Get the kids outdoors and hunt for dinosaurs in Coral Gables’ biggest garden

Something big is coming to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

Something really big.

Life-size dinosaurs — including everybody’s favorite short-armed monster, the Tyrannosaurus — are coming to Fairchild this month. This seems like a natural fit: The rain forest area of the 83-acre garden, with its leafy greenery and mist coolers, has always seemed like a possible stand-in for the fictional theme park. Minus the flesh-eating lizards.

The dinos aren’t real, of course. Dinosaurs have been extinct for 65 million years or so, which you know if you didn’t sleep through science class. These dinosaurs are fabrications, but they will look good on your Instagram.

The dinos will share space with the garden’s cycads (which date back to the Prehistoric era, too, only with a happier ending).

As part of Jurassic Garden, Fairchild plans to host “Roar & Explore” walking tours at 11 a.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the weekends to teach guests more about the prehistoric era. There will also be educational Discovery Carts in the area on Saturday and Sunday.

Jurassic Garden: A Prehistoric Adventure

Where: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Rd., Coral Gables

When: Through July 18

Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily

Tickets: $24.95 for adults; $17.95 seniors; $15.95 students with ID; $11.95 child 6-17; under 6 free; fairchildgarden.org Fairchild members do not need to reserve a time

This story was originally published May 5, 2021 at 12:49 PM.