Prehistoric pair: Jurassic Quest roars into Erie; dinosaur drive-thru event hits Wattsburg

A familiar interactive dinosaur experience is stomping its way back to Erie.

Jurassic Quest, the popular interactive dinosaur event, returns to the Bayfront Convention Center at 1 Sassafras St. on July 12-14.

The family-friendly experience will showcase more than 100 life-like dinosaurs, interactive adventures, dinosaur rides, a fossil digging station, an interactive quest adventure with clues throughout the exhibit and more.

“Jurassic Quest was created with the intent to fill that void we have for dinosaurs,” said Sarah Menard, marketing PR and experience specialist. “Unless it’s on a movie or a TV show, we don’t learn about dinosaurs after we grow out of our dino phase of childhood. At Jurassic Quest, you can see your old favorites, learn about some new ones, and enjoy learning about them while having fun with them, too.”

Jurassic Quest staff members Mercedes Avila, left, and Joshua "J.D." Smith, set up lighting inside the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie in 2022. The dinosaur-themed adventure will be open for the weekend. Avila, from Texas, and Smith, from Indiana, also were scheduled to perform during the show as do most staff members.
Jurassic Quest staff members Mercedes Avila, left, and Joshua "J.D." Smith, set up lighting inside the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie in 2022. The dinosaur-themed adventure will be open for the weekend. Avila, from Texas, and Smith, from Indiana, also were scheduled to perform during the show as do most staff members.

Observing life-size dinosaurs

When attending Jurassic Quest, families can observe a herd of life-size dinosaurs from the T-Rex to Apatosaurus to the Spinosaurus.

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The animated dinosaurs are meticulously painted and animated to give off the real-life experience. Some of the dinosaurs will be running around and interacting within the audience.

Other activities at Jurassic Quest

During Jurassic Quest, participants can also:

  • Create dino crafts.

  • Dig for fossils.

  • Ride on the back of animatronic dinosaurs.

Dinosaur trainers will be on site to answer questions and help with the dinosaur interactions.

How to get tickets

Tickets for Jurassic Quest in Erie are now available online at erieevents.com or at the Erie Insurance Arena box office at 809 French St.

Erie Events is offering three different ticket packages.

The kids ultimate package is for children ages 2 to 10 and includes standard admission, access to dinosaur rides, T. Wrex raceway, fossil digging, excavation station, dinosaur-themed inflatable attractions and more. This package can be purchased for $42.25.

The kids standard package is an admission only deal for children ages 2 to 10. The kids standard can be purchased for $27.75.

General admission for dinosaur fans ages 11 and older is $27.75. Guests under the age of 2 get in for free.

Purchase your tickets and learn more about Jurassic Quest by visiting Jurassicquest.com.

Another Jurassic event hits Wattsburg on same weekend

Also on July 13-14, Wattsburg will be hosting a dinosaur drive-thru at the Erie County Fair at 13993 Route 8 & 89.

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Jurassic Wonder is an animatronic dinosaur tour where the dinosaurs come alive, move around and make real dinosaur sounds.

The tour also includes free educational audio that visitors can play on their cell phones as they drive through the event. Tickets are $12 per car and sold in time-slot increments.

Learn more about this dinosaur tour and purchase tickets at jurassicwonder.com.

Contact Nicholas Sorensen at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Jurassic Quest returns to Bayfront Convention Center on July 12-14