Have You Been? Dinosaur World Florida #travel #Florida

Disclosure: My family and I were invited to Dinosaur World (Florida) by US Family Guide Blogger Network to share our experience. All opinions and thoughts are my own and honest. 

We have driven past this place so many (many) times. The super tall dinosaurs on the side of the I-4 when we go back and forth to Orlando. We have never stopped. Honestly, I am not too sure why we have never been. I just never paid too much attention to it I guess, the kids have through. They "oooh" and "aaah" everytime we pass. When US Family Guide offered the opportunity to visit and review it I was up for it. Before we got there and leading up to getting there I wasn't sure what to expect. I had seen pictures before and read about other experiences. To be honest, the pictures I have seen on social media and Google do not do Dinosaur World justice at all. I think you have to be there to really experience the whole park, all the dinosaurs, and the adventures! 

So here is our adventure! 

*warning* I took a TON of pictures so this post will be FULL of them. 

This guy met us in the parking lot. 

Photo opps! (Of course!) #photoopp 

Dinosaur World

5145 Harvey Tew Road

Plant City, FL 33565 

Once inside the store, you purchase your tickets (and anything else -there were cookies and water, toys, games, Dino stuff of all kinds- pics towards the bottom of post) and you are given a map of Dinosaur World and a schedule of all shows and digs throughout the day. 

The Fossil Dig is scheduled but the Gem dig is open all day. 

You exit through the back of the store... into Dinosaur World! 

This guy was HUGE! 

Most of the dinosaurs you can not sit on or climb on, which is good because Garrett loves to climb on EVERYTHING! There are a few throughout the park though that offer photo opps and a chance to get a little closer to them. 

There is a picnic area right by the Store and the Museum. There are other picnic areas throughout the park. They are all large and clean. They are all bright and kid friendly. 

Another pic of the big guy. The kids liked this one alot. 

There were all kinds of different dinosaurs. These are all in the beginning of the park. 

Dave the Dinosaur was there with some toys. He talks and rawrs by the way!

Triviasarurus Rex Game Show 

The game is played a few times a day. The staff picks 3 kids in different age groups to play and they all win prizes. 

After the game show we walked back towards the back of the park. Since the Fossil Dig we were going to do was at 2:00 pm (it was just about 1:00 pm when we were at the Triviasaurus Rex Game Show) we wandered towards the back of the park and then back up. There is one main bridge that takes you from the front of the park where the playground, store, and museum are to the back where there are other dinos, shows, and exhibits. 

The path from the front of the park to the back. 

It is a bridge with a small creek running under it. You might find some dinos along the way!! 

On the pathway to the back of the park. 

Which way to go? 

Uh OH!!! #photoopp 

Mammoths -Giants of the Ice Age- 

Walk through the giant land of Mammoths. You can read about them and learn about how they lived. 

Another picnic area over by the Touch And Tell. 

Touch And Tell

You reach inside the holes and try to guess which of 3 dinosaurs is in there. Then you lift the flap and it gives you the answer. 

Boneyard 

Help excavate the Stegosaurus fossil. The kids honestly could have stayed there for hours! 

Along with the dinosaurs there were some creatures the kids found along the way. 

Back up to the front of the park we went. The kids played in the park for about 30 minutes while we waited for the 2:00 pm Fossil Dig. 

The Playground. 

2 types of swings. Dinosaurs to climb on and in as well as regular playground equipment. 

A little better picture of the playground. It was really big and great for the kids to run a bit.

At the Fossil Dig the kids are each given a sifter and a bowl to uncover as many fossils as they can. Once the dig time is over each child is allowed to pick out and keep their 3 favorites. 

Here is a few of what they found and once they choose their 3 they take them to the staff and are given a little bag to keep them in and told what they are that they found. 

Gem Excavation was next on the adventure. 

This is an add on to the general admission but in my opinion, is totally worth it. Kids get a bag of rocks and gems and they sift through. They get to keep anything they find! 

