I had read that they had a capacity of 1500 for the event and over 4,000 people had expressed interest on Facebook. Being the Type-A, hyper-organized personality that I am, I planned to arrive at 11:30 to ensure we would get in. As it turned out, my hyper-organization paid-off; we were able to ensure wristbands for ourselves and our friends and to take our time and enjoy the full length of the event.
We waited in line for well over an hour but we honestly didn't feel it much as our three year old busied herself with exploring in the foliage, twisting the rope excess on the trees, collecting sticks, going on a mini hike with her Papi, and you know, being a kid. Our baby was perfectly content as well with her bottle and observing the big kids running around excitedly.
I will add that it helped that Rocky T-Rex walked right by us as we awaited the park to open!
It should be noted that Dino Days is very much modeled after the Jurassic Park franchise and to look and feel like the movie environment; complete with animatronic dinosaurs, loud roars, Jurassic Park soundtrack, and Jurassic Park movie props (jeeps, lab-coated paleontologists, and other Jurassic Park personnel). It is a great experience for dinosaur lovers young and young-at-heart!
Our first stop was a family photo op with a peek-a-boo T-Rex as soon as we crossed the gates:
Within the first few minutes we had seen a Brachiosaurus, a Dilophosaurus, the incubator and nursery!
Of course our junior paleontologists could not pass up the chance to make ground-breaking fossil discoveries at the dino dig:
Given the small size of the park, I was thoroughly impressed of how much there was to do:
Dino themed Games (with fun prizes!), a 40's radio-style show, photo ops with Rocky T-Rex, a food truck and Kona Ice truck, and much more!
Each one of these kiddos eventually won the "golden duck" and won a dino plush toy!
(by the end of the day our munchkin walked left Dino Days with 4 game prize dinos and one Jurassic World Dino from the Instagram photo prize!)
The photo with Rocky T-Rex that won us the Jurassic World Dino
Our favorite attraction by far was the Reptile Zoo, though. The kiddos had a blast!
A photo petting an alligator is more fun with friends! Gavi and I are not pictured; (They had complete control of the alligator, however, this protective momma thought it best to keep the stroller at a safe distance; besides, who was going to take the photo? hehe)
We had an incredible time and at $5 a wristband for 4 hours of fun and $1 game tickets it's well worth it! I highly recommend you bookmark this awesome event for next year.
You bet we'll be there! Big thanks to the City of Lake Forest and all the staff at Dino Days, Dino Encounters, and the Reptile Zoo for putting it all together!
