All Around Town: Jurassic Forest

Hello All-
I wanted to keep my travel posts for Fridays, but we went to a new place this weekend that I had to share as soon as possible.  Tucked away about 15 minutes away from the northern edge of Edmonton is a town called Gibbons.  Located in Gibbons is one of the coolest attractions I have been to in a while, Jurassic Forest.

Hubby heard about this place from a co-worker and we knew that we needed to check it out.  Hannah has been telling us for quite some time that she wants to be a paleontologist when she grows up, so this was a perfect fit.  Jurassic Forest is a collection of moving, roaring dinosaurs housed within a nature facility.  You walk along beautiful boardwalks to view the dinosaurs, while also learning about various bugs, animals, and plants. 

For children who scare easily, I wouldn't suggest visiting.  The dinosaurs are quite realistic.  Even Hannah had to warm up to them a bit, and she saw similar robotic dinos at the Calgary Zoo a few years back.  However, if your child likes dinosaurs and wants to feel like they've stepped back in time, it is worth the trip out!

Once your walk is done, they also have a giant sandbox that has buried bones that kids can dig for and they can climb over the various skeletons.  We found their gift shop to be small, but very reasonably priced.  We made the most of some end of the season markdowns and we stocked up on lots of dino goodies!

I can't say that I would buy a membership to this facility, as it is a hike from our house, and I don't know how many times we'd visit in a year, but I know we'll be back next season for sure!

(Note: The park is scheduled to close on October 23, 2011 for the season, so be sure to check them out before then!!)

Happy Exploring!
Sharon