Dinosaur World

Friday, July 31, 2009

Free dinosaur world tickets!

IT'S DOUBLE DINO DAYS!
Come visit Dinosaur World in August and receive a free ticket to come back any day in December! That's one free ticket for every ticket purchased! WOW!
(only valid in Kentucky and Florida location - and we're only closed on Christmas Day)

Thursday, July 30, 2009

My little dino!

I couldn't help but post a picture of my little dino! He says at least once a week, "Mom, I have a great idea. Let's go to Dinosaur World!" I finally took my camera with me. I get lots of photos while officially on the clock. But this time, I took lots of photos of him. So, what are you waiting on? Bring your little dinos out to visit!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Before school

It's almost back to school time! Don't let the summer pass without visiting Dinosaur World! We're open every day year round (except Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day) from 8:30 am central time to sunset. So come see us!

In August it's Double Dino Days - visit in any day in August and come back free in December. September 12 is county days were visitors of Barren and the counties that touch Barren (Allen, Edmonson, Hart, Metcalfe, Monroe and Warren) can come for $1 admission with proof of residency. October is dog month where pet owners receive $1 discount if you come in with your dog. We have lots of "excuses" to come see us. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Monday, July 27, 2009

dino poo?

We have many unique fossils at Dinosaur World. Most are housed in our Prehistoric Museum. One of the most "fun" fossils we have is coprolite or as my blog title hints toward - fossilized dinosaur dung.

Coprolite (meaning "dung stone") is fossilized feces (animal waste). And no, coprolite does not smell bad - it had undergone a fossilization process. A close examination can help determine whether a specimen is a coprolite or just a rock. If the specimen contains fossilized bits of crushed and partly-digested organic material, it is not a rock, but a fossil.

Coprolites record the diet, feeding behavior, and habitat of prehistoric animals. Paleontologists can study the contents of a coprolite to see what one meal of an animal consisted of. For example, if the coprolite consists of partially digested plant material (leaves, seeds, bark, roots), the animal in question was probably an herbivore (plant-eater); if the coprolite contains bits of animal material (crushed bits of bones, sinew, claws), the animal in question was a carnivore (meat-eater).

Information about the plants and animals in the coprolite can tell you about the animal that produced the coprolite. For example, if bits of a swamp-dwelling creature were in the coprolite (eaten by the carnivore), then the carnivore probably also lived near a swamp. Also, if the bones in the coprolite are from a juvenile of a species, you know what a prey animal of the carnivore was. By examining the contents of the coprolite, you can also determine if the animal chewed its food, or wolfed it down, letting stomach acids and/or gastroliths (stomach stones) digest the food.

It is very difficult (usually impossible) to determine which animal produced the coprolite. You can perhaps tell what animal it came from if you find the coprolite in a bone bed (a fossil site in which many skeletons of the same animal are found). Otherwise, it would be very hard (practically impossible) to tell which genus it came from.

Coprolite comes in many shapes and sizes (depending on the animal it came from). Its color depends on the type of soil and minerals in which it was buried (this determines which minerals were absorbed/replaced in the specimen). Coprolites from many animals have been found, including dinosaurs. Dinosaur coprolites up to 16 inches in diameter have been found.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

We make 'em!

Did you know that we make all our dinosaurs here on location? All our dinosaurs start with Styrofoam and then have a fiberglass spray put on top. They are then molded and painted. Swedish Artist Joakim Svensson takes the lead on our creations. All our dinosaurs are scientifically accurate. We have many consultants prior to our finished product. We hope you enjoy!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

5,000 square feet of dinos!

We're unloading new stock in our giftshop now. We have over 5,000 square feet of dinosaur fun in our Texas and Kentucky locations. Our Florida location will soon be expanding to equal this. You can find everything from 50 cent dinosaur stickers to authentic dinosaur eggs worth thousands. We're a dinosaur lover's paradise!
You can shop online for some of our most popular items = http://www.elce.nu/dinoworld/dinoshop.cfm

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Love those welcome centers!

