Any promise of family-friendly experience is probably understood well enough. Tweak that a big to offer that such a thing is “fun for the whole family,” however, and it’s not likely that died-in-the-wool skeptics will the the only ones with eyebrows raised. [1]
How can my steeped-in-the-subject-matter, PhD sister-in-law be adequately engaged in content without ever an inclination to yawn …
… in the same physical space where the wee-young lad from the other side of my extended family will enjoy subject matter spectacle without feeling it must be good for him as price for admission?
Jurassic Quest show producers not only think this is possible, but essential to their mission. Saline Journal was on site for a good part of their opening today at Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. [2,3]
Based on our own first-hand account, Jurassic Quest has succeeded — and is a recommended addition to our readers’ schedule during its local run, through December 19.
Visitors of all ages, backgrounds, and interests enter though the same “Jurassic Quest” archway that introduces the show floor. They then follow a path that makes effective use of specialized lighting and strategically-placed partitians to reveal vignettes populated will full-sized dinosour creations, in proper relative scale to one another.
It is at once deeply immersive and yet appropriately keeps to the safer side of overwelming. Subject-matter experts alluded to above may never feel compelled to move beyond this area, out onto the larger exposition floor.
A rich sampling of species are represented here from early Cretaceous (145 to 100 million years ago), to Jurassic (201 to 174 million years ago) and Triassic (251 to 199.5 million years ago) — including one grouping setup along a timeline. [4-6]
More granular study beyond that can be had at an Education Station, where excavated fossils can be seen, expert staff is on hand for dialogue, and specialized paleontologists can be accessed in real-time via dedicated 411 service.
For the other end of the spectrum, a dedicated “Tricera-Tots!” area has been set aside for toddlers under the age of three for free play. There are several on-theme options for elementary-school-aged children to ride, as well as an opportuntity for the more inquisitive among them to try their hands on a dig for fossils. [7,8]
Floor layout also reflects both the need to handle large visitor groups, such as those from school field trips — as well as the reality of exhibition organizer response to social distancing that has come with the advent of COVID-19. [9,10]
Social networking is encouraged through a variety of modern takes on what were once generically called “Kodak Picture Spots.” Visitors further are encouraged to “Tag Us” @jurassicquest or #jurassicquest on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. [11-14]
New to Detroit area for 2021 is an experience as close to diving the depths of prehistoric oceans without getting wet. Dubbed “Ancient Oceans,” this separate environment is every bit as detailed and painstakingly presented as the Jurassic Quest entry gallery. [15]
Organizers have recommended that visitors learn “more about the Ancient Oceans Marian animals” before their visit. These include to-scale Ammonite, Archelon, Elasmosaurus, Ichthyosaurus, Liopleurodon, Megalodon, Plesiosaurus, Tylosaurus, and Xiphactinus. [16-24]
“‘Dinosaurs’ are something that pretty much everyone gets into at some point in their lives,” Jurassic Quest Detroit project lead Sarah Menard (better known at the event as “Safari Sarah”) told Saline Journal this morning.
“Most people then grow out of it. But they still have that connection. And, depending on their age, they reconnect at that point.
So, our exhibits let them start with that. They can pick up wherever they left off, where the want to pick up. And now they can go on from there — as far as they’d like — right here.
Sometimes that’s being able to experience dinosaurs through what we’ve set up. Sometimes it is digging deeper, maybe even literally. Other times it’s adding depth to their interest in popular culture depictions — which means seeing the things, the details, going beyond the ‘literary license’ the movies have taken, to catch up on reality.
One such example she likes to point out is that of the Velociraptor, depicted in various vignettes at Jurassic Quest. [25]
Perhaps you’re confusing them with Utahraptors, depicted in live “Training Experience” shows throughout the run of Jurassic Quest here. [26]
Pivoting on this clarification, Safari Sarah shared an observation attributed to one of her consulting paleantologists.
“Dinosaurs are a ‘gateway science,'” she said, with a hint of conspiracy in her voice.
Dinosaurs connect to paleobotany, geology, and astronomy. You’d be amazed.
Jurassic Quest opened this afternoon for its first weekend, including tomorrow and Sunday, at Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi Michigan. Additional schedule includes daily times from Wednesday December 15 through Sunday December 19, 2021. [27]
References
- “What does ‘family-friendly’ actually mean?” Alexandra Whyte (February 22, 2021) kidscreen.
- Jurassic Quest (home page).
- Suburban Collection Showplace (home page).
- “Cretaceous Dinosuars” United States National Park Service.
- “Jurassic Dinosaurs” US National Park Service.
- “Triassic Dinosaurs” US National Park Service.
- “Digging for Dinos” (video) National Geographic Society.
- “Digging Up a Dinosaur Graveyard | National Geographic” National Geographic (December 4, 2007) YouTube.
- “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)” CDC.
- “Novel Coronavirus Reports” CDC.
- “This Can Be Your Place for a Variety of Hands-On Guides to Virtual Kodak Picture Spots” Dell Deaton (May 7, 2018) Saline Journal.
- Jurassic Quest (Facebook Page).
- jurassicquest (Instagram Feed).
- Jurassic Quest (Twitter Feed).
- “Ancient Oceans Exhibit!” Jurassic Quest.
- “What is an ammonite?” Emily Osterloff, Natural History Museum.
- “The Gigantic Sea Turtle – Archelon” Paleontology Plus (May 4, 2019) YouTube.
- “Elasmosaurus pictures and facts” The Dinosaur Database.
- “Ichthyosaurus” Kids Britannica.
- “10 Facts About Liopleurodon” Bob Strauss (August 7, 2019) Thought Co.
- “The Megalodon” Danielle Hall (February 2019) Smithsonian.
- “The History of the Plesiosaurus in the Jurassic Park Franchise” Klayton Floriti (December 4, 2018) YouTube.
- “Kansas State Fossil – Tylosaurus & Pteranodon” Fossilera.
- “Xiphactinus” Prehistoric Wildlife.
- “Velociraptor” Natural History Museum.
- “Utahraptor – The Raptor That Could Kill A T.Rex!” DangerVille (March 30, 2018) YouTube.
- “Detroit Area: Suburban Collection Showplace, December 10-19, 2021” Jurassic Quest.
