Angelica Kajiwara

If your little ones are anything like mine, they love dinosaurs.  Not like normal love, we’re talking complete obsession, total devotion, and unfailing dedication.  This love means we must visit every single dinosaur attraction that comes within 500 miles of our home.  Of course, we had to visit Jurassic Quest, and I am so glad we did.  It was toddler heaven and the stuff dreams are made of.

Thank you, Jurassic Quest for hosting our family.  We had such a wonderful family day out with the dinosaurs.

Here are the top 8 things to know about taking your toddler to Jurassic Quest.

1. It is awesome – I’ve never seen a dinosaur exhibit like this one. There are over 80 true-to-life size dinosaurs.  You can ride on a huge T-rex, pet a baby Brachiosaurus, or marvel and a roaring Velociraptor.  Obviously, my kids went completely nuts.  But the adults were in awe too.  It is epic
   
2. Dinosaur rides for all – I love that Jurassic Quest is for all ages. There are big dinosaur rides for kids over 3 feet tall and little dinosaur rides for tiny dinosaur lovers.  My oldest loved the T-Rex ride, and my youngest got to ride on a Lambeosaurus.  My oldest daughter wasn’t interested in waiting, so she decided to dig for fossils instead.
   
3. Don’t forget to bring snacks and drinks – The exhibit graciously allows outside food, and we would have had “hangry” fits without it. They have onsite food options, but I was happy we had our own water bottles, pouches, and finger foods.  Goldfish Crackers were an excellent distraction while we waited in line.
   
4. Pack the stroller – all of the Jurassic Quest venues are handicap and stroller accessible. We took our Zoe Triple Stroller, and we didn’t have any issues navigating the exhibit.  My Littlest is almost two, and she preferred the stroller over walking since it was pretty crowded.  It also helped me keep track of everyone.
   
5. Bring socks – there are lots of bounce houses on the other side of the main dinosaur hall, and you will need socks for your little ones to hop in.
   
6. Yes, there’s a gift shop – each Jurassic Quest event is at a different venue so they may not be exactly the same. In Chantilly, Virginia, there was a decent sized toy shop with tons of dinosaur toys to take home.  My kids loved the “pet” dinosaur ($15).  It is a balloon that hovers just above the ground and has a leash for your child to pull.  It is really cool.
   
7. Lots of crowds and lines – Jurassic Quest is an extremely popular exhibit, and it often sells out. Just another example of how amazing it is.  With that comes a ton of people, lines and crazy excited little ones desperate to ride a dinosaur.  We arrived about 15 minutes before it opened and there was already a line to get in.  However, we didn’t wait more than 5 minutes to get in the exhibit, no more than 10 minutes for a dinosaur ride, and we walked right up to most of the little kid fun.  Jurassic Quest recommends arriving after 4 PM to miss some of the crowds.  Side note: I highly recommend heading over to the shows very early.  They were lined up 10 people deep, and it is difficult to see if you aren’t near the front.
   
8. You can see it all before naptime – We arrived just before 9 AM, and we were all sitting at lunch by noon. I have no doubt you could spend a lot more time there, but we always try to sneak in a nap if we can.  My kids actually spent the most time digging for fossils (basically a huge sandbox).
   

I highly recommend checking out Jurassic Quest with your family.  Be sure to buy tickets in advance, and stop at all of the amazing photo ops throughout the exhibit.  You’ll have some pretty awesome memories!

Thank you, Deana Moreno Photography for these amazing family memories.  We’ll cherish them always.

Thank you, Jurassic Quest for hosting our family.  We had a great day!

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