With the release of Jurassic World: Dominion recently, our younger grandchildren have been begging to go see the movie. At 8 and 4-1/2 years old, the movie doesn’t seem appropriate for them yet.
When I saw an ad for Dino Safari in Alpharetta, I asked the children what they thought about it. After jumping up and down for awhile, Ava (the eight-year-old) said, “It’s a Jurassic Park for kids!”
After visiting the place, I can tell you that Ava was absolutely correct. It’s an amazing place that is really designed to give children an encounter with all things dinosaur.
Taking the Dino Safari
The Dino Safari exhibit, located in Miami and Boston, too, was created by Imagine Exhibitions in collaboration with Dr. Gregory M. Erickson, an American paleontologist. Erickson is one of only 150 full-time paleontologists in the world and his work with Imagine Exhibitions helped present over thirty dinosaurs in size and shape through hands-on and child-friendly experiences. The animatronic movements make the dinosaurs really come to life.
Dinosaurs are arranged by continent of origin and by different historical periods. The size of the dinosaurs is sometimes overwhelming as the T-Rex, for example, towers overheard. What cannot be accurately portrayed are the colors of the animals. In the fun zoom for activities, children are given the opportunity to design the colors of a dinosaur for themselves which is then displayed in an on-screen exhibit. The children were captivated.
Paleontologist Dr. Gregory M. Erickson
Dr. Erickson serves as a professor of anatomy and vertebrate paleobiology at Florida State University in Tallahassee. He’s served as the host of the National Geographic series Hunter and Hunted, has participated in 135 science documentaries, and written many scientific articles about his findings. He’s renown in the world paleontology community.
Erickson learned from his father, a wildlife biologist and the regional director of the Alaska Department of Game and Fish, how to tell the age of a bear by the cementum rings on the bear’s teeth. He carried that interest into his work as a paleontologist. With a partner, Erickson recently co-discovered that the bite force of a Tyrannosaurus rex was the equivalent of being crushed by three small cars. He also helped National Geographic determine the force of a crocodile’s bite.
In an interview with Earth Magazine, Erickson explained why the study of dinosaurs is so important for children:
“Dinosaurs are often children’s first introduction into science, and it’s actually an important field in that dense. It’s dinosaur paleontology’s most redeeming quality, in my opinion. When I talk to kids, I don’t tell them that we already know everything about dinosaurs. The problem with that message is you’re telling kids everything has been done and there is nothing for a kid to do if they grow up and want to be a paleontologist. The bottom line is that we know hardly anything about dinosaurs relative to animals that live today.
What I try to do when talking to kids is get them excited about the scientific method. I teach them how we figured something out. I find that kids are more excited about how we learned something, rather than what we learned. I think it is a good life skill for young people to ask for the data in support of things they are told.”
All the details
Dino Safari is housed in one of the former anchor stores at North Point Mall in Alpharetta. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are sold by 30-minute entry windows. Tickets can be purchased on-line here.
The general entry level cost for the safari is $15.00 for adults and children over the age of 2. Children under two are free. There is also an unlimited entry family rate, VIP rates, and special rates for military and first responders.
Dino Safari is open on Wednesday and Thursday from 11 am – 7 pm; Friday and Saturday from 11 am – 8 pm; and Sunday from 12 pm – 7 pm.
Plan more than an hour at least to enjoy the safari so the children will have time to play. For my grandchildren, they spent a lot of time digging for fossils in the sand pit. Be prepared to exit through the on-site gift store. No restrooms are available in the exhibit but are located inside the mall.
Dino Safari is located at 100 North Point Circle, Alpharetta, Georgia 30022.
