ORLANDO, Fla. – It is an attraction of prehistoric proportions: Dinosaurs have taken over Leu Gardens in Orlando. The exhibition encourages visitors to learn more about the creatures that roamed the earth hundreds of millions of years ago.
Lucas Encarnacion, 3, is obsessed with dinosaurs.
“From dawn to dusk it’s all about dinosaurs. Lucas even has a dinosaur room. It’s everything,” said Nicole Encarnacion.
Lucas and his mother Nicole visited the life-size replica dinosaurs at Leu Gardens.
Spread across the 50 acres of outdoor gardens, the more than 20 structures feature everything from sharp teeth to textured bodies, round eyes and fossils.
“The keyword ‘outside’. Take him outside to see something he really likes. I brought the stroller. Not once did he ask me to get in the stroller. So for me, it’s a great way to get him to get outside and be active in something he loves,” said Nicole Encarnacion.
According to managing director Jennifer D’hollander, summer was the perfect time to host this prehistoric exhibit.
“One of the reasons we wanted to hold the dinosaur exhibition during this time is that we can really capture the families who want to come in the summer. They want to find something they enjoy. The kids can run around. There are amazing flowering plants everywhere. We have prehistoric plants that go with the dinosaur exhibit,” said D’hollander.
The creator, Guy Darrough, is a respected, accomplished fossil expert and collector who has been in the field of paleontology for over 45 years. He meticulously crafted each dinosaur to ensure authenticity, creating one of the most important dinosaur exhibits in the United States
“The dinosaurs you see are actually what he would have looked like. Everyone in the gardens is life-size and hand-painted,” said D’hollander.
At each dinosaur exhibit is a plaque with the name, facts about the animal, and the length of time the dinosaur lived on earth.
Visitors can take a map to navigate the gardens and find each dinosaur. It’s something that, according to Nicole, makes the trip an adventure.
“For me, it’s like seeing it through his eyes and I’m so excited to look through the map and find all the dinosaurs, from reading a book to stepping into real life and getting him to sort of do that seeing and going through his imagination.” “Wild” makes me happy as a mom,” said Nicole Encarnacion.
Children and adults alike can discover everything from the 12-foot Daspletosaur to the tiny flying Sordes.
“You go and turn the corner and you see another one. And it’s just so exciting because we see them on TV and in museums, but it’s not often that you actually see them in nature,” said D’hollander.
Dinosaurs at Leu Gardens will become extinct on July 30th. A general admission ticket to Leu Gardens gives you access to the dinosaur exhibits. Leu Gardens is located at 1920 N Forest Avenue in Orlando.
Adult tickets are $15, youth and children are $10, while children 3 and under are free.
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