Dinosaurs Roar Into Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha This Summer

You're walking through a garden, flowers everywhere, and then a dinosaur turns its head. Roars. Swings that big tail a few feet from where you're standing.

That's actually happening in Omaha this summer. The traveling exhibition Dinosaurs Around the World: Passport to Pangea has moved into Lauritzen Gardens, tucked in among the flowers and trees. If you're after a family outing that the kids won't stop talking about, this one's hard to beat.

There are thirteen life-sized animatronic dinosaurs spread across the garden's 100 acres. And these aren't statues. They move. They roar. They bring the ancient world to life in a way that gets the kids going and, honestly, catches the grown-ups off guard too. You follow the garden paths and keep running into these giant creatures staged in the greenery, each one a little lesson about the age when dinosaurs ran the place. Part nature walk, part time machine.

Here's what you need before you go. Dinosaurs Around the World is at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft Street in Omaha. It runs May 30 through September 7, 2026, so there's still plenty of summer to catch it. The gardens are generally open 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (as of July 2026 — confirm current hours at their site), and admission runs roughly fourteen to eighteen dollars depending on age, with the dinosaur exhibition included in garden admission. Worth confirming current hours and pricing before you drive out, just in case.

The nice thing is you get two good things in one stop. Lauritzen Gardens is a treasure on its own, a sprawling botanical spot with rose gardens, a model railroad garden, woodland trails, and blooms that shift with the season. Drop the dinosaurs into that and a pretty afternoon turns into a real adventure. Kids come for the roaring giants and leave having also wandered one of the prettiest, calmest corners of the city.

A few things that'll make the day smoother. Go earlier when it's cooler, since you're walking outdoors the whole time. Bring water, sunscreen, comfortable shoes. Let the little ones linger at each dinosaur to watch it move and read about the species. And leave time for the rest of the gardens, which earn the trip all by themselves.

This is the kind of day summer is for. Sparks a kid's imagination, gives everybody something to chew on during the ride home. Lifelong dinosaur kid or not, a walk among these gentle giants is a memory in the making.

Just don't sit on it too long. It closes September 7. For more wholesome family events and ideas for filling out your Omaha summer, browse our Explore Omaha event calendar and start planning your next day out.

Prices and hours change, so always confirm the latest on each place's official website before you go — the figures in this guide are current as of July 2026.