Pour the bag of rocks and gems into the sifters. Put them into the water and shake them to get the smaller stuff out and then you keep what you find. The kids really enjoyed this aspect and I am glad they got a chance to participate. 

Excavation Cave Show

This is a scheduled event and happens a few times per day. It is in the back of the park and is a show about Paleontology and how fossils are formed, what a scientist does, and some of the tools used and things found. There is a Q&A session during the show and kids are able to ask questions about any aspect of Paleontology and dinosaurs. 

Inside the Exploration Cave there are different dino parts that kids can learn about. Towards the back of this building the show continues and the kids learn a little more about fossils and Paleontology. 

Past the Excavation Cave there is the Skeleton Garden. Then we started to make our way around to the front of the park. We had finished all the scheduled activities and were able to wander the rest of the park. 

Be Careful on the Carnivore Boardwalk! 

LOOK UP! 

Koi feeding and more dinos! 

They have food that you can purchase by the water. They also give you a bag when you purchase a general admission. 

Museum

Is full of dinosaur fossils and information. Teaches about what dinosaurs were, how they lived, what could have happened to them, etc. 

We went through the museum last because it was indoors and it just made more sense to do all the outdoor stuff first and cool off on the way out of the park. 

The animatronic dinosaurs are also in the museum. 

Dinosaur World Gift Shop 

Has just about anything dinosaur...fossils, jewelry, toys, gators, rocks, gems, and TONS MORE! 

More from the gift shop. My middle son loves Dinosaurs so even if I don't go to the park I will be doing some shopping here. If  you have a dino lover in your family this is the place to shop. You can find something different and out of the ordinary here. 

The size of the Dinosaur World Gift Shop is totally underrated! It is huge and I tried to capture it. 

Overall: 

Dinosaur World was well worth the trip! It was overall way more than I expected going into it. We got there around 11:30 am and stayed till just after 4:30 pm. We were able to easily experience each exhibit in full. There were other people there having birthday parties and just visiting but it was not all packed and crowded. The people we did encounter, as far as guests go, were awesome. One family was having a birthday party and gave the kids some watermelon. The staff that we encountered was just as awesome. They were there and actually seemed like they wanted to be there. We have been places where some of the employees are clearly miserable and it just adds to the whole adventure. 

You can bring food and drinks into the park, we did not because I hate taking a bunch of stuff. I usually end up with a ton of stuff when we go somewhere and I try not to add too much to it. It would be wise to bring food and drinks though. There are vending machines with drinks in a few places throughout the park too. 

The only possible downfall was the heat. There were times when it seemed warmer than others. As we were walking around the park, the kids did mention that they wished there was some kind of water play activity or somewhere they could cool off as they were walking around. We are all from Florida so we are pretty well adapted to the heat so it was not too bad for us. 

For more information on Dinosaur World in Florida please visit their site, here. 

Or give them a call at 813-717-9865

You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. 

Dinosaur World is also in Texas and Kentucky. 

Dinosaur World 

Admission 

Daily Rates: Adult - $16.95 plus tax, per person

Seniors (60+) - $14.95 plus tax, per person

Children (3-12) - $11.95 plus tax, per person 

Children under 3 are FREE! 

The Fossil Dig is included in the children tickets. Anyone over 12 and under 3 that want to dig it is $2.00. 

There are add on options for tickets that include the Excavation Pass. Annual Passes are available as well as Military Discounts. Please visit the site or one of the social media links above for full pricing and any promotions or events. 

Hours 

Open Year Round! Daily 9:00 am and closing time does vary by season. 

Other information about the park and your trip:

There is no food service in the park. You can pack your own picnic lunch and dine with the dinos in the few areas inside the park. Pizza delivery is available. 

There are over 150 life sized dinosaurs and over 20 acres to explore. 

Dinosaur World is Central Florida's only attraction dedicated to the giants of the past! 

Again there are different ticket options available, and Dinosaur World is PET FRIENDLY!