Why Dinosaur World Beats Disney for my Three Year Old

If you've ever been to Florida, you know there is ONE theme park you MUST visit, right?! It is a rite of passage, a requirement as an American citizen under the age of 10, and if you never made it there as a child, you make it happen when you're an adult at least one if not 10 times. If you are close by you have a season pass at some point and visit excessively. So why on earth would we skip Disney World and go to Dinosaur World instead?

Hubby and I spent a year in Florida, together, and had season passes to Disney World. We got a ton of use out of those passes and love those parks. We've been back there every year, since with our son. Except this year. I asked him, and secretly knew the answer, if he wanted to go to Disney World or Dinosaur World. The differences are as black and white or night and day as you can imagine, from the vast disparity in ticket prices to the contrast in acreage and size. Dinosaur world is the smaller, cheaper of the two.

However, if you have a 3 year old boy and you haven't been to Dinosaur World, you may want to consider spending your day there instead of the mouse house.



My little guy LOVED walking around Dinosaur World. One warning, if it is your first time there, you will be walking into a giant dinosaur store before you even get in the place.



They don't have food vendors, they don't have rides, and their employees move from the show to the archaeological dig, so you can only do those at certain times. Make sure you are there.

Despite the lack of over-stimulation like some of the Florida theme parks, this place makes you feel like you are in the Jurassic period. All the dinosaur models are life sized.



You walk paths and bridges through thick jungle and see scenes from another world. It is the lifelong dream of a little kid who has been obsessing over these prehistoric creatures from as young as he can remember. There is plenty to see here and plenty to do for little kids.



We didn't bring a stroller for the three year old. He could have walked the whole park, but Hubby says he want to let him ride his shoulders as much as possible before he outgrows it.



You want to hit this place early with your kd, too, preferably before 1st grade. Next year he is probably going to be demanding the Tower of Terror or Space Mountain! Soak it in here. Save some of that Disney money, make a day of it here, pack a picnic lunch, and spend your savings in the Dinosaur gift shop.

This place can be dangerous, so be ready to run at all times!

Dinosaur skeletons are fascinating!

You can learn names, pronounciations, and information on each dinosaur your encounter on your journey.

There are some great photo opps, here, too!

Checking out the museum is a great way to beat the heat for a little bit.

My little dude absolutely loved this place!

We highly recommend visiting Dinosaur World with a little kid who is interested in dinosaurs and paleontology, like my little guy. If you only have one day to do something with a preschool boy in Central Florida, this is it!