This weekend, walk far—really far—back through time as the Dino Stroll makes a stop at Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, Illinois.
The indoor interactive exhibit lets visitors walk through the Mesozoic Era and get up close and personal with life-size dinosaur models. There are educational plaques on hand to give some context for the T-rexes, velociraptors, stegosauruses, and more—but really, it’s the size and scale of the models that are worth taking in. More than 75 dinosaurs are on hand, and most of them are fully animatronic: moving, making noises, blinking, breathing, and more.
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Lest any Gen X parents hear the word “animatronic” and start having flashbacks to birthday parties of yore, rest assured that the Dino Stroll scarcely resemble anything from decades ago. These animatronics are sophisticated, expensive, and realistic. The artisans building the dinosaurs are “true craftsmen,” says Matt Flynn, event producer for Michigan-based CV Events. “It takes us every bit of two days to set up.”
Given that these are enormous alpha predators, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that a kid or two might get scared at the beginning, though. “We have three baby dinosaurs that are like puppets that will start to break the ice to kids who are a little scared,” says Flynn. “Overall, they love it.”
It’s certainly a kid-focused event, but don’t let that keep you away if you’re an adult dino-geek. “We get all walks of life,” Flynn says. And all generations tend to be gobsmacked by the thunder lizards. “The allure of these dinosaurs, when you look at them and take a step back…”
Timed tickets are available for purchase online for $24.99 each (free for kids under 2 and military personnel and veterans). Entry is every half hour from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Sunday. For an extra fee, visitors can also check out a dinosaur-themed bounce house or even ride one of the big fellas.
And if that’s not enough dinosaurs for you, check out the Saint Louis Zoo’s Dinoroarus exhibit (through October 31) or the Dinosaur Train special exhibit at The Magic House (through September 6).
