Over the weekend, we went with our neighbors and their kiddos to Jurassic Quest, which according to their website, is the “largest and most realistic traveling dinosaur experience in North America.” We purchased our tickets in advance so we could take advantage of their time in Tampa, and these dinosaur-loving toddlers were thrilled to have the chance to run around the fairgrounds. Tyler and I were a little less impressed.
We thought about it, and the reason for that is because we went to Dinosaur World earlier this year, and we thought it was great. Located less than 20 minutes from the fairgrounds where Jurassic Quest is currently set up (open here from July 21-30, 2023), it felt to us like the better option – but that may not always be the case. If you’re debating between a visit to Jurassic Quest or Dinosaur World, this is what you should evaluate:
Indoors vs Outdoors
Jurassic Quest events are usually held indoors, which was the case when we attended at the fairgrounds – everything was inside. Their FAQ notes that “in some cases, there may be activities or exhibits set up outside the venue for your family to best enjoy.” We definitely appreciated having air conditioning during these hot Florida summers.
Dinosaur World, on the other hand, is predominantly outdoors, with only small sections of the park inside. This gives them a lot more space, but it will definitely be much more impacted by the weather.
Dinosaurs vs Activities
We were so impressed by the sheer amount of dinosaurs at Dinosaur World – per their website, the Plant City location has “hundreds of life-sized dinosaurs in a natural setting.” Our son really loved the “dinosaur statues,” and he continues to talk about them. They offer some moving dinosaurs inside an exhibit, but the focus is definitely on the dinosaurs around the park. Their activities are more limited, though the playground was solid.
At Jurassic Quest, they had way fewer dinosaurs – I would estimate about twenty of them – because their focus seems to be much more around the activities and rides that they offer. For our 2.5 year old, this is not a huge selling feature because moving dinosaurs are still pretty scary (he briefly sat on one before demanding to be removed), and he isn’t a fan of inflatables. We had paid for him to have an “unlimited” ticket so he could access all of the activities, but he really only took advantage of the jeep ride and the fossil dig. He was able to play on their playground without an upgraded ticket. Depending on your kid, it may make sense not to upgrade their ticket… or look at other options.
Ticket Price
Now, as I’d mentioned in my blog post about Dinosaur World, we got a great deal on our tickets because of the reciprocal relationship they have with the Florida Aquarium – just $20 for the three of us. At full price, it would be $40 for us to visit.
On the flip side, for the three of us to attend Jurassic Quest, with a 10% discount (we used code RAPTOR), it was $90 – eek! Fortunately, both venues allowed us to bring in outside food to avoid that as an added expense, but we did not feel like Jurassic Quest was worth ~4 visits to Dinosaur World.
Availability and Convenience
Since Jurassic Quest is a traveling show, you can find it all over North America at different times. Their upcoming locations include Rapid City, South Dakota; Portland, Maine; Wenatchee, Washington; and Daytona Beach, Florida.
Dinosaur World currently only offers three permanent locations in Plant City, Florida; Cave City, Kentucky; and Glen Rose, Texas. Depending on your situation, it may be much more convenient for you to visit Jurassic Quest than Dinosaur World, but we do love that Dinosaur World is there for us to visit year-round.
For us, the answer is easy: Dinosaur World is a much better fit for us at this time. If our kiddo was older and more interested in rides or if we were to move further away from Dinosaur World, that could definitely change. It’s important to evaluate the two based on your needs and see what works best!