Nation无毛视频檚 Biggest Dinosaur Experience Stomps into Pittsburgh
Courtesy of Jurassic Quest
Jurassic Quest, known as one of the nation’s most popular interactive dinosaur experiences, is making its way to Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center and will run from Feb. 9-11.
The walk-through exhibit, which launched in 2013 and spans 165 million years of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, has a reputation for delighting both young and old. According to staffer Marty Hoffman, otherwise known as Park Ranger Marty, the saying goes that there’s more distance in time between a stegosaurus and a T-Rex than there is between a T-Rex and us.
Nick Schaefer, also known as Prehistoric Nick, said that a wealth of information can be gleaned from the educational event, no matter what one’s education level. One fact that seems to intrigue most visitors is that there is fossil evidence that dinosaurs have feathers.
“They are known as quill knobs and the ones who walk on two feet can have them, and there are more of those than previously thought,” he said.
Hoffman said another interesting tidbit of information is that modern-day birds are dinosaurs.
“There are only (a few) differences between birds and non-avian dinosaurs: they don’t have claws on their wings or teeth … and they have fewer vertebrae in their tails,” he said.
Hands-on Activities
According to Schaefer, there are plenty of hands-on activities to entertain children, including an arts-and-crafts activity where they can create their own dinosaur. Visitors can also meet and interact with baby dinosaurs and ride a large one that walks in a small corral at a slow place.
“That activity is extremely popular,” said Hoffman.
“Then there’s the raptor training experience where children can issue commands for the dinosaurs to execute,” Schaefer said.
Other activities that are popular with children include a bounce house, face painting and “Rope-a-Raptor” where kids learn to lasso one of the giants. There’s also the “Raptor Run” where children can attempt to outrun a Utahraptor, which is thought to have weighed between 550 and 1,100 pounds.
Hoffman said that the Excavation Station is yet another educational event that the little ones seem to enjoy.
“They can dig in clay with a little pick to unearth fossils to experience an activity that is similar to one that a paleontologist would perform,” he said, adding that he always tells parents to encourage any child who is interested in dinosaurs.
“It will help them in school later,” he said.
Hoffman asserts that authenticity is of great importance when it comes to the Jurassic Quest’s herd of animatronic dinos — from the largest predators to playful babies.
“They are displayed in realistic scenes with some that move and roar, allowing guests to experience them as they were when they roamed the Earth millions of years ago,” said Hoffman.
He adds that Jurassic Quest works in collaboration with leading paleontologists to ensure that each dinosaur is painstakingly replicated in every detail from coloration to teeth size, textured skin, fur, or feathers, drawing on the latest research about how dinosaurs looked and moved.
Both Hoffman and Schaefer said that they get as much fun out of the exhibit as the kids and parents who bring them.
“I’m living my best 8-year-old life. Having been a fan of dinosaurs ever since I was a little kid, it just never changed and it’s neat watching the parents getting excited as well,” Hoffman said.
If you go:
Event: Jurassic Quest
Admission: Tickets available online at Pittsburgh, Pa. | David L. Lawrence Convention Center — Jurassic Quest.
Where: David Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd. Pittsburgh
When: Friday, Feb. 9, noon to 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 10, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 11, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.