Hey there! We’re back in Milwaukee, and this time it’s to see opening night of Walking With Dinosaurs that I posted about a couple of weeks ago. Last night was the first night of the five night run, at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I do believe that I told you all that Milwaukee was in our backyard, and I think that I’m proving it this year. Unfortunately, Mr. Houseful and the Cellist weren’t able to attend with us, so it was just me by my lonesome with the three amigos for a night of dino good fun.
On the drive up, the kids discussed which dinosaurs they thought that they would see, and used Dinosaur Train on PBS as a comparison point. I was a bit worried that the realistic nature of the dinosaurs would prove to be too much for them, but given the way that the kids reacted to the entire production, my worries were not supported, and we had a spectacular time!
Without giving too much away, we were taken on a journey millions of years in the past to see how dinosaurs changed over their time here on Earth. Our guide is a paleontologist, who explains each era (think Cretaceous, Jurassic, etc…) and we start on Pangea and move until the end of the rule of dinosaurs.
The dinosaurs are full size and very realistic looking, with the smaller dinosaurs being manipulated by adults within the suits, and using very persuasive movements as they traversed the arena, craning their necks to check out various kinds of food to eat. Usually, the kids are really talkative, but the 90 minute show kept them all captivated, with questions whispered to me without ever taking their eyes off of the stage. They anxiously awaited the showing of the T-Rex and squealed in excitement when she finally showed up to be matronly. Yes. A T-Rex, protecting her young. So often,we’re presented with this dinosaur as the terrible of all dinosaurs, but my children saw her as a mom doing what moms do. Going to bat for a very curious, and slightly irresponsible T-Rex kid.
I’m going to be honest here. The roars that came from the T-Rex shook the entire stadium. Especially when the background music stopped and set a preternatural silence over the entire stadium. The roar seemed to start from her tail and works its way up out of her tooth filled jaws, as she challenged any living thing to try to hurt her young. I’m SO glad that dinosaurs don’t roam the Earth any longer, because I’m pretty sure humans wouldn’t make it. Especially since we’re pretty used to be the top of the food chain.
Another great thing that we were able to witness was a fight for alpha status within the same species of dinosaur. That was pretty interesting since my children wondered why the younger dinosaur didn’t have to do what the older dinosaur said. I guess that a deeper unit on dinosaurs and alpha status is in order for homeschool, eh?
Walking With Dinosaurs plays through October 19th at the BMO Harris Bradley Arena and tickets range from $28 – 113. We sat mid level (200 level) and we were able to see the entire floor. I would take that into account if you really want to be able to see everything. It’s fine for children three and up, as the twizzlers did very well with the program, and nothing seemed too scary for them. The roars are very realistic, as well as the look and gait of the dinosaurs, even with being controlled through robotics.
Stay tuned to more about our family visit to Milwaukee, and a brief review from the ladybug herself and check out the #DinosaurLive hashtag on social media.
Glad the kids had fun and learned a few things in the process. I like shows that pique kids interests to learn more.
My kids love dinosaur train! I think this show would be a little more awesome though. I probably would be terrified. They would probably love it!! Lol! It looked like great family fun and at a reasonable price too. It probably took a lot to pull of the special effects and the set.
This looks like so much fun. My daughter would have loved this! From the pictures, the dinosaurs look so realistic. Seems like a pretty awesome show and super educational.
Thank you so much for writing this review! I’ve been wanting to visit one of these attractions but wasn’t sure what to expect! The fact that your little ones had a good time lets me know Ayva would love it, too!
I really like that your kids compared the PBS dinosaurs to what they would see at the show. It is awesome the way you took the lesson from the television world to the real world. I am the only one in my family that does not believe in dinosaurs so I know everyone in my family would have an awesome time here!
This show is coming to Houston and I was worried that it would be too scary for my 7 year old. It looks like he will like it.