If you’ve ever watched that part in “Jurassic Park” where the T-Rex surprises a guy in a porta-potty and chomps him like a Tic Tac, and thought: “I need more of THAT” – well, here’s the exhibit for you.
“Dino Days,” running until September 1, brings 13 animatronic dinosaurs to the outdoor gardens of San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences. Tyrannosaurus rex, Deinonychus, Parasaurolophus and Pachyrhinosaurus – all your best scaly buddies are here. Heck, there are even dino eggs with cute little babies hatching from them, as if they won’t grow up to be frightening 5-ton beasts.
These replica reptiles move and roar, and children are encouraged to climb atop some of them. There’s a sand-filled fossil pit where kids can dig for cast dinosaur bones. But aside from all that, there is special programming going on through the exhibit’s run, including paleontologist seminars and an evening where you sip cocktails while hearing a live performance of John Williams’ “Jurassic Park” score. Plus, scavenger hunts, dino-trivia showdowns, a meet-and-greet with the T-Rex from the PBS show “Dinosaur Train,” and much roar – er, “more.”
Details: Show runs daily until September 1, 2025, at 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco; tickets available at www.calacademy.org.