NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — There's nothing like a good dinosaur exhibit!
And if you've ever wondered how museums are able to set them up, we were at the Virginia Living Museum watching their newest exhibit be built.
It takes several days and a whole crew to get one 6,000 pound Tyrannosaurus model through the sky, but the team at the VLM explained that its well worth it, especially when you see the smiles it brings to families and kids.
Rebecca Kleinhample has been with the Virginia Living Museum for nearly 20 years, and she now serves as its executive director. Every other year, she makes sure the exhibit doesn't go extinct.
"We teach about the period the dinosaurs lived, their origin, where they were thought to have been on the planet," Kleinhample explained.
But if you think you know everything about these creatures, she says, think again.
"Many of the dinosaurs are thought to have had feathers and to be more colorful than we already thought."
The Destination: Dinosaur exhibit features 8 animatronic dinos, several living fossils, and even a few surprises.
"When you walk though the woods in that pathway you might get spit on."
This exhibit has been at the museum for over three decades, and Kleinhample had these words to describe how visitors feel when exploring this prehistoric world: "Joy, awe, inspiration, wonder, all of those."
Destination Dinosaurs opens Memorial Day Weekend and runs through September 4.
Non-member adult tickets range anywhere from $19 to $23 depending on when you go.
Children (ages 12 and below) are $16.95.
Kids two years and under are free.
