Beltway Bambinos

Stefanie Harrington a local Mom of three, a personal friend and incredibly talented maternity, birth, newborn and family photographer recently visited The Smithsonian National Zoo with her toddler and saw Erth’s Dinosaur Live Show.

I have been to the National Zoo literally countless times with my kids. It’s one of my – and theirs – favorite kid friendly outings here in DC. This week, I had the chance to see the Erth’s Dinosaur Live Show in the National Zoo Theater with my daughter. It was so much fun! Go before it’s gone!
The entire show is interactive and entertaining for kids and adults: A fun history of different dinosaurs with the help of amazingly realistic puppets and sound effects. From start to finish, it’s very well thought and acted out. A host lets the audience know what’s coming up next, makes jokes and teaches about each dinosaur in a way that’s easy for kids to understand. Kids are invited to participate in various parts of the show, which makes it all the more relatable and exciting for them. 

I appreciated that they designed the show to go from baby dinosaur to larger-than-life dinosaur. This definitely lets the kids get used to the puppets, although the T-Rex is quite large and a bit scary to some of the littlest in the crowd. The show recommends ages three and up, which seems accurate based on most of the two-year-olds’ reactions to T-Rex. 

After the show, you can add the Dino Photo Experience to hold one of the baby dinosaurs for a photo. The staff is patient and kind with the kids, some more nervous than others in getting them to pose for the photos and also in answering any dinosaur-related question. Unfortunately, my daughter, like most of the other two-year-olds did not want to get close enough for a photo, whereas slightly older toddlers and kids loved this added experience.  

The 30-minute-long show has three daily show times; 10:30am, 1:30pm & 4:30pm, Tuesday through Sunday, and is held in the National Zoo Theater through August 31 so don’t miss it; purchase your tickets here! The theater is in the Visitors Center near the Connecticut Avenue entrance. 

FONZ members: Check any copy of FONZ’s weekly Zoo Friends e-newsletter sent on May 7, 2019 or later for instructions on accessing your discounted tickets. If you have just joined FONZ, please check your email confirmation for this information. Not a member? Join today.

Don’t want to see the show? Travel back in time with “DinoRoars”—a self-guided safari around the Smithsonian’s National Zoo—and meet massive animatronic dinosaurs that move and roar. From June 1 to August 31, visitors will be able to look up and listen as the roar of a 39-foot-long T. rex joins the symphony of Zoo animal chirps, squawks and chuffs. On exhibit will be Compsognathus, Dilophosaurus, Parasaurolophus and babies, Stegosaurus and baby, Quetzalcoatlus and babies and T. rex. Each dinosaur is fitted with electronic brains to activate and control movements and produce the sounds. Admission to the Zoo and “DinoRoars” is free.