(Photo by Adam & Claudia Photography)
Discovery Cube Orange County brings back its popular dinosaur exhibit bigger and better than ever.
A dinosaur dig. A flying reptile called the Quetzalcoatlus. And a Dino Tracker.
Your kids will feel like paleontologists on a real-life dinosaur excavation, but they’ll actually be at Discovery Cube Orange County’s newly transformed Dino Quest, which opened to the public May 25.
“With so much to explore, we can’t wait to welcome back our paleontologists-in-training to Dino Quest this summer,” said Joe Adams, CEO of Discovery Cube. “This project is $6 million and five years in the making, and it’s pretty spectacular!”
Dino Quest first opened during the summer of 2006. It launched as a permanent exhibit that has been a family favorite at Discovery Cube for the past 18 years. The new Dino Quest will remain a permanent exhibit at Discovery Cube Orange County, teaching visitors of all ages about earth and life sciences with hands-on learning.
The new Dino Quest experience is bigger, bolder and more exciting than ever. Guests are invited to take a journey through prehistoric times by participating in a brand-new, hand-held interactive adventure that transforms young visitors into an expert paleontologist.
They can explore a Dig Pit to unearth a replica T-rex fossil, explore new life-sized, fully articulated dinosaur skeletons and witness the star of the show, a 16-foot animatronic T-rex.
“The exhibit also features the very first Quetzalcoatlus to be on permanent display on the West Coast,” Adams said. “It is one of the most recent Cretaceous specimens discovered and was found along the US-Mexico border. And we’ll have it here on display at the Cube for all to see.”
Adams said the inspiration behind Dino Quest stems from the universal fascination with dinosaurs — creatures that captivate the imagination of both children and adults. By combining this inherent interest with interactive missions, Dino Quest transforms the learning experience into an adventure.
The Dig Excavation within Dino Quest offers visitors of all ages the chance to take part in the excavation of a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil, including using tools found in a paleontologist’s field kit. Guests can sort and report their findings just like a real paleontologist would out in the field.
There are four interactive missions that are available throughout Dino Quest or that can be played on the handheld device (checked out onsite) called a Dino Tracker. The four missions are: Dino Dig Adventure; Junior Diggers; Adapt, Survive, Thrive; and Predator and Prey.
Dino Dig Adventure lets guests unearth the secrets hidden in fossils long ago. On this mission, you will discover what paleontologists find on an expedition, including fossilized bones, eggs and footprints.
Junior Diggers lets guests train to become a dinosaur expert. Designed for younger paleontologists, this mission will take them on a journey to find a baby Triceratops, a Quetzalcoatlus and a giant T-rex.
Adapt, Survive, Thrive lets guests explore the evolutionary journey that shaped these ancient creatures. On this mission, you will explore the special features dinosaurs had to help them survive — like long necks, hollow bones and body armor.
Predator and Prey lets guests discover the strategies, adaptations and challenges faced in the struggle for survival. The mission? Survive and thrive in a world teeming with dinosaurs.
Great care was taken to build and design the dinosaurs in the exhibit with detail. Adams said a few of the dinosaur models like the animatronic T-rex were custom built to fit the exhibit. The dinosaurs in the exhibit were made to closely resemble what scientists believe they may have actually looked like in their time. The fossil replicas are re-creations of real fossils found in the wild.
He said Discovery Cube is also excited to introduce Expedition: Dinosaur at Discovery Cube Los Angeles, featuring even more hands-on learning and also open as of May 25.
“Along that journey we’ve worked with so many partners and we’re grateful for each and every one of them, including the State of California, the California Natural Resources Agency, a number of incredibly talented trades people, artists, special effects teams and paleontologists, technical advisor for the ‘Jurassic Park’ movies and Dino Quest advisor, Jack Horner,” Adams said.
Guests are invited to upgrade their admission to a membership and for a limited time receive a limited-edition membership card and dinosaur plush (offer must be redeemed onsite while supplies last). A Discovery Cube membership provides free admission to visit both Discovery Cube campuses for a full year, in addition to access several exclusive member events.
By Jessica Peralta
Leave a Reply