Thanksgiving Point Opens Mountain America Jurassic Jungle

This week Thanksgiving Point celebrated the grand opening of Mountain America Jurassic Jungle, a dinosaur themed, five-level play space with animated, interactive prehistoric exhibits for parents and children. It represents a completely immersive play experience. Jurassic Jungle has a total of eight slides, 122 sculpted elements, and three different storylines. Located within the previous IMAX theater, which it replaces, at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Jurassic Jungle introduces engaging and fun STEM experiences intended for children of all ages. Construction of Jurassic Jungle began in March of 2022. It was funded by Mountain America Credit Union and in partnership with Soft Play, a provider of contained playground environments for children ages 2-12 years old headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina.

Jurassic Jungle was created by an extraordinary team, headed by Alexa Seegmiller, the Exhibit Designer/Art Director of Jurassic Jungle’s exhibits, pictured left above, who was involved in all aspects of the experience, from the color-changing murals under different lighting to blinking dinosaur eyes. Seegmiller designed Jurassic Jungle as a novel, always-changing experience for visitors.  At a click of a button, museum staff can change the experience for the visitor. The exhibit changes roughly every five months, presenting a new experience for visitors.

In addition to the play area being huge, Jurassic Jungle consists of changeable elements featuring different adventures and storylines, including volcanoes, dinosaur egg shells and bones.

“The hardest part of this exhibit has been coping with the limitations of gravity in the design of the exhibit. Like how do we get this vinyl on the wall or this arch to stay up?” Seegmiller shared with the SheTech interns. “But in the end it was so worth it.” Seegmiller created a wristband-activated beacon system within Jurassic Jungle. 

Wearing a wristband to activate a beacon system, as visitors enter they encounter a beautiful jungle mural that was originally illustrated by Seegmiller, a BYU grad with a degree in Animation, on her iPad. She designed its colors to shift depending on the room's lighting that changes according to different stories and seasons. In the exhibit Seegmiller emphasized the smallest details. For example, she designed the realistic animation of a Stegosaurus waking up to investigate the strange human in front of him. 

Thanksgiving Point ultimately built Jurassic Jungle to ignite children’s imaginations. And this it does very well. Jurassic Jungle makes the complicated accessible for children. It inspires wonder in children; they’ll want to learn more about dinosaurs, animation, and animatronics. 

“Thanksgiving Point’s mission is to bring the joy of learning and wonders of the natural world to life,” said Seegmiller. Although creative license was taken to colorfully and playfully portray the dinosaurs in the play space, the exhibit is not only entertaining but is educational by helping children learn essential skills they cannot learn elsewhere.

In Jurassic Jungle, and across the property of Thanksgiving Point, kids are encouraged to learn and grow. At Thanksgiving Point kids get curious and confident with STEM, while also becoming compassionate for others through interactive play.

Children learn curiosity throughout the play place. They learn new dinosaur facts but also find out how animatronics work and where the “data” goes that the animated creatures are gathering. It is the perfect introduction to STEM. 

Children can learn compassion as well by helping another child up a high step, helping a dinosaur with his toothache, or helping the mom dinosaur find her babies. Children learn how to be a team player as they go through the story and game. Not only are they working with either friends or parents, but with “The Professor,” sending back data and reading the clues that are given. Every time a child progresses in the game, they gain more confidence, knowing they can do it. Every slide they go down or floor they go up, they have the opportunity to experience being bold and self-assured. Some of my favorite pieces of advice I have received in life are “Be curious about life,” “The more the merrier” and “Have faith in yourself.” This venue teaches these life skills very well.

Jurassic Jungle is a stimulating environment that inspires, educates, and motivates through exhibits that teach curiosity, compassion, and confidence. These are critical traits for children to develop. The STEM-focused exhibit is both fun and educational; it entertains both young and old. 

To make a reservation, buy tickets ($5 adults/ $14 children 2-12), wristbands ($1.75, $6) and grip socks ($3), visit https://thanksgivingpoint.org/attractions-tickets/jurassic-jungle/