CHARLESTON, WV (WOAY) – Children and families are being immersed back to the Jurassic era during a summertime visit to the Clay Center of Arts and Sciences in downtown Charleston, WV.
A new exhibit that started in June, the Dinosaur Safari brings visitors up close to seven realistic-looking, animatronic dinosaurs and hands-on stations where kids can become paleontologists digging up fossils.
A nearly 2,500 square-foot attraction in the Clay Center’s Discovery Museum, Dinosaur Safari will be open until September 18. It’s teaching young minds about a different era millions of years into the past in a fun and completely interactive way.
“We are so excited for the dinosaurs to have taken over the Clay Center! We know kids love dinosaurs so we’ve been waiting for this exhibit for several years, it’s the first-time dinosaurs have taken over the Clay Center in over a decade and we’re so excited to have them with us for the summer,” says Vice President of the Museum and Marketing for the Clay Center, Morgan Robinson. “We have lots of additional programming going on like fossil exploration, name your favorite dinosaur, dinosaur story times, and more.”
But the dinosaurs don’t end there. In another part of the center, at the Caperton Planetarium and Theater, people can be immersed in a totally visual world of Triceratops, T-rex, and all of the other gigantic, prehistoric reptiles during the production of Dinosaurs of Antarctica.
Apart from the dinosaurs, however, there is so much more to see and do there for the summer. Ashton’s Climbing Sculpture, a 4-story climbing sculpture in the center of the facility creates an exciting challenge for both kids and adults to explore a work of art from a new perspective.
The facility is also home to its permanent exhibits that include, My Town, Healthy Me, a music studio, and Water Works for the kids, along with the Juliet Art Center for the adults. It’s truly an ideal place to bring the whole family.
“This is such a wonderful, memory-making experience for families, and it’s inexpensive, only $9 for adults, $7.50 for kids and seniors, and children two and under are free. You can come in at 10 a.m. and stay till 5 p.m., leave and run out for lunch downtown and just have a great day doing a little stay-cation right here in Charleston,” Robinson says.
You can plan your visit by going to the Clay Center online or by calling them at (304)561-3570. Their hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and from noon until 5 p.m. on Sundays.
