Land Before Time

Matt vs. Brachiosaurus

We visited The Dinosaur Place in Oakdale, Connecticut, this past summer, and I think the pictures speak for themselves. 

My kids were enchanted, and I was, too. The dinosaurs don't move, but the fact that they're life-sized makes this attraction so worth the two-hour drive into Connecticut. In addition to the hike around the park (on paved roads) to view all the different dinosaurs, there's a splash pad, a maze, and a truly awesome playground. There are more activities next door (for an additional price), such as unearthing fossils and panning for gold, but we did not partake in those. Mystic Seaport is also very close by. You could easily make a weekend of it.

Oh wait, I take it back, there is one dinosaur that does move - an animatronic Dilophosaurus that's tucked away in a cave was added to the park recently. There's a sign outside the cave that warns that this attraction may be frightening for small children, and after going in to view it myself, my conclusion is that they need to make that sign larger! That dinosaur was crazy scary! The Dilophosaurus was featured in Jurassic Park - you remember, it's the small dinosaur that has a frill on its face which fans open when it's provoked? And it spits venom at you? Well, this guy did both of those things (presumably water was used in place of actual venom), and my blood ran cold at the sound of its screeching. The thing looked positively evil!

Anyway, aside from that, The Dinosaur Place provides non-scary family fun.