This past weekend we took our 7 children (ages 1-13) to check out Jurassic Quest. It was our first time attending and now I wanted to share my honest review of the experience with you.
What Is Jurassic Quest?
Jurassic Quest is an experience event that travels throughout the US, setting up a huge dinosaur experience for kids to enjoy. Jurassic Quest events are open for 3 days (Friday-Sunday) before packing up and heading to a new city.
We attended Jurrasic Quest at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia.
Activities at Jurassic Quest
Some of the activities available to children while attending are:
- Realistic, life-size, animatronic dinosaurs
- Dinosaur-themed inflatables
- Dig for fossils
- Ride life-sized, mechanical dinosaurs
- Take part in a dinosaur training exercise
- Pet a baby dinosaur
- Dinosaur crafts
- Green screen photos (extra charge)
- Face painting
- And MORE
What the Online Reviews Say
Jurassic Quest agreed to send me tickets for our family to check it out so I could write this post. After telling my kids the exciting news I started to look at more info about this event online and the reviews.
To be honest, what I saw had me concerned. There were multiple reviews saying that the event wasn’t worth the cost, the animatronics were not in good shape, the show was not as big as it once was, ect.
Of course, there were other reviews talking about how much the family enjoyed the show. It was a toss-up!
I had already told my kids though and they certainly wanted to go, so I decided we would go with an open mind and check it out ourselves.
Our Family’s Experience at Jurassic Quest
We went to Jurassic Quest on a Friday, arriving around 11:45am. I was happy to see that it wasn’t overly busy.
When you first walk through the Jurassic Quest gates you’ll be greeted by Jurassic Quest’s many animatronics. We walked through those for a few minutes and then decided to try some of the activities, figuring it would get busier as the day went on.
My kids tried out just about every activity Jurassic Quest offered. They rode the dinosaurs, jumped in the inflatables, dug for fossils, and even watched the dinosaur trainer performance.
For sure, their favorite activity was one that actually, many people and children seemed to just pass by. It was a special area where you were timed to see how fast you could run. It wasn’t large (maybe an 8-yard dash, give or take a yard or two) but my kids LOVED it!
They ran it over and over and over again, always wanting to beat their best high score. My son Jacob’s was best, in the 1.3 second range. He was so proud!
I expected the event to be packed by the time we left, close to 3pm, but it wasn’t too busy at all. The crowd had increased slightly but it was barley noticeable.
The Things We Liked About the Jurassic Quest Experience
There was a large variety of activities for my kids to participate in. The employees were all kind and helpful.
The gentlemen who was in charge of manning the running activity was so friendly to my kids, despite the fact that they ran it over and over and over again. He seemed interested right along with them to see if they could beat their fastest speed.
The event was clean and I even noted that at the inflatables the employees had sanitizing spray they were using periodically.
The Things We Didn’t Like About the Jurassic Quest Experience
As some of the online reviews noted, I did see that some of the animatronics were either damaged on the surface or no longer moving at all. If that’s your biggest draw for attending, I could see where that would be a big disappointment.
Although my kids enjoyed the animatronics, they did not make any mention of the broken, damaged ones. So, if it wasn’t noticed by my kids (or didn’t bother them at least) then there’s a good chance it won’t affect the experience for your kids either.
Everything else appeared to be in good, working order.
I spoke with another mom who has been attending this event at this location for over 10 years. She said it has gotten smaller as the years have gone by (as some of the reviews had noted). If you have gone in years past, this may be your experience as well.
For us, since it was our first time ever, it didn’t feel small at all.
My Tips for Your Trip
We went on a Friday during the day and it wasn’t busy at all. I know two other families that went on a Sunday and heard that the event wasn’t too busy that day either.
Sunday was also a big football day (NFC and AFC Championship games) so that could have affected the Sunday crowd. It’s hard to say for sure.
Regardless, I would suggest planning your visit for one of those days if you can.
You can take a stroller and I would recommend that if you have little ones. My three-year-old was intimidated at times by the large dinosaurs. He was happy to ride in the stroller but if we hadn’t had that I think he might have been clinging to our legs or wanting held.
They are digital payments only. Purchase your tickets online ahead of time and bring a credit card if you want to purchase items from their gift store.
Eat before you enter to event. As I mentioned above, my kids were having such a great time, we would have stayed longer if everyone wasn’t so hungry. I believe we could have re-entered but we were trying to beat rush hour traffic at that point so headed home.
Last Overall Thoughts on Jurassic Experience
We went a week ago to this event and my kids are still talking about it. Two of them even came up to me today, a week later, to ask when we could go again. I’d call that a success!
Is it an event my husband and I would go to together, just the two of us? No. It’s definitely an event designed for kids and not really adults. But it’s definitely something I’d take my kids to again!
My kids had a fabulous time and that’s really what matters! We’ll be planning to go again next time it’s here!
Visit the Jurassic Quest website to find out when it will be coming to your area. They update upcoming shows weekly. Use the coupon code Quest15 to save 15% on your visit!
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The stroller shown in this post is my Joovy Qool. I love that stroller for events like this! If you are looking for more fun experiences to do with your kids, make sure you take them to Great Wolf Lodge and, if you are local to the DC area, check out the Massanutten Water Park.
Maria Egan
Monday 5th of February 2024
It seems like it was worth the trip despite some animatronics not working as well as they should. It is helpful to have thorough reviews with helpful hints to know the pros and cons.