Every kid loves dinosaurs. Right?!
Even my baby girl, Katie is a dino-loving diva.
Katie has been since she was a wee one. I always thought she was a funny character — adoring both princesses and dinosaurs all at the same time. She’d run around the house when she was two in her Cinderella costume complete with clicky-shoe glass slippers and in her tiny hands, dinosaurs. They were always growling at each other.
One day, while shopping at Barnes and Noble with my three children, we stumbled upon the perfect storybook {in the bargain book section of all places}! It sat there on the shelf, staring right at us. There’s no doubt in my mind that it was totally meant for my Katie-Kate. Too good to be true, really. It’s title, Rexerella—a fairytale about a T-Rex Cinderella. You know what made this book even better? The fact it’s a popup. Instant favorite. Instant, I tell you!
Nine years later, it’s still a proud part of our home library. Always will be.
There’s just something about dinosaurs children and adults alike, love. They are truly fascinating creatures. To this day, I’m still blown away at the mere thought that dinosaurs even existed and roamed the earth millions of years ago. Amazingly, paleontologists the world over are continually discovering new species and giving them the coolest of names. I think at some point in our lives, we’ve all dreamt of being a paleontologist–digging for dinosaur bones in remote places. I know I did and it seems my kids have too.
Since becoming a mom fifteen years ago, we have visited countless dinosaur exhibits throughout the country. Every single one enlightening and absolutely mesmerizing. Right out our back door is the city of Cababzon, where some seriously cool, ginormous dinosaurs can be found.
Despite the fact that I grew up in Southern California and have driven past these dinos countless times on family trips to the desert, this summer I decided to actually stop and explore them with my girls.
Before I go on, let’s have a a little Cabazon Dinosaur history lesson. In the 1960’s, Knott’s Berry Farm sculptor, Claude K. Bell wanted to lure customers into his Wheel Inn Cafe. He figured the best way to do that was by building “Dinny”, a 150-ton Apatosaurus visible from the interstate. That restaurant has since closed. But I’m sure back then, it was mission accomplished!
Today visitors will find that these creatures have aged over the years. You know, Dinny is around 54 years old! Both the dinosaurs and the attached dinosaur park are showing a bit of wear and tear. I read some negative YELP reviews before going, many of which were people complaining about how run down they thought the place was. I didn’t want us going in with high expectations. So when I alerted my girls about this fact on our drive to the Cabazon Dinosaurs, Katie said, “Mom, they’re dinosaurs. It’s better that way. Makes it more realistic.” Why on earth do I even stress over these silly things?!
Because guess what?
My girls totally LOVED it! And that’s all that matters. There were very few families around, making it a very enjoyable experience. Yes, we’re weird and like being away from crowds. As it gave us a chance to really bond while getting a close-up of each and every dinosaur and the opportunity to mine for precious gems and stones without a single wait or having to rush in order to give another guest a turn.
I have to say, my expectations were so incredibly low, that I was pleasantly surprised to find this place entertaining and a really fun adventure for my little ladies. We had headed there on a quest to kill a few hours before needing to pick up big brother from school and this fit the bill perfectly.
Each time I looked at my girls I was thrilled to see joyful smiles on their sweet faces. Katie, my dinosaur lover kept saying, “Mom! This is really fun! I like it here. I’m glad we came. Thank you for bringing us. This has been the best summer ever!” Music to my mama ears!
Our final dino adventure, for the day, was climbing up several winding stairs which finally led us up and into the mouth of Mr. Rex, a 100-ton Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was a bit tricky. And I must say, I was super proud of Megan as she made it up with very little help. On our way back down, I was wishing that we could just exit by sliding down Mr. Rex’s long tail. Once upon a time, that was an option. And I can only imagine what an awesome ride it was!
Before hopping back into the car, we stopped off in the gift shop for a special souvenir. Each of the girls left with a dinosaur-keychain-flashlight-thingy, which they plan on attaching to their backpacks. It’ll serve as a little reminder of their summer adventures as they go back to school.
I know we’ll never forget our girls day out to the desert to visit the famous retro Cabazon Dinosaurs.
They were DINO-MITE!
