We’ve all read the recent research studies about dinosaurs and young children, right?
Apparently, young children who are obsessed with dinosaurs actually get an intellectual benefit from their obsession.
Now, I don’t know if there is any merit to these studies or not, but if so, I have two boys just a few brain cells shy of Einstein-level genius. “Which dinosaur is my favorite” is a frequent topic of conversation. Hint: It’s Littlefoot. Otherwise, I have very little dinosaur knowledge to contribute to my seven-year-old’s ramblings about the merits of the Spinosaurus. Truth? Didn’t even know there was such a thing.
At our house, we watch Lego Jurassic Park, Dino Dan, Dinosaur Train, and the Land Before Time series. If there’s something else on TV, someone other than my two boys has control of the remote. So when I was invited to visit Field Station: Dinosaurs south of Wichita, I said, “YES PLEASE.” Sign me up. Because my sons will literally think I’m the best mom ever.
I was also excited because our family added a few new things to our “Summer Bucket List” this year, in the hopes that we could have a summer a little less planned and a little more unique, as compared to previous summers. Among those things: “do something new” and “take an unplanned road trip”. Technically, this could have checked off both boxes, but my daughter called that cheating. Nonetheless, we were only a few days into summer and I could already start crossing things off our Bucket List!
We have early risers, so we piled into our car around 8 am to be at the dinosaur park when it opened at 10. It was an easy day trip from the metro area, and our boys’ excitement was well worth the drive! We pulled into the parking lot, and both my sons were already trying to get out of their car seats. Think Jurassic Park, except, you know, less fatal.
The dinosaur park has a trail of over 40 life-size animatronic dinosaurs that move and make dinosaur noises (roars?). My preschooler honestly thought they were a little TOO life-like, though my husband’s comments about “hungry dinosaurs” were not remotely helpful. Along the trail, there are also tents set up like paleontologist dig sites, dinosaur nests, and signs in front of each species full of dinosaur facts! You better believe I was reliving those facts on the drive home, courtesy of my older son.
Pro tip: if you’re going from the OKC metro area, go ahead and splurge on the day pass. In addition to the dinosaur trail, the day pass allows you to access every single attraction at the park, including Jurassic mini golf, an indoor ropes course, and the fossil dig site. It also allows you to come and go from the park at your own will, which was helpful. The park does have some hot food on site, as well as concession snacks available for purchase. Our family has some picky eaters, though (myself included), so we opted to leave the park for nearby Chick-Fil-A and come back after lunch!
After lunch, we returned for a show in the amphitheater, as well as a round of mini-golf. There is actually a full schedule of shows, games, and activities going on throughout the day to keep your kiddos occupied. We didn’t check out all of them (there are too many!), but if you go, don’t miss “Dinosaur Daycare”. Trust me. Whether or not it’s meant to be entertaining, I’m not sure, but this musical show about dinosaur eggs hatching had us all laughing out loud.
Overall, our family really enjoyed our trip to Field Station: Dinosaurs, and my boys DID think I was a cool mom.
Mission accomplished.
As a mom, I have to say that the bathrooms were spacious and clean, which I appreciated. Do keep in mind that the entire park is outdoors, so check the weather before piling into your minivan from OKC. There are several cleverly-placed sun shades throughout the park, as well as a covered picnic area if you want to pack a picnic lunch or grab fast food to eat in close vicinity to dinosaurs. I did also notice signs advertising new park highlights coming this summer: a Kansas Underground exhibit and a Dinosaur Bedtime activity, so be sure to check those out too!
If you’re looking for something to amaze your dinosaur-loving kiddo, just get out of town and do something different this summer, or cross something off your summer bucket list, check out Field Station: Dinosaurs! My boys have been asking when we can go back for days now.
