Jurassic Park Discovery Center

Location: Islands of Adventure – Jurassic Park

Height Restriction: None

Age Appropriateness: Any

Attraction Description: The Jurassic Park Discovery Center embodies John Hammond’s original plan for the park’s family friendly welcome center. Approaching the building from the back, you can’t miss the architectural resemblance to the set from the first film. You’ll even find massive dinosaur skeletons in the center of the building, similar to those that Dr. Grant. Dr. Sattler, Lex, and Tim leap onto as they make their final escape from the raptors at the end of “Jurassic Park.”

On the lower level of the Discovery Center you’ll find lots of hands-on games and activities for visitors of all ages. You can scan the walls for hidden fossils, analyze X-rays of dinosaur eggs, experiment with a DNA sequencer and play the game show “You Bet Jurassic.” The dinosaur models in “Beasaur” have special viewers behind them that let you see the world through a dinosaur’s eyes.

If you’re lucky, you may even be present when one of the dinosaur eggs hatches. You'll see an egg-filled incubator behind glass in an off-limits area that truly looks like a lab plucked out of the film. From time to time, a scientist will come out to assist with the hatching of one of the eggs. If you can't get near enough to the glass to see the egg hatch up close, a series of television screens a few feet away will show the entire event.

Worth the Wait: Though you don’t have to wait to get into the Discovery Center, the activities around the room are first come, first serve so you may have to hang around a bit to get up to them. Kids will get a kick out of the hands-on activities, but if there’s a big crowd, teens and adults will probably find the bigger attractions a better use of their time.

Ride Restrictions: None.