Going Places
Dinosaurs still roaming around attraction in Plant City
By THOMAS MICHALSKI
Article published on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007  |
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| Photo by THOMAS MICHALSKI |
| Only a small fence keeps young sauropods at Dinosaur World from escaping to the sidewalk that encircles the park. |
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Millions of years ago huge dinosaurs roamed the earth. They still do, at Dinosaur World just off I-4 in Plant City, where you can see the life-size prehistoric critters as if frozen in time.
There are sauropods such as the brachiosaurus, the camouflage-colored spinosaurus, the triceratops and, of course, the fierce meat-eating Tyrannosaurus rex.
Before Dinosaur World the property was home to an alligator farm, also a tourist attraction, that I visited back in the 1970s and again in the 1980s. The reptiles were sold off to other farms when alligators couldn’t turn a dollar and the land was destined to house their ancestors.
Everybody likes dinosaurs. My own first experience with them was as a child at New York’s Museum of Natural History where their fossilized skeletons still reside today. Dinosaur bones were first discovered in 1858 by William Parker Foulke who was vacationing in Haddonfield, N.J. That first nearly-complete dinosaur skeleton electrified scientists and forever changed our view of natural history.
The site today is located at a dead end street and is marked by a small stone where the Hadrosaurus foulkii (named after Haddonfield and the dinosaur’s discoverer) was excavated. Dinosaur remains have been found all over the world, with a great many of them discovered in Montana, the Dakotas, Wyoming and even New York. Our love affair with dinosaurs has spawned museums, toys, books and, of course, countless movies. Who can forget “King Kong” fighting that T-Rex, or the sauropod sneezing all over those kids in “Jurassic Park”?
And, so, we come to Dinosaur World, an outdoor museum that boasts more than 150 life size dinosaurs. Visitors also can dig for authentic fossils to take home at the Fossil Dig, uncover a life-size dinosaur skeleton at the Boneyard, see exhibits at the Indoor Museum, watch educational films, enjoy a subterranean picnic in the Caves, browse the unique gift shop, and enjoy picnic areas, playgrounds and more.
Once in the gift shop, entered by walking between the legs of a T-Rex, you pay the modest fee and tour the park that has grown from a very few dinosaur models to about 150. Most are very life-like. It amazes one that creatures that large actually roamed the earth. Around one bend stands a T-Rex, seemingly ready to snap off a head like its movie counterpart in “Jurassic Park.”
The path winds through a swamp-like jungle that is neatly landscaped. There is an outdoor classroom, a museum, playground, a large dino puzzle, a video theater and even an exhibit on how the dinosaurs are made.
Dinosaur World has no cafeteria, but it does have a pleasant covered picnic area and people are urged to bring food and soft drinks.
Admission is $12.50 for adults, $10.75 for seniors over 60, and $9.75 for children ages 3 to 12. Dinosaur World is located at 5145 Harvey Tew Road in Plant City. It’s about 45 miles from Pinellas County just off I-4’s Exit 17. Call 813-717-9865 or visit www.dinoworld.net.
Thomas Michalski travels around the state to visit various Florida attractions. You can e-mail him at tmichalski@TBNweekly.com.
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Article published on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007
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