I climbed inside the belly of a dinosaur and came out its mouth!

This is not, I repeat NOT, an April Fools’ joke. I really did climb straight inside a dinosaur’s belly. And not just any dinosaur either, but Mr. Rex himself, the world’s largest Tyrannosaurus Rex!

The Cabazon Dinosaurs, the World’s Biggest Dinosaurs

The incredible Cabazon Dinosaurs, the World’s Biggest Dinosaurs, sit just 30 minutes Northwest(ish) of Palm Springs. It’s an easy, pretty drive, and very much worth it.

When you arrive, Mr. Rex and his friend Dinny greet you in a large, nondescript parking lot. It seems rather unimpressive until you get up close. When Mr. Rex and Dinny are towering above you, there’s absolutely nothing unimpressive about it.

What else is there to do at the Cabazon Dinosaurs?

What appears to be just two very, very large dinosaurs is actually much more. Follow a path along to a small ticketing window and pay an entrance fee to see what’s inside. Adults are $13, children (3-12) are $11, and seniors and military are $10.

Inside the park, you (and your kiddos) will get to dig for fossils, climb inside giant dinosaur eggs like I did in the photo below, and experience dozens (maybe 100?) animatronic dinosaurs. If you’re a fan of Jurassic Park, this is a must-stop for you. Even if you’re not a fan, it’s still pretty… jaw-dropping.

Climb inside Mr. Rex

OK, now to the part about climbing inside a dinosaur’s belly… From inside of the park you can enter and climb a narrow few sets of stairs right up into Mr. Rex’s (who you’ll see and admire from the outside parking lot) belly. From his belly, you’ll climb up one last spiral set of stairs and go straight into his mouth! You can officially, like me, say you’ve sat inside a T. Rex’s mouth! If you have kids or grandkids, they’ll LOVE saying that!

I couldn’t upload my video, but here are a few screen captures from it:

All dressed up

Mr. Rex, Dinny, and many of the other Cabazon Dinosaurs dress up for holidays and special occasions. When I was there, they had just put on their Valentine’s Day attire, but if you visit soon you may see them in their Sunday best dressed for Easter, as the photos from their Instagram account show from last year. Note that where you see his teeth is where you climb up into, like in the photo above.

I think it goes without saying that you can’t leave without walking through the jungle-like gift shop. If you or the kids found a “fossil” throughout the park, you get a prize, and come on, who doesn’t want a prize?

You can view and explore Mr. Rex and Dinny any time of day, but The Cabazon Dinosaur park is open Monday-Thursday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (ticket sales end at 4:30 p.m.), Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (ticket sales end at 5:30pm), and Saturday & Sunday: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. (ticket sales end at 6:30 p.m.). You can learn more or plan your visit on their official website. Oh, and check out their Instagram account for some great photos. It’s dino-mite! 

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