“…We’re migrating to Austin…
                  are you ready for us?”

DinoLand Exhibit headed for Zilker Botanical Garden
September 6 – November 30, 2008

When our prehistoric visitors arrive in Austin next fall, they will definitely feel right at home!  Over 65 million years ago -- during the Cretaceous period – Austin’s Zilker Park was a beach shoreline on the Great Inland Sea. In 1992, amateur paleontologists were digging in a limestone quarry site at the back of Zilker Botanical Garden. They discovered the three-toed tracks of an ostrich-like dinosaur that had lived in our garden over 65 million years ago!  Fast forward ten years…to the 2002 opening of the Hartman Prehistoric Garden, a two-acre, habitat filled with Cretaceous plants, gar-filled streams, reptiles, dragonflies, and butterflies who keep our resident, life-size Ornithomimus company.

Visitors during the 3-month DinoLand Exhibit will travel back in time, coming face to face with thirty life-like dinosaur models of every shape and size.  These prehistoric creatures will take up temporary residence along the new Escarpment Trail (near the Hartman Prehistoric Garden) being developed by PARD staff.  From the fierce, 33-ft. Daspletosaur (cousin to the T-Rex) to a herd of tiny carnivores – Compsognathus (Compies in the movie, Jurassic Park) – these scientifically accurate dinosaur models were created by Guy Darrough, a renowned paleontologist, and owner of Lost World Studios (www.lostworldstudios.com). 

Guy’s dinosaurs have traveled to botanical gardens and nature centers around the country, but to only one other botanical garden in Texas – San Antonio Botanical Garden. When Dinosaurus Tex opened in 2002, it was “a watershed event”, receiving rave reviews from over 90,000 visitors.  The exhibit was equally successful when it returned to San Antonio in 2005.

Teachable Moments in an Outdoor Classroom…
You might be asking yourself the question, “So why is Zilker Botanical Garden an ideal spot for a dinosaur exhibit?”  The answer is simple: in 1918, when Colonel Andrew Zilker donated this land to the City of Austin -- that’s now home to Zilker Park and our 33-acre botanical garden -- he purposely wrapped his gift with “educational” ribbons.  For years, the garden has been a popular destination for area schools, bringing thousands of children to explore this “outdoor classroom.”

During the DinoLand Exhibit, docent-led school tours will be scheduled with Austin-area schools and schools in surrounding communities. Educational curriculum guides (based on TEKS guidelines) will provide limitless “teachable moments”, so our docents can engage children as they apply their math, science, history, and geography skills to these prehistoric creatures and the plant world.  

Throughout the 3-month exhibit, AAGC and PARD will host special events (see Events) that will include fun and educational activities for the entire family, lectures about dinosaurs, entertainment, dino crafts for the kids, tours of the exhibit trail, and a dino dig for fossils. Watch for more news to come!