S. Morales

Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs 4D Experience at the San Diego Zoo

 

Credit: S Morales

Syreeta had the opportunity to experience the newest attraction at the San Diego Zoo, Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs 4D and shares all about it.

On Saturday, I visited the San Diego Zoo with my kids in tow, to catch the debut of the Zoo’s newest attraction, Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs: The 4-D Experience .  The event started with a fantastic array of delicious breakfast fare and plenty of spectacular Ice Age photo ops (courtesy of my amazing photographer husband).  While we snacked on pastries and cookies with Sid the Sloth’s face on them, we were able to observe the amazing elephants in their habitat, playing with their toys, eating, and enjoying the cool, spring morning air.  We also got to meet a few of the zoos most special creatures.  One was Bubba, the White Belly Tree Pangolin , who can only be found in Asia and Africa, and Tipu, the Lesser Anteater.

Credit: S Morales

The treats were followed by the introduction of Bob Dylan, former elephant handler and current Director of Operations for the Zoo.  Mr. Dylan then introduced Keke Palmer, who is the voice of “Peaches” in the upcoming movie, Ice Age: Continental Drift, set to release in theaters on July 13.  My kids and I can’t wait for this new movie.  Keke Palmer might be better known for her role in the Nickelodeon hit, True Jackson, VP, a show my kids and I love!  Keke gave a brief description of the movie and shared how much she loved the new Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs: The 4-D Experience.

Credit: S Morale

We headed down to the 4-D Theater, which is located between the elephant habitat and the awesome Skyfari Aerial Tram.  We had the opportunity to take pictures with Sid the Sloth and the infamous Scrat, while reporters from various media outlets asked Keke questions about her role in the new movie.  The best question came from a teenage reporter who asked Keke “What’s the difference between a schoolgirl crush and a wooly mammoth crush?”

Credit: S Morales

After pictures and questions wrapped up, Keke cut the ribbon, officially opening the attraction and welcomed us into the 4-D theater where we got to experience one of the most awesome attractions the Zoo has to offer outside of their amazing wild animals.  The 15 minute-long “movie” features bumps, jumps, snow, and lots of laughs as you are guided through the Prehistoric Ages with Manny the Mammoth and his friends as they try to rescue their buddy Sid.  The cost of the show is $6 for general admission, and $5.00 for Zoo members.  We would have gone in to see the show a second and third time, but the line was so long!  The word is already out about this great attraction, and I can’t wait to head down to the San Diego Zoo for another beautiful weekend to enjoy Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs: The 4-D Experience again and again!

Credit: S Morales

San Diego Model Railroad Museum

 

I’m excited to introduce the first of our new contributors Syreeta! She recently had  the opportunity to head down for a fun day with the family in San Diego and shares all about it.

Credit: S Morales

I’m always looking for new and exciting things to do with my little buddies, and this weekend was no exception.  We jumped in the mommy mobile and headed south to visit the San Diego Model Railroad Museum.  The museum is located in historic Balboa Park which is chock full of beauty, art, and culture.  Parking is free, but it’s a bit of a nightmare, so wear your most comfortable shoes, leave your car out on the street and walk into the park.

Credit: S Morales

The SDMRM is located on El Prado Street between the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and the Museum of Photographic Art.  The cost to enter the museum is $8.00 for adults, and the best part is that kids under 14 are FREE with a paid adult admission.  Luckily, I found a great deal on Living Social to get our tickets for $4.00 each.  If you live in San Diego County, the first Tuesday of the month is free.

Credit: S Morales

When we first entered the museum, my kids ran straight for a small replica of an American steam engine train from the 1830’s.  And that was just the beginning of their intense amazement at this awesome place.  The models were built using several different scales, with their descriptions printed in the windows.  One awesome thing is that they allow you to go upstairs where you can watch some creators painting and working to complete new models.  It’s pretty cool to see them in unfinished status.  The intricate detail that goes into these model towns is amazing.  One model town even had an old school McDonald’s and kids sledding down a snow covered hill.

After spending quite some time marveling over every billboard and cop car with flashing lights, we made our way down to the star of the museum since Thanksgiving: the Holiday Lego Train Exhibit brought for our enjoyment by the Southern California Lego Train Club.  If you’ve ever been to Legoland, you will immediately recognize the outstanding level of creativity in every piece of work in the Lego display.  There was a train track and real moving train surrounding a town filled with busy occupants.  The club created a list of Lego items for you to search for in the town, and my kids had an absolute blast looking for things like a cat burglar and a porta potty.

The San Diego Model Railroad Museum is a great place to spend a couple hours with your kids exploring these impressive models.  To learn more about the museum, head here

Syreeta is  mom to two very busy boys, ages 3 and 10.  She works full time as a loan processor at a local credit union, and part time as a finder of fun!  She loves to take her  family out on new adventures all over Southern California.  Disneyland is her  favorite place to make memories, but she  also enjoys other amusement parks, museums, zoos, exhibits, and anywhere else there are good times to be found.