Expedition: Dinosaur opens Friday at Exploration Place

WICHITA, Kansas — Exploration Place is turning back the clock to the Cretaceous Period 66 million years ago with Expedition: Dinosaur, an exhibit that will run Jan. 20 – May 7. Visitors will walk among jaw-dropping, life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, including the fearsome T-rex, the majestic Torosaurus and the heavily armored Ankylosaurus.

“This is our first big dinosaur exhibit since 2016,” said Adam Smith, Exploration Place’s president and CEO. “People of all ages are captivated by dinosaurs, and I think we all know some kids who can impress us with their prehistoric knowledge.”

As part of the experience, guests can unleash their inner artist with Sketch-a-saurus, where they can see their own dinosaur creation come alive on a giant projection display.

Visitors can stand face to face with life-sized dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals, have their picture taken in the jaws of a T-Rex and experience a simulation of the asteroid strike that ended the dinosaur era. Young paleontologists can hone their skills by extracting dinosaur bones from a fossil dig pit and study fossils that are as old as 300 million years.

Exploration Place has also created a new live science show to complement the exhibit, called Dinosaur Encounter. Guests will meet Jesse, a 7-foot-tall Dilophosaurus that roamed the Earth 193 million years ago, and help his wrangler conduct a dinosaur training session in a hilarious and insightful show (run time 20 – 30 minutes).

Admission to Expedition: Dinosaur is free for members and included in the price of general admission. The Dinosaur Encounter live science show is free for Exploration Place members and otherwise $5 per person ($4 for youth and seniors and free for ages 2 and under).
Expedition: Dinosaur was created by Stage Nine Exhibits and is distributed by Exhibits Development Group.

# # #

About Exploration Place
The mission of Exploration Place, Kansas’ premier science center, is to inspire a deeper interest in science and technology through creative and fun experiences for all. Exploration Place is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and through 8 p.m. on Thursday evenings. For more information or advance reservations, visit exploration.org.