amongst dinosaurs?  Not just bones?  Well, that seemed almost too good to be true for a little boy, the day before he turned four years old!  (We even got to dig for our own fossils, which all children get to keep!  How is that for fun?)

Check out who is INSIDE the dino's mouth!  :)

There are true-to-life sized dinosaur re-creation statues, each made by an employee of Dinosaur World and based on the most current scientific information available.  They are made of fiberglass, steel, and concrete.  Dinosaur World Park officials consulted with European open-air Dinosaur Museum owner, as well as experts on prehistoric life to create these models.
Dreamed up by a European businessman, and first opened in Plant City, Florida, there are now three Dinosaur World locations you can visit.  (The third is in Glen Rose, Texas.)  Not just any other day in the park- here you will be face to face (or at times, knee to face!) with your favorites dinosaurs, mammoths, and prehistoric eggs, nests, and more!

Dinosaur World has over 150 life sized dinosaur creations, placed in a natural and wooded setting.  This was quite appreciated by yours truly during that Kentucky heat wave!  You will see both well known and favorite species, such as the most famous dinosaur of all (the mighty T-rex!)  as well as the lesser known varieties, and mammoths, too.  I was thrilled that they included less familiar species, it gave us more to read about when we got home.  This has already inspired more then one library trip, and many art projects.  Not just coloring, either!  Shadow boxes, models, you name it, my children are very excited.  We wrote down names of dinosaurs we didn't know at all or very well, and the expedition to learn about them has continued.

With my Pre-School class' graduation theme being "dinosaurs", this came at a great time for my children, because dinosaurs are fresh in their minds, and they were excited to see the dinosaurs we had been learning about.  As fans of educational TV shows like "Dino Dan" and "Dinosaur Train", like so many other children their age, it was great for them to see the "real" version of the dinosaurs they love to watch on the television.  "Buddy" is a little scary in reality!  LOL
Traditional Museums are wonderful for showing dinosaurs, but they only show pictures and bones.  I highly suggest that if you get the chance, take a trip to the Dinosaur World nearest you.  It will be an adventure your children will talk about for a long time to come, and none of you will forget.

Special note for teachers and parents!  You can have your child's birthday at Dinosaur World for only 6$ a child, and all educational trips are only 5$ per person.  You sure can't shake a stick at that!  If we had one of these in my area, I sure know where I would have been having Little Man's birthday.  Not to mention, what a great day trip for my Pre-K class!

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Happy exploring!

Disclosure- I visited Dinosaur World free of charge in order to facilitate this review.  All opinions are my own.