Jurassic Quest in Grand Junction, CO This Weekend

Having a 5 year old son whose love of dinosaurs is just starting to fully blossom, hearing that Jurassic Quest was heading to Grand Junction, Colorado, on the weekend of September 11-13th definitely caught our attention.  We had a chance to check it out today, and I wanted to give you some scoop on what your family can expect if you head down to the Mesa County Fairgrounds for this venue.

Jurassic Quest ~ Admission Options

First, Jurassic Quest isn’t cheap.  If you go, I do recommend that you go ahead and purchase the “Kids VIP” pass for $22, which will include the extras like access to the bump and jumps, riding the mini animatronic dinosaurs, mini jeep rides, and fossil digs.

Other than just walking through and looking at the large animatronic dinosaur display, which granted is the highlight, I’m not sure what else they *can* do, if they don’t have the VIP pass.  I think a kid would feel pretty left out.  VIP gets you a wrist band to wear, which Jurassic Quest staff checks for entry into the various attractions, including the bump and jump area.

Jurassic Quest ~ Rides

As near as I could tell, other than the bump and jump area there were two “rides” available at Jurassic Quest.  There were moderate lines for riding a row of 5 animatronic mini-dinosaurs.  Kids can select which line to join, depending on the dinosaur type they’d like to ride.  The dinosaurs actually stay in one place, are wearing a saddle (with a safety belt), and have varying levels of movement.  They are pretty mild, but a unique and cute attraction that the kids seemed to get a kick out of.

The other ride was a small fenced off area where they let kids drive some battery powered jeeps.  For some reason, my kids really loved this… they even let my 10 year old daughter and her 12 year old friend drive one.  So I guess this one will work for a decent range of ages.

 

Jurassic Quest ~ Food & Other Attractions

If you’re hungry, there are a few food vending choices on hand.  Although we didn’t eat there, the Navajo Taco stand smelled pretty good and seemed to have decent prices.  Otherwise, you’ll find snack type foods – such as cotton candy, kettle corn, and an ice cream truck.

There’s not a lot of shade, and it’s supposed to be a beautiful but warm, sunny Colorado weekend… so stay hydrated. We brought in a couple of bottles of our own water, and no one seemed to mind.  Bottled water was available for sale for just $1 per bottle.

You’ll find other areas set up for entertainment and activities, too.  We saw some kids with pretty impressive dino-themed face paint.  And there’s a gift shop to grab some souvenirs before you leave, if you so desire.

Jurassic Quest ~ The Dinosaurs!

The highlight of Jurassic Quest is certainly the dinosaur exhibit.  Though this is a traveling display, and obviously needs to be repeatedly and quickly assembled, then disassembled to move on… over, and over again… they’ve tried to add some ambiance with a little foliage.  One section even sported a mini waterfall and occasional burst of smog.  Jurassic-ey!

Many are animatronic, with occasional movements and even some grunts and growls adding a little excitement.

There are a few hands-on exhibits for kids, which is always a good idea.  They can dig for dinosaur bones in these raised box dino dig areas.

And each child can have one fossil dig kit with their VIP band access.

Jurassic Quest ~ Is It Worth It?

As I mentioned at the outset, Jurassic Quest isn’t cheap.  It does have a mildly disappointing slightly worn, traveling carnival feel to it.   I do think it’s a little overpriced for what the event ends up delivering.  To give you an idea, it’s about 2 hours of entertainment… maybe 3 at the most.

That being said, they have tried to put a lot into the subsidiary activities, and the families there did seem to be enjoying themselves.   My kids ages 5 & 10 both thought it was very fun.   And it’s a unique experience that’s obviously not typically available in our community.  So if you’ve got a young dinosaur lover in your house… you should probably check out Jurassic Quest this weekend in Grand Junction!

Check out the website for hours and details, along with other upcoming show locations and dates.

 

*o*     *o*     *o*

I received complementary passes for my family to attend Jurassic Quest, in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.