by Hannah Allen

Though the dinosaurs went extinct nearly 65 million years ago, these large beasts roamed freely on the Gulf Coast last weekend with the arrival of the Jurassic Quest exhibit at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum

Jurassic Quest—which was held on July 12th, 13th, and 14th—is America’s largest interactive Dinosaur exhibit. The traveling display featured over 80 realistic-looking dinosaurs, separated into different scenes of the Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic period.

Jurassic Quest is a blend of the fun and the factual with guided tours, fossil exhibitions, and dino-centric rides and games.

Family members of all ages were amazed to see life-sized versions of dinosaurs and learn facts about the prehistoric beasts that once ruled the earth—did you know that many paleontologists agree that dinosaurs actually had feathers?

Children were able to dig for fossils, interact with moving baby dinosaurs, and even ride on the back of a 24 foot tall T. Rex!

Safari Sarah, one of dinosaur trainers at Jurassic Quest, explained her appreciation for the exhibit stating “Everyone has that spot when they’re a kid where they obsess over dinosaurs, so I hope that we bring that magic back to them when they come through her…We really love what we do here and we love showing the world of dinosaurs in a way that no-one has ever seen before.”