Dinosaurs take over Knoxville Convention Center

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Watch out! A fleet of dinosaurs is calling the Knoxville Convention Center home until Sunday, Oct. 2.

Jurassic Quest, dubbed as North America’s most popular interactive dinosaur experience, is back in Knoxville for a short time, giving guests a unique look at the creatures that ruled the Earth and sea millions of years ago.

The event will highlight a herd of life-size animatronic dinosaurs, live dinosaur shows and interactive science and art activities, including a fossil dig and real fossils like T-Rex teeth, a triceratops horn and a life-size dino skull.

In addition, officials said there would be a “Triceratots” soft play area for the kids, as well as bounce houses and inflatable attractions and photo opportunities.

The herd of dinosaurs includes an Apatosaurus, Spinosaurus, T-Rex and an incredible 50-foot-long Megalodon, according to a release.

“Walk through 165 million years of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods to learn about the creatures that ruled on land, and ‘deep dive’ into the ‘Ancient Oceans’ exhibit to come face to face with the largest apex predator that ever existed – a moving, life-size, 50-foot-long megalodon!” a spokesperson for the event said. “Meet the babies, hatched only at Jurassic Quest: Cammie the Camarasaurus, Tyson the T-Rex and Trixie the Triceratops – and, you may even catch one of our star dino trainers: Safari Sarah, Dino Dustin, Captain Caleb, Prehistoric Nick or Park Ranger Marty.”

One of the dinosaur trainers, Carolyn Barker, said her favorite part of Jurassic Quest was seeing the kids learn about the extinct creatures.

“I just love seeing their faces light up,” Barker told WVLT News. “Everybody is a little enthralled to see the origins of a lot of our monster stories and our fantasy creatures.”

Families can see the dinosaurs on Friday and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tickets start at $22 for adults and kids under 10. More information and tickets can be found here.

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