Lowry Park Gets Jurassic Park Makeover

Children ask their mothers to protect them from many things, and for Rachel Long of New Port Richey, the list got a little longer Wednesday at Lowry Park Zoo.

While visiting the new DinoQuest exhibit, her 3-year-old daughter, Lily, added a new duty: 

Save Lily from "THAT!"

The 35-foot-long, 10,000-pound crocodilian "THAT" in question was a suchomimus, and in Lily's defense, a face-to-toothy face interaction with "THAT" could leave even the toughest of adults calling for their mommies.

The robotic dinosaur is one of 20 such creatures that seemingly come alive at a special exhibit in the zoo. It runs until May 1.

The lifesize beasts, which were built by Texas company Billings Productions, range from the 18-foot-tall brachiosaurus to the 7,000-pound overgrown armadillo, the Edmontonia.

Of course, Adriana De La Rosa, was taken by the most favorite and feared dinosaur, the tyrannosaurus rex.

"They are dangerous and deadly," the 8-year-old explained.

Besides seeing the robotic dinosaurs, children can — of course — visit the dinosaur-themed gift shop, and kids like Emma Baltrusis of St. Petersburg can hunt for fossils in the "I Can Dig It" exhibit.

Children can also expend their nervous energy on the Velocity Raptor, a mammoth inflatable slide.

By day, zoo visitors pay an extra $4 to enter, and Dino Nite visitors (if they dare) pay $9.95.

If you go...

The exhibit really pops at night. Dino Nites runs every Friday and Saturday from 6:30-9:30 p.m. until April 30.

Where: Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, 1101 W. Sligh Ave., Tampa, FL 33604
When: Through May 1 (10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 6:30-9:30 p.m. select nights)
Cost:

• DinoQuest by day - $4 per person in addition to zoo general admission.
• Dino Nites - $9.95 per person including DinoQuest and other select areas, rides
• Dino Discovery Club (unlimited access pass - day or night) - $15 per person