My kids wanted to visit Dinosaur World. You’ve probably seen it on I-65 at the Cave City exit. Just after the exit you pass a life size dinosaur with a sign that reads “Dinosaur World Just Missed Us!” So we went on Monday afternoon.
You can’t miss it really, once you exit at Cave City it’s practically right in front of you. You enter through the large gift shop with just about anything dinosaur you could be looking for. They also have a large assortment of fossils, educational activities and collectible items. The toys were a big hit with my bunch.
Once in the park you can begin your adventure anywhere. We took the “Dinosaur Walk” first. With over 150 life size dinosaur models in a natural setting, we enjoyed the walk. This is a nicely paved path with a lot of shade. It has some small hills but nothing too strenuous. Each dinosaur had a plaque with its species information listed. We saw many more dinosaurs than we expected. My kids thought that was pretty neat and couldn’t believe how big some of them were. The dinosaur models are up to 80 feet in length and are built on site by employees of Dinosaur World. They are made of concrete, steel and fiberglass and are based on the latest scientific discoveries.
Kids can have some fun in the Boneyard, working to “unearth” a life size dinosaur. Essentially this is a large sand box inside a nice shelter/structure with bleachers for parents to sit and watch. Buried beneath the sand are life size dinosaur bones and small shovels and brushes are available for digging.
The museum was a nice stop at this attraction. Upon entering, you are greeted with a video welcome message about the park and a few other attractions in the area. As you walk through the museum you can see many fossils, some teeth and tusks and see an area that is set up for a paleontology dig.
Also available with your admission is the Movie cave, where you can watch an educational movie, a Fossil Dig (at scheduled times), Mammoth Gardens, a nice playground and a picnic area.
Dinosaur World (Cave City) is one of three locations; the other two are in Plant City, Florida and Glen Rose, Texas. Christer Svensson of Sweden brought this attraction to life so to speak. He and his family relocated to Florida in the 1990’s where he purchased an old alligator farm. Dinosaur World in Cave City opened June 6, 2003.
This attraction is open every day except Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day. The hours are 8:30am to sunset, Central time. Admission: Adults-$12.75, Children $9.75 (ages 3-12) and Seniors-$10.75 (age 60+). Dinosaur World is a pet friendly park, pets on leashes are free.
If you are thinking about making the trip here are some upcoming events to consider:
June – Dad’s free on Father’s Day (Dad receives free admission with a fully paid child admission)
August – Double Dino Days (when you pay full admission price in August, you get a ticket to come back any day in December except Christmas Day)
September – $1 County Admission for Kentucky Only (Saturday, September 10 - Barren and surrounding counties only of Allen, Edmonson, Hart, Metcalfe, Monroe, Warren)
October –
• Dog Month (Bring your dog and get $2 off per admission per dog and other dog specials)
• Free kids on Halloween (children ages 3-12 in costume receive free admission on Halloween day)
November –
• Grandparent’s Sundays (Grandparents receive a free admission with a fully paid child admission the first 3 Sunday's in November - one free grandparent per paid child admission)
• Free Veterans on Veterans Day (ID required)
December - Toy donation Sundays (50% off admission first 3 Sundays with new packaged toy)
Yearly – Free birthday admission for kids (with proof of birthday)
You can get additional information from the website – www.dinosaurworld.net
Photo source: Roxane Hayne
