I received complimentary tickets for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.
Rain or shine, bundle up your family and roll down your car windows for this fascinating, educational and completely safe, Covid-friendly, drive-thru Dino Safari located at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh!
With over 40 animatronic life-like dinosaurs, this experience will captivate many of your senses! Everyone in your caravan will find something interesting during this trek around the continents as you make your way through the Pangea National Park.
Upon entering the main gate you will be given the option to order Dino-inspired treats and snacks for your Safari. As you wind your way through to the main entrance be sure to scan the QR code displayed and listen to the audio introduction. I do recommend having one Bluetooth device for the audio and another device for taking pictures simply for ease and efficiency. Without giving away too many details, make sure you keep the green Dino egg close and safe as you’ll need to return it back to the T. Rex nest before leaving the Safari.
The dinosaurs are definitely interactive. They squawk, roar and screech at you as your car drifts along. Each creature is life-like, large, their skin stretches with movement, claws are sharp and feathers blow in the wind. The audio tour explains the evolution of the dinosaur species and the discoveries paleontologists have made over the years.
Admittedly, my youngest was nervous to attend. The “scary” factor played a part in her emotion, however, once we got going she was snapping pictures, asking me to read each informational sign and comparing one creature to the next - as each one was her new “favorite!” She was hanging out of the window most of the time! I was pleasantly surprised at how excited she was to see the dinosaurs. At one point, my 9 year old squealed with excitement when she laid eyes on the tiniest of dinos in Australia. She said the “cuteness level” was 10/10. (I still saw a prehistoric temper and glare in their eyes!) My personal dinosaur favorite, the triceratops, made her appearance towards the end and brought back childhood memories of tree stars!
As our vehicle approached the “excavation site” where we had an in-person encounter with a paleontologist who showed us real fossils! They were wearing masks and kept their distance from our vehicle. Though, if you’re still not comfortable, I’m sure you could skip the conversation and observe the fossils as you drive by.
We took one more turn on the trail complete with mud and bumps and came face-to-face with the mesmerizing T. Rex! We quickly returned the dinosaur eggs to her nest by gently tossing them from our vehicle window and followed the path to the exit.
For a solid 40+ minutes we experienced the Dino Safari and locked eyes with these intriguing creatures for a moment in time! This is a journey we are still talking about hours later and plan to explore the work of a paleontologist a little deeper, as it truly peaked an interest with my children!
The Dino Safari has extended its stay for one more week! Buy your timed entry tickets here: https://dinosafari.com.
Enjoy the ride!
