Neighborhood News: Experience your own Jurassic World in Logan Square’s ‘Dinos Alive!’
Millions of years before people walked the Earth, dinosaurs roamed the seven continents freely.
Dinosaurs existed, as the most recent theory goes, until 66 million years ago. According to several science websites, evidence suggests an asteroid impact was the reason for the eventual extinction. Volcanic eruptions that caused large-scale climate change may also have been involved, together with more gradual changes to Earth’s climate that happened over millions of years.
Dinos Alive: An Immersive Experienceat Logan Square’s Exhibition Hub Art Center Chicago, 2367 W. Logan Boulevard, open now through August 31, allows children and families to experience this ’Jurassic World’ in a thematic, immersive land that recreates the habitat and lives of over 40 specimens of dinosaurs, including the T.rex, Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Velociraptors, Parasaurolophus, Pachycephalosaurus, the Suchomimus and the Gorgosaurus.
Dinosaurs actually lived through three periods in history …the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. According to Block Club Chicago, as people encounter the scientifically accurate dinosaur models, they’re also able to learn about each one — like that a T. rex can consume up to 500 pounds of meat in one bite, a 2-ton stegosaurus has a walnut-sized brain and a velociraptor is about the size of a turkey despite its colossal portrayal in cinema. From the turkey-sized Velociraptors to the mighty T-rex, you can interact with life-sized, moving animatronics of a large variety of species, and see these magnificent creatures in their natural Jurassic habitat.
Myth-busting side note: According to the United Kingdom’s Natural History Museum website, the popular Tyrannosaurus rex (T-Rex) lived during the late Cretaceous Period, not the Jurassic Period, as has been promoted via movies and other media. The Cretaceous Period is the last period of the Mesozoic Era, which followed the Jurassic Period.
Added Attractions
Block Club Chicago also notes that, alongside the land-dwelling giants, guests can step into an underwater-like setting — or a “virtual aquarium” — to learn about the marine life that existed at the same time as dinosaurs.
It’s for Kids!
Kids can enjoy a “Budding Experts” interactive space, where they can become paleontologists and tame the most iconic dinosaurs. Block Club Chicago also notes that kids can discover dinosaurs in a fossil-digging area and color their own dinosaur to be displayed within the exhibit. Parents can also purchase a bundle access for two exhibits at the Exhibition Hub, for both ‘Dinos Alive’ + ‘Bouncy Games’, where children can “Bounce, flop, and somersault through over 10,000 square feet of giant slides and obstacle course.”
“The aim of the exhibit Is to transport visitors “back in time to the Mesozoic Era when dinosaurs ruled the planet,” John Zaller, a curator, distributor and Exhibition Hub’s executive director, told Block Club Chicago.
Dinos Alive! Is open every day but Tuesday. On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, they are open 9am-6pm, Friday 9am–7pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 8:30am–6pm. For tickets and more information, click here.
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
