Last week my husband had a few vacation days off from work. Since the weather was actually decent (it was unbearably hot and humid the week before) we thought we’d spend the day at the Bronx Zoo. The Bronx Zoo has a new Dinosaur Safari and other dinosaur related attractions going on this summer. We wanted to check them out.
We’ve been to the zoo several times over the years, so we pretty much know our way around. This time we made a bee line straight to the Dinosaur Safari ride which is located not too far from the Seals.
Here’s a tip – if you are planning on going to the Bronx Zoo and going on the Dinosaur Safari ride, go early. We got there shortly after they opened so the line was not bad. Later on in the day when we passed by the line was long.
There is an additional fee to take the Dinosaur Safari ride. I am not sure what the actual fee is. I’m a member and it cost me $4 per person. I believe if you purchase the “Total Experience” tickets from the Bronx Zoo website (www.BronxZoo.com) you get unlimited access to ALL the attractions including Dinosaur Safari, Congo Gorilla Forest, Jungle World the Butterfly Garden and a few other attractions not open to the general public (without the Total Experience passes).
Dinosaur Safari takes about 10 minutes. Guests are put on the back of a hay wagon (there are seats) and set off for a journey back in time. As you make your way down a prehistoric road (complete with prehistoric looking plants), you’ll come face-to-face with dinosaurs that move and growl (animatronics).
My son did take a video but I chose not to use it for my post. Why show you EVERYTHING on the safari. It will spoil it for you. 🙂 I will share some photos I took to give you an idea of the kinds of creatures you’ll come face-t0-face with on the Dinosaur Safari.
I will say that there is one part of the ride where something unexpected happens. It involves water and you might get wet. That is all I’ll say. 🙂
The tour guide did tell us which dinosaurs we encountered, but unfortunately I don’t remember. I was too busy looking at them and snapping pictures. I did identify the T-Rex (above).
There were a few little kids on the ride with us. Two of them got a little scared. If you have a young child who is easily frightened you might want to prep them in advance so that they know the dinosaurs are NOT real. They do move and growl (they don’t walk – they just move their heads for the most part).
When you leave the Dinosaur Safari there are a few fun dinosaur related things to see immediately when you get off the ride including REAL baby T-Rex fossils and even a place where you can have your picture taken riding on the back of a dinosaur.
You can even run your fingers along side the serrated edges of a real T-Rex tooth and control an animatronic dinosaur (as pictured above).
We also has the opportunity to check out the Ice Age 4D film. It’s only about 10 minutes long.
The movie is in 4D which means what you see on screen is in 3D (you wear the special glasses they hand out) and things happen to you physically throughout the movie such as your chair shake when a dinosaur stomps his feet, snowflakes will sprinkle down on you, bubbles fly around the room and something funky touches you behind your legs.
There were plenty of people in the theater – both young and old. From what I could tell none of the little kids were scared. The stuff touching the back of your legs did come as a big surprise.
While you are waiting they show dinosaur facts and trivia on the screen (as seen above).
We love visiting the zoo because you never know what new animals you might discover (like a super adorable baby seal) or what kind of goofy things the animals might do (like the Gorilla that was posing for the camera).
Whenever we go to the zoo we MUST take the monorail ride that is located near the Asia section of the zoo. The monorail takes visitors around to areas of the zoo you cannot see by foot and shows you some amazing animals such as elephants, Przewalski’s Horses and Rhino.
We always have a fun day at the zoo. 🙂
If you are in the New York City area, or are planning on a trip to this area soon, you might want to stop by the Bronx Zoo and check out the Dinosaur Safari and other dinosaur attractions.
For more information visit www.BronxZoo.com. You can purchased tickets online or at the gate.
You can also check out the Bronx Zoo on Facebook. You can also keep up with the latest happenings by following their Twitter page.
Have you been to the Bronx Zoo lately? Have you seen the dinosaur exhibits? What is your favorite creature found at the zoo?
Kimberly
*I received a free family membership to the Bronx Zoo in order to visit with my family and do this review. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
Rosie says
Dinosaur Safari looks very cool! Wow – that is so cheap for members, it is good to know, something worth doing! So much to do and such great quality!
Debbie Welchert says
The Bronx Zoo looks fantastic. I wish I lived close so I could take my grandchildren to the dinosaur attraction. It sounds and looks like so much fun. A great way to spend the day.
Elisabeth says
We’ve visited New York several times but have never made it to the zoo. Next time we will definitely have to go! 🙂
Sherrie C. says
That looks like so much fun! I’ve never been to New York but if and when I do visit, I plan on stopping by the Bronx Zoo, hopefully with my granddaughters. They are a little young now but when their older I’m sure they would enjoy it. Thanks for sharing these awesome pics 🙂
Sarah L says
That looks like a fun zoo to visit. We have dinosaurs NEXT to the zoo in the Museum of Nature & Science here in Denver.
Richard Hicks says
This looks so exciting and terribly educational. Wish I was near NYC!
Cathy Shaw says
Omigosh, I live just a bus ride away from the zoo and I’ll have to get over to see this. Thanks for the tip. Somehow I missed the news about this new attraction.
s riches says
I remember going to the Bronx Zoo many years ago. Looks like it has only gotten better.
Tammy S says
What an amazing exhibit. I wish we were in the area and could go and visit. Both my son and nephew would love this. They both love dinosaurs.
Kyla Ocain says
I’ve been wanting to visit the Bronx Zoo again and take my niece. She’d love this!
christina moore says
The Bronx Zoo looks fantastic. I would love to visit