Thanksgiving Point

Description:

• This huge complex, developed by the cofounders of WordPerfect software as an expression of gratitude to their community, includes a splendid dinosaur museum -- the Museum of Ancient Life. Billed as the largest dinosaur museum in the world, the museum houses some of the longest and tallest dinosaur replicas ever put on display, plus fossils and related exhibits on paleontology. The museum contains a children's discovery room, a fossil lab where you can see paleontologists at work, a wide-screen theater, and a museum store selling practically everything dinosaur related. Allow 2 hours.

  Elsewhere at Thanksgiving Point are the delightful Thanksgiving Point Gardens -- 55 acres of themed gardens, including topiary, butterfly, fragrance, herb, and English rose gardens, plus an unusual waterfall garden, all connected by some 2 miles of landscaped brick pathways. The Children's Discovery Garden, designed to encourage children's imaginations, contains a large Noah's Ark, an underground exhibit area, and a hedge maze. Allow 2 hours. Kids will also enjoy Farm Country, with an animal park and exhibits on the farming life (allow 1-2 hr.). Other attractions include an amphitheater, a golf course, numerous shops, and several restaurants. Wagon and carriage rides are also offered.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010