Dinosaurs roam fairgrounds over weekend

Jurassic Quest – Out of Extinction, awarded the #1 Dinosaur Show in North America, took place at the Miller-Murphy-Howard building at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter from Friday, July 13th to Sunday, July 15th. The doors to the event opened at 3:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon and 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and closed at 8:00 p.m. each night. Jurassic Quest travels across the country and will be held simultaneously in Hickory, North Carolina and Fort Myers, Florida next, from July 20 – 22.

From the parking lot, one could already see the crowds of people and herds of enormous, life-like dinosaurs lining the outside of the Miller-Murphy-Howard building. Both indoors and out, Jurassic Quest was filled with fun and educational exhibits and activities for the entire family. Needless to say, the unique photographic opportunities were practically limitless, but the opportunities to learn were also abounding.

Informative facts and details about the dinosaurs and different time periods were displayed throughout the entire exhibit and guided educational exhibit tours were also available. Children could even take quizzes on what they had learned. The halls outside the main room were lined with a variety of different tables and booths ranging from mini excavation sites where you could unearth fossils and science stations that allowed you to create your very own plaster fossils, to a large display of actual dinosaur fossils, teeth, bones, and more. There were also dinosaur crafts, face-painting, candy art, and coloring stations, along with a green screen photo set, inflatable Dino Bounces, bungee pulls, mazes, and slides, wheeled mini dinosaurs tiny tots could ride, and huge 24-foot tall animatronic dinosaurs fit with saddles for the older children. “Walking” dinosaur balloons, toys, games, books, and other products and memorabilia were available for purchase in the gift shop section.

According to show manager, Dustin Baker, Jurassic Quest has already been held in Atlanta, but this was its first time in Perry. The event began several years ago in Spring, Texas, and with over 100 true to life size dinosaurs, it has nearly tripled in size from its conception. Baker explained that what makes this event unique is its size, realism, and educational value. Jurassic Quest is the only event of its kind that contains dinosaurs that are faithful representations of their species in size and detail; it is the only exhibit that houses full-size animatronic dinosaurs. It is also the only event in America where one can find life-like animatronic baby dinosaurs. Along with petting the playful dinosaur babies and admiring the towering Tyrannosaurus Rex and other gigantic species, you could also experience walking adolescent dinosaurs that roamed around the event as well, each with its own distinct “personality.”

When asked why one should visit Jurassic Quest, Baker replied, “It’s fun for the whole family, and it mixes entertainment with education, so you don’t have to feel guilty because you will learn something while you’re here.”