I just returned from placing a dinosaur display at the state welcome center in Franklin, Kentucky. This is on I-65, just as you pass the Tennessee line coming from Nashville. Now motorists can see dinosaur claws, skeletons, a T-Rex head model wearing a Dinosaur World hat (how fun!) and more.

A big shout out to the state welcome center employees. They are vital to the success of Dinosaur World. They answer all kinds of travel questions including those about our dinosaurs!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Free dinosaur!

Here's a hot tip! Click here for a link to a coupon that gives kids a free dinosaur!
http://www.mammothcave.com/coupons/2009-CMA-coupons.pdf
You may have to scroll thru a couple coupons to get to ours. But, it's an enjoyable scroll that will let you see other fun things to do while you're in Kentucky!

We try to keep our rates low enough for families to enjoy ($12.75 for adults, $9.75 for ages 3-12) without causing too much pain in the pocketbook. So, you won't find many discount coupons out there. But, we do offer a really cool free gift at the link above. It's a dinosaur figurine for the kids. They really do enjoy it! So, come see us and leave with your very own dinosaur!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Hosting events at Dinosaur World

The Kentucky location of Dinosaur World hosted the Cave City Chamber of Commerce membership meeting last night. We had lots of fun with good friends and fun. I did a Q&A session about Dinosaur World. The first right answer I got to my quesitons, got cool Dinosaur World goodies. We had about 70 people at the meeting and had yummy BBQ catered from a local BBQ place - Rosie's Kitchen.You can host your event at Dinosaur World too! We do everything from Birthday parties to Corporate events. We can work with whatever you need to make your event a sucess. We catered in a meal for this event. We've hosted everything from pet adoption days to foster children events to farming meetings. Contact us today about hosting your event.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Video from Fox News

The Fox station from Memphis, Tennessee (a great town and station!) visited Dinosaur World last week. Here's the fun segment they shot...

http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/local/071309_Dino_Museum_Draws_Thousands_to_Kentucky_Town

Thursday, July 9, 2009

summer camps

Summer is the time for those great day camps with activities, friends and fun. We have many organizations that bring their camps for a trip to Dinosaur World. We'd love to see your kids! The rates are only $6 per person for groups wtih advance reservations. We have educational activities to accompany your trip.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Steggie's Brain

Did you know that the brain of a Stegosaurus is about the size of a golf ball?! Compare that to one of his tail spikes, which is about 4 feet long. And, he could grow up to 30 feet long and 9 feet high. So, poor ole' Steggie was not that bright.

In our indoor Prehistoric Museum you can see an example of this fact. We have a tail spike of a Stegosaurus and beside the spike we have a golf ball on a tee. Seeing these together makes the fact hard to forget. - That's what we're all about - having fun while you learn!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

We're on TV again!

Today Fox News out of Memphis came to our Kentucky location. They spent an entire afternoon enjoying our life size dinosaurs. Visit www.myfoxmemphis Thursday July 9 to see their footage.

Memphis is about 3-4 hours away. This makes me think again of our great location. Kentucky is just one hour from Louisville and Nashville, 1.5 to Lexington, 3 to Cincinatti, 4 to Indianapolis, 6 to Chicago and Atlanta. We have a great location! Florida is just 20 minutes from Tampa, 1 hour to Orlando. Texas is just 1 from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and 3 to Austin. Come see us! It's worth the drive!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Toes in the sand

You don't have to go to a beach this summer! Come to Dinosaur World and you can still play in the sand! And even better than looking for sea shells, you can uncover a life size dinosaur skeleton! In our "boneyard" exhibit, guests can enter a unique structure into a sand pit where a life size dinosaur is buried.

If the "boneyard" is not enough sand for you, try our Fossil Dig, where visitors can sift thru sand in search of authentic fossils to take home. Put your toes in the sand and see over 150 life size dinosaurs!


Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Red, White and Blue Dinos!

A red, white and blue Stegosaurus?

It's been 100 years since dinosaur tracks were found in the Paluxy River at what is now Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, Texas. The city celebrates this finding as part of the 4th of July Parade. Dinosaur World is celebrating this fact with a float in the parade - a red, white and blue stegosaurus! The parade will be at 8:30 am on Saturday, July 4th. Don't miss our unique entry!