Do you have a healthy dose of curiosity when it comes to dinosaurs? Can you recite Jurassic Park in your sleep? Do you love nature? Then Dinosaur Park in Cedar Creek, Texas is for you.
There you’ll find life-sized replicas of dinosaurs, ranging from the two foot long Compsognathus to the 55 foot long Spinosaurus. You’ll be glad you made the 25-minute drive toward Bastrop from Austin. Here are a few reasons why you’ll have a ball with the dinos at Dinosaur Park.
1/ Nostalgia
This Jeep is one of the first nostalgic pieces you’ll feast your eyes on at Dinosaur Park. It’s almost as though it’s beckoning you to jump in and go for a joy ride with the cast of Jurassic Park. It sparks the dinosaur super fan in you, whether you’re a paleontologist, college student or nine-year-old kid. As the old saying goes, “Hold on to your butts!”
2/ The Dinos
I’d be willing to bet everyone already knows at least two facts about the T-Rex. The knowledgable people at Dinosaur Park provide a panel of interesting tidbits about various dinosaurs at each stop. To keep you on your toes, they sneak in the extremely small dinosaurs when you aren’t expecting it (hint: look for the footprint).
In addition to providing a scavenger hunt for kids, Dinosaur Park makes adults feel like explorers themselves. I could spend hours walking, reading and imagining what it was like when these massive creatures roamed the earth.
3/ Nature Trails
Nature trail at Dinosaur Park
The best part about looking at these dinosaur replicas is the ability to do it outdoors. I’m a huge fan of Dinosaur Park’s trails, especially because they are lined with local plants, trees and vines. Some of the plants are labeled with a bit of background information.
4/ Events
Dinosaur Park loves to open their doors for school field trips. There’s plenty of space for kids to play and picnic. If you’re a teacher who wants to organize a field trip, there are a number of things Dinosaur Park asks you to keep in mind for a successful visit:
- They have only three restrooms on site, so groups are highly encouraged to send each student to the restrooms before departing the school.
- For groups who wish to stop at a public park with a large playground, picnic pavilion and bathroom facilities before or after the field trip, Southeast Metropolitan Park is a great place on Highway 71 between Austin and Cedar Creek.
- Wear comfortable walking shoes (avoid sandals).
- Packing only water (no juice or sodas) to avoid attracting bees.
- Wear sunscreen, a hat, and insect repellent.
- Each child should bring two bottles of water with their name on it.
- During hot days, bring extra drinking water and plan for a 10-minute cool-down period prior to your group’s departure.
5/ Dinosaur Park Is Fun
A visit to Dinosaur Park is just good, clean fun. I don’t care who you are–you’ll have a great time AND you might just learn something. For instance, did you know the dinosaur with the longest name is called Micropachychycephalosaurus? It translates to “tiny thick-headed lizard.” You’ll even learn about fossil discoveries here in Texas. Pretty neat, eh?
So grab your hat, lace up those shoes, fill your water bottle and visit your giant, scaly friends at Dinosaur Park!
893 Union Chapel Road, Cedar Creek, TX – Website
@theAustinot wants to know:
What’s your favorite dinosaur?
***
We always have unique content on the Austinot, and we love to give things away. You know, like CDs, event tickets and other cool stuff. We only send out our Best of the Austinot newsletter two times/month. It’s where we give you a recap of our best articles and give stuff away. Interested? Subscribe to Best of the Austinot here!
