Travel back in time to visit T.Rex and friends at Dinos Alive! in Raleigh
A walk-through, family-friendly roar-fest in Raleigh will delight your amateur paleontologist.
Posted — UpdatedThe same organizers who brought the recent "Art of the Brick" LEGO show and 2022's Van Gogh have turned their attention to the prehistoric past with a walk-through, family-friendly roar-fest that will delight your amateur paleontologist.
WRAL got a sneak peek of the touring show to help you decide how to enjoy it with your brood.
Dinosaur lovers of all ages can enjoy a trip through this "immersive experience," which is largely just walking through multiple rooms to see – up close –dozens of animatronic dinosaurs. I didn't count, but the promotional material says they have 80+ dinos.
You enter past a green screen, and there are various photo ops.
Each room resembles a museum exhibit, with several dinosaurs, each with a description.
You'll start small with compsognathi at a watering hole. These dinos were the size of a large chicken and were close enough for toddlers to touch.
Head through the curtain for the next vignette, and things get bigger and louder.
The rooms are spacious, and the aisles are wide. You can take your time, stopping where you like – each dinosaur is a photo and video waiting to happen – and even retrace your steps to re-visit a favorite. There is no limit to the time you can spend inside. Organizers recommend 90 minutes.
You will see meat-eaters and plant-eaters, long-necked sauropods and plenty of teeth.
Most of the dinosaurs throughout the exhibit move or roar (or both), so little ones who startle easily might get a fright. The lights are low and transition from tones of red to blues. Use your judgment about visiting if you are sensitive to strong and changing light or audio.
The dinosaurs grow bigger as your progress along the tour, and the true star is, of course, T. Rex. You'll hear him as you round a corner and see him tower over a team of velociraptors.
Even if you've been to other animatronic dinosaur events, this is one worth doing. Dinos Alive differs in two ways:
A 360-degree, projected prehistoric ocean
The aquarium is an empty room with video projected onto the walls. From floor to ceiling you'll see realistic video of the living organisms – animal and plant – that lived under the prehistoric seas.
The experience is that of standing in the middle of a huge fishbowl. It is quiet, calming and the most immersive of the entire experience. You will want to stop and spend some time in the aquarium.
Take a VR ride towards a volcano
The VIP ticket includes virtual reality, and those with general admission tickets can add it on.
While you won't doubt you are watching something computer-generated, it does offer an immersive way to see many dinosaur species in a "natural" habitat. You'll ride a triceratops then a pteradactyl through a jungle and past a waterfront scene. Look ahead for the active volcano, and down to the ground at the predators in action.
If you are accustomed to Oculus or play VR games, you may not be super-impressed with this. The image was visibly pixelated and could be jerky. Still, it offers a full picture – up, down, all around – of various species eating, walking and even fighting. The "ride" lasts about 8 minutes.
Tickets, times for Dinos Alive in Raleigh
There is a "Family Bundle" deal available for 1 or 2 adults and any number of accompanying kids for $20.90 each. There are additional group and VIP options.
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