City: Pigeon Forge, TN

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (865) 428-4003

Address: 106 Showplace Boulevard

Description: A menacing two-story-high T-Rex is one of the 60 life-size replicas of prehistoric creatures that greet visitors as they tour this fun and educational collection. But they’re not all giants. The smallest ’saur represented here is the tiny 12-inch-tall, one-pound Microraptor. Other exhibits include giant sea lizards; flying reptiles; and replicas of bones and skulls of ancient prehistoric creatures.The fascinating dinosaur sculptures here are called “flesh replications.” To create them, the artists use actual fossils, footprints, and other information. First, they build a wooden skeleton, which they then cover in clay and sculpt to the dinosaur’s actual size. To do that, they analyze modern-day animals to figure out what muscle mass a creature of that size would have. The artists then make molds from the clay models and cast the beasts in fiberglass. When the pieces are painted and fully assembled, the effect is eerily realistic.The Dinosaur Walk Museum also shows high-definition educational films and offers a monthly series of dinosaur-related activities, hands-on studies, and demonstrations by paleontologists as part of its innovative Kids Club program. Admission is $9.95 for adults; $6.95 for children ages 4 to 11; and free for children under 4.