Gas prices these days have put a damper on our out-of-state jaunts, but we finally came up with a solution. Nashvillest field trip to Kentucky!
Hop on 65-N and drive for about an hour, and you’ll end up at the Kentucky border. Our first stop over the border was the Kentucky Visitor’s Center, where we hoped to score some coupons for the many glamourous attractions that are just miles away. No luck. Frustrated at the amount of money we’re about to spend, but determined to see all that just-over-the-border-Kentucky had to offer, we pressed on. Our first destination is Dinosaur World.
Now, the brochure for Dinosaur World (or Dino World, as we will affectionately call it) states that it is “just an hour from Nashville and Louisville.” This is not entirely true. The Kentucky border is an hour from Nashville. Fifteen minutes past the border is Bowling Green, KY. 45 miles past Bowling Green is Cave City, where Dino World is located. And you can’t miss it. If you do miss it, you will be notified by a giant billboard and dinosaur that state “You just missed us.” It’s idiot-proof.
Enter Dino World. The entrance is through the gift shop (we felt bad for parents with children) and adult tickets are a whopping $12. The first stop inside the doors is the picnic area. Dino World has bottled drinks available for purchase, but no food. They encourage visitors to bring a picnic lunch, which is a refreshing change from most tourist traps that confiscate your food at the door and force you to buy their concessions.
Next up… The Trail. The trail is the main attraction at Dino World, where the advertised “over 150 life-sized dinosaurs!” are found. On a blazing hot day in July, the trail is also the best place to be, as most of it is shaded under a canopy of trees. The trail takes about an hour to go through, possibly longer with kids. Life-sized plastic dinosaur models are placed throughout the woods (we’re not sure if there’s actually over 150). Venture down a separate trail and you’ll arrive at the 40-foot-tall “Photosaurus” and a herd of wooly mammoths.
Dino World also boasts a “museum,” full of replicated teeth, bones, eggs and claws. We passed up the Boneyard and the Fossil Dig at risk of being those creepy adults digging in the sand with kids, and we also skipped the Movie Cave in favor of our air conditioned car. Dino World was entertaining, but might have been more of a thrill if we were between the ages of 3 and 8.
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