My husband and I had so much fun checking out the Dinos Alive Exhibit, which is an immersive experience open in Montebello through May. This is a family-friendly event that can be enjoyed by all ages, although there are more activities for children. I would encourage you to plan for 60-90 minutes to truly get to enjoy everything. If you are driving far to attend, I’ll include a few suggestions of other things to do in the area before or after your visit.
I dressed like Laura Dern’s character in Jurassic Park, which I felt was a perfect choice.
Dinos Alive Exhibit
Location: 1345 N Montebello Blvd., Montebello, CA 90640
Hours: Sunday: 9 am – 5:30 pm
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 1 pm – 7 pm
Thursday: 1 pm – 7 pm
Friday: 10 am – 8 pm
Saturday: 9 am – 8 pm
Tickets start at $20. VIP tickets include the VR experience which I really enjoyed. You can find tickets here.
We spoke with LA adventurer Lena from Lenazilla on Instagram for the LA Dreaming Podcast all about pop up experiences in LA. You can listen to the podcast through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, or Podbean.
What to Expect
When you arrive you’ll see that there are three different exhibits, but you’ll be pointed in the right direction for the dinos one. The entrance is really cool. I love that it looks like you are walking into a waterfall. They will remind you at the entrance that flash photography is prohibited in the exhibit.
There are so many dinosaurs throughout the exhibit of all different sizes. Each dinosaur has an information plaque that provides its breed, weight, and more. The dinosaurs move which is really cool to see. I kept saying “this is so cool” because I was really impressed by what we were seeing. You will need to be patient if you want good photos as the lighting changes. When the lighting changes you get to see the dinosaurs in a different way which enhances the experience even more.
The water room was one of my favorite spots. It was fun watching the animals move on the screen. There are dodgeballs for you to throw at the wall and hit your target. I was mesmerized by the projections.
After you have seen all of the dinosaurs you get the enter the play area. There are two spots with dino bones covered in sand that children can explore, dino eggs you can fit inside for photos, color-a-dinosaur activity, and a dino slide. The very last stop before the gift shop is the VR experience. This was my first time doing VR and I loved it. For this experience, you are throwing a bone to play fetch with a velociraptor. It ends with a little dancing from the dino.
I really loved my experience and would recommend this for families.
Places to Check Out in the Area
- The Love letters outside of the Panda Express headquarters located at 1683 Walnut Grove Ave., Rosemead, CA 91770
- In N Out Replica & Company Store – this one is 9 miles east, but if you’ve been wanting to go here this could be a great addition to your day.
The In N Out Replica is located at 13766 Francisquito Ave., Baldwin Park, CA 91706
In N Out Company Store 13800 Francisquito Ave., Baldwin Park, CA 91706 - The filming location for “Good Burger” – you can visit Peter’s El Loco, it was the exterior of the burger shop in the Nickelodeon movie. 437 S Glendora Ave, West Covina, CA
