It’s about to get all prehistoric in Southern California as creatures from the past return to take people back to Jurassic times.
The national traveling Jurassic Quest show will bring a herd of about 70 larger-than-life animatronic dinosaurs from the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic periods, which date back to about 66-250 million years ago, to the Pasadena Convention Center from Jan. 3 through Jan. 5. The prehistoric creatures will then migrate to the Anaheim Convention Center from Jan.10 to Jan.12 and San Diego’s Del Mar Fairgrounds from Jan. 17 to Jan. 20.
The venues will be transformed into Jurassic-era environments where people can get right up close to these reptiles, including giant killers like the T Rex. And while in the past most of these creatures would have undoubtedly swallowed people up as as tiny snack, at Jurassic Quest it’s all about family fun.
“All the dinosaurs are life size, just the way paleontologists would have imagined them and based on research. You can walk through different time periods and say hi to animatronic dinosaurs, Utah raptors and our babies of course,” said Brainy Beth, a Jurassic Quest dinosaur trainer.
Yes, there are trainers, since some of these dinosaurs can move. And yes, Brainy Beth is her Jurassic stage name.
The experience includes playful adolescent dinosaurs running around and interacting with people, so go ahead and take a selfie with the dino teens. And for young kids there are even a few dinosaurs they can ride, plus there’s the Raptor Encounters experience where people can help train the once deadly creatures.
“The good news is everyone can become a dinosaur trainer. In our Raptor Encounters we bring out one of two Utah raptors, we got JoJo or Diego and they will come and say hi to everybody. You can pet them and take photos with them,” she said.
But some of the biggest stars in this prehistoric crew are the baby dinos. People can meet and pet Cammie the Camarasaurus, Tyson the T-Rex, and Trixie the Triceratops, which all move and interact with people as they perch on the arms of their handlers.
Jurassic Quest
When: Jan. 3-5 at the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena; Jan. 10-12 at the Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim; Jan. 17-20 Del Mar Fairgrounds, 260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar
Tickets: $26.85-$42-85
Information: jurassicquest.com