Dino Safari comes to Walt Whitman Shops
A new outdoor Dinosaur Safari is on display in the parking lot of Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington Station, featuring animatronic, prehistoric creatures accompanied by light-up lantern scenes. It is put together by the same company that does the annual festival during the December holidays in Eisenhower Park.
“This is more kid-friendly, family-friendly, with more activities,” says LuminoCity producer Amber Cao. “It has gigantic dinosaurs that can move and make sounds.” The walk-through safari is open from 4 to 10 p.m. daily through Sept. 4.
Here are seven ways to experience the new event:
See more than 40 dinosaurs
The animatronic dinosaurs, most made of silicone and metal, are placed in more than 10 areas throughout the walk, including Braveheart Square, Volcano Bones Valley, Clash of the Titans and Dino Continent. It takes between one and two hours to experience the whole display, depending on whether families decide to partake in optional rides along the way for an additional fee, says LuminoCity founder Xiaoyi Chen.
Dino Safari
WHEN | WHERE 4 to 10 p.m. daily through Sept. 4 in the parking lot at the Walt Whitman Shops, 160 Walt Whitman Rd., Huntington Station
Cost Tickets cost between $23 and $29 depending on time and day. Families choose either Saturday tickets or tickets valid Sundays through Fridays and then can go whatever day they wish. Tickets are purchased for entry either from 4 to 7 p.m. or 7 to 10 p.m. Children younger than 3 are free. Refreshments are not for sale, so families should bring their own snacks and water.
More info luminocityfestival.com
Bounce around in the dino bounce house
The Dino Paradise Bounce is a bounce pad that can accommodate up to 100 people at a time; it has an $18 per person additional charge (children younger than 3 are free but must be accompanied by a paying sibling, parent or guardian). Participants can stay on the bounce pad as long as they like, Chen says.
Families can drive electric dinosaur cars at the Dinosaur Safari at Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington Station.
Ride electric dinosaurs
Kids drive electric dinosaur cars around the vinyl track of the Dino Expressway; it costs an additional $5 per ride. There’s also the Caterpillar Express train, which costs an additional $10 per rider and is operated by a staff member. “Only kids can ride on the train. It plays music and takes you through the park,” Cao says.
Dig for dinosaur fossils
An included sandbox area lets kids dig for a fossil. “It’s a huge fossil. You will be working with other kids, starting to see more and more clearly what the fossil looks like,” Cao says. Dinosaur skeletons also dot that area.
Take photos with dinos
Step inside one designated dinosaur’s open mouth for that Instagram-worthy shot to share on social media, Chen suggests.
Be the first to see a new addition
LuminoCity is debuting an area that has not yet appeared as part of the show during its tour. It’s a "Jurassic Park"-style prehistoric area featuring marine life, Cao says.
The Dinosaur Safari coming to Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington Station features animatronic, prehistoric creatures with light-up lantern scenes. Credit: LuminoCity
Choose evening for optimal lantern viewing
In addition to the dinosaurs, the venue will have more than 50 of the light-up lanterns that LuminoCity is known for, Cao says. They’ll include huge plants and mushrooms, for instance, she says. There will also be about 10 light-up lantern dinosaurs in the evenings, she says. “It adds a fantasy feeling to the dinosaur walk,” Cao says.
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
