LuminoCity's Dino Safari returns to Walt Whitman Shops 

It’s not every day you encounter a 46-foot tall brontosaurus off Route 110 in Huntington Station. Enter LuminoCity's Dino Safari Festival, a 3-acre prehistoric playground that is powered by thousands of LED lights, which is coming to Walt Whitman Shops from Aug. 22 through Sept. 22.

"Our displays are inspired by the traditional Chinese lantern festival that our founder/CEO, Xiaoyi Chen, was privy to growing up," says project manager John Baiata. "It’s an immersive walk-through experience that combines light, art and animatronics where we bring prehistoric animals to life."

The Dino Safari is located in the northeast parking lot on the New York Avenue side near Macy’s. This year marks the return of the festival to the Walt Whitman Shops after a successful run last summer.

"Dino Safari made a huge impact during its stay, resulting in increased dwell time in the mall and drove great traffic to our restaurants," says Maria Cavanagh, director of marketing and business development at Walt Whitman Shops.

The epic dinosaur adventure features kid-friendly rides, exhibits, fossil hunts, food trucks and more. Here's your chance to take photos and play among the largest animals that walked the earth.

SAFARI EXHIBIT

Upon entering the Dino Safari, guests walk through a lighted tunnel that looks like a jungle. Inside there are more than 70 dinosaurs of all sizes including triceratops, spinosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex. In the Ice Age section, visitors will find woolly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers as well as plant life and insects sprinkled about.

"When you go to the movies today, a lot of it is something that has been conjured by someone’s imagination and never actually existed — but these dinosaurs did exist," says Baiata.

Throughout the exhibit, panels offer more about the dinosaurs on display.

"Each panel will discuss what era the dinosaur is from and what they were known for," says Baiata.

One dinosaur pops up and interacts with people. "A velociraptor walks around the park like Blue from 'Jurassic World,' " says Baiata. "It alternately delights and sometimes terrifies people."

Other photo-ops include big dinosaur eggs where visitors can climb in and peek their heads out as well as a giant dinosaur mouth to pose inside of.

INTERACTIVE RECREATION ZONE

After going through the display, kids can play at the Interactive Recreation Zone. Each activity is a separate add-on to admission.

Jump inside the Dino Paradise Bounce House ($15) or race around the track at the Dino Speedway, where miniature cars are shaped like dinosaurs ($5).

The Safari Dig contains a big tower that releases water through some channels. Each participant buys a bag of sand and gemstones and then puts them into a sifting tray. The water wipes away the sand and reveals the gemstones ($15).

Free activities for little ones are available, such as the Dino Fossils Hunt, Jungle Explorer Playground, Dino Carousel and the T-Rex Thrill Chair. There is even an open floor that illuminates when you step on it.

MUNCHIES AND MERCH

Those who work up an appetite can stop at a series of food trucks selling cotton candy, funnel cakes, lemonade, corn dogs and snacks. Don’t forget to take home a souvenir on your way out from the Dino Safari gift shop, which sells everything from dino bubble wands ($5) and dino egg dig kits ($3) to dino "slime" ($4) and fossils ($10).

RETURNING FOR THE HOLIDAYS

LuminoCity will come back to Long Island for its fourth annual Holiday Lights Festival at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow Nov. 8 through Jan. 4.

This 14-acre holiday-themed display will feature Santa Claus, candy canes, elves and snowmen plus a special feature on "Alice in Wonderland."

"When you return to the same location year after year, you start to build a sense of tradition," says Baiata. "We get a lot of repeat families coming back to us at that event and it becomes part of their holiday season."

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.