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After a long hiatus, dinosaurs roam the Earth once more.
The Long Island Dino Safari opened June 11 at the Deer Park Tanger Outlets. The safari drive through “Pangea National Park,” where guests can feast their eyes on beasts like the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex of North America and the amphibious Spinosaurus of Africa.
The park is an educational landscape created in consultation with Dr. Gregory Erickson, a paleontologist, according to a press release. Pangea National Park, as the name suggests, begins with Pangea. From there, guests travel from continent to continent to witness the different clawing and roaring beasts that ruled each land.
Wooden signs which accompany each creature boast a wealth of stats about when and where these dinosaurs could be found, their diet and their size.
There is also a Dino Safari app guests can download with prerecorded audio tracks that detail each new continent. “Press play” signs are stationed throughout the course to guide these prehistoric explorers.
Safari-goers can also follow a storyline embedded throughout the journey. Each car receives a “survival pack” with a passport to Pangea and other items necessary to complete the interactive experience.
“We are thrilled to be bringing this safe and fun experience to families on Long Island, particularly in light of the many challenges everyone has faced over the last year,” Tom Zaller, president & CEO of Imagine Exhibitions, the company that which produces the Dino Safari exhibit, said in the press release. “Our animatronic dinosaurs transport visitors to a land of prehistoric proportions!”
Sunday July 11 will be the last day Long Islanders can travel back to the Paleolithic era.
TJ Morehouse, the general manager of the Dino Safari, recommends prospective paleontologists visit on cool, sunny days and roll down their windows to best enjoy the all ages spectacle.
“It’s not just for kids necessarily,” Morehouse said. “I’ve seen dinosaur fans here from three to 103.”
For some guests, Morehouse said the Dino Safari is the perfect opportunity to role play a classic cinematic adventure. “A lot of people in Jeeps come through here and pretend they’re in Jurassic Park.”
