Dinosaur World — Attraction in Plant City

Okay, so, I went into this theme park with mixed expectations, because some of the reviews mention how you gotta bring young kids, older kids would be bored, there’s not much to do, etc, you know.

I brought a pair of twelve year old girls, one of whom LOVES dinosaurs, but wasn’t expecting a whole lot.

We were laughing before we even got into the building, at the derpy little dinosaur strollers available for rent. You walk into the gift shop, which was huge! Ticketing was easy, and the young cashier who helped us was amazing.

Enter Dinosaur World. There’s a playground right inside the doors that our girls immediately jumped on, it’s well equipped, well maintained, and fun, even for tweens, with plenty of seating for less-than-excitable parents.

As we started wandering, we were impressed by the sheet size of the place. We doubled back and forth, took hidden paths, crossed bridges and rivers, and weren’t even sure we saw it all. The place is sprawling, gorgeous, and has a lush rainforest feel that felt truly tropical.

The dinosaurs were crazy looking. The size was incredible, but their faces were laughably comical, but in the most endearing way, and we giggled all the way through. I feel some of the reviewers are very wrong—I think toddlers and youngins may get bored quickly, because you actually have to really love dinosaurs and want to learn about them for this to have payoff, which feels like more of an older kid thing. and there really isn’t a lot to -DO- but I think that’s the point. It’s educational, more of a zoo, but not so much an interactive playground, which is great.

We got to see a paleontologist in person who we could tell really knew her stuff and had a passion for the field. We were able to ask a bunch of questions, and learn a lot too.

This was really quite fun, we got to giggle at the silly but super educational dinosaurs, and we got to see my daughter light up at all her favorite dinos.

My only real complaint is that there are TWO WHOLE WALLS of hilarious, hand drawn posters illustrating possible dinosaur extinction theories in the museum, and not ONE of them is for sale on a tshirt.

Missed opportunity, Dino World. I’d have bought all of them.

As mentioned, we were checked out by a lovely young brunette who was cheerful and lovely and wonderful. Truly a delight. Everyone else acted like they’d spent the day smelling poopy diapers, which —to be fair— they had. The gift shop smelled like poopy diapers. Really bad. That’s not Dinosaur World’s fault though.

But we had a great time. Five stars. Would (and...

Don’t Fall for the Upgrade Scam (March 20). And go to Dinos Unearthed at ZooTampa instead. Way better!!!

Our experience at the end of this otherwise cool place (with employees ranging from subpar to terrible) ruined our visit and left my daughter repeatedly asking “why can’t I ride the train?”, much like awful service at a restaurant with otherwise good food.

This place is nothing short of a con. They pushed an “upgrade” package with zero transparency, conveniently omitting the fact that the main attraction—the train ride—can shut down at any moment without notice. No warning. No signage. No shame. And where’s the train? Tucked away at the farthest corner of the park so you only discover the scam after they’ve already pocketed your money.

When we arrived to the train stop, we were greeted by a sour, bitter old man who curtly barked that the train was closed—completely unmoved by the heartbreak on my 5-year-old daughter’s face. He was cold, abrasive, and downright hostile. Frankly, someone that devoid of empathy should be nowhere near a family attraction—let alone children.

I asked to speak with a manager, hoping for some level of accountability. Instead, I got a red-faced, deer-in-headlights kid named Arriana reciting a robotic, pre-packaged apology like she was reading off a teleprompter. Clearly, they’ve had this conversation a lot. Their insult of a solution? A laughable $15 store credit, which probably costs them less than a souvenir keychain. That’s not customer service—that’s damage control wrapped in corporate indifference.

This place doesn’t care about families, doesn’t care about your experience, and certainly doesn’t care about your kids. It’s a business built on bait-and-switch tactics, condescending staff, and pathetic excuses.

Skip the upgrade and save your money and your time. Or take your kids somewhere that doesn’t treat disappointed children and ripped-off parents like just another line item on their refund script (we had a great experience at Glasier and the Florida Aquarium, where the staff genuinely loves making...

Update:

We have now been back multiple times and have loved each visit. This last visit was remarkably exceptional since we met two paleontologists in the exploration cave at the back of the park.

Scott told us about bew dinosaur subspecies that have been discovered in Mongolia and taught us about an online course we can do with our children.

The other Paleontologist, whose name I did not get (and should have since she was very knowledgeable and friendly), shared with us fascinating information about Megaladon sharks and other Dinosaur facts... did you know that Herbivore eggs look completely different from Carnivore eggs??? We were allowed to see a Valasoraptore skull and touch over 95 million year old dinosaur teeth that still have a serated edge after all these years - WOW!!!

It is because of experiences like these, with experts who work at Dinosaur Eorld that we will make the hours long drive to keep coming back to visit time and time again!!!

Origonal post: We are so glad we went to Dinosaur World today!!! The entire park is a toddler's dream play yard. There was a fantastic childrens playground area for small kids, and a larger one for older kids. Plenty of places to have a picnic where you can bring in your own food and drinks.

The dinosaur exhibits are so much fun to look at, and the museum was interesting and educational to walk through.

If you don't mind getting a bit dirty, the sandpit "fossil dig" is a must-see and play area! The entire sandbox has one large dino fossil for kids to uncover by using paintbrushes to gently brush the sand away.

They have a 7000 square foot gift shop with almost every Dino type toy imaginable. Their prices are very reasonable for both gift shop items and for entrance into the park.

This is our second time going and our first time bringing our children (now that they are old enough to enjoy it. We will 100% be back to visit again...