dino-mite!

Mammoth and immersive dinosaur experience roars into Texas complex

Venture back in time with Jurassic Quest.

Photo courtesy of Jurassic Quest

Some 65 million years ago dinosaurs suddenly and mysteriously went extinct. Yet, the lizards live on in the minds of children and adults in myriad books and toys, and especially in movies — with an often passionate fandom.

Last year’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom contained a dinosaur death scene (a gentle, wailing Brachiosaurus engulfed in lava and smoke) so wrenching, it unleashed an avalanche of news stories and emotionally charged reactions on social media.

Clearly, as society churns forward, folks still love to look back at mankind’s prehistoric predecessors. Now, San Antonians can get an up-close, intimate look at their favorite dinos with Jurassic Quest, which returns to Houston from August 2-4 at NRG Park.

The sprawling exhibition returns to Houston after a sold-out, six-week tour in Canada. Guests who trek through this world are promised a glimpse back in time, courtesy of 80 life-sized dinosaurs. The replicas range from miniscule to massive; the exhibit also boasts 70,000 square feet of rides and activities in addition to the specimens.

Visitors will witness these creatures move, roar, and roam. Additional attractions include a host of dinosaur-themed rides; baby dinosaur show; bounce house; science station; “dino cinema;” and toddler petting zoo, where young dinosaur fans can meet young dinosaurs (who knew a Velociraptor could be cuddly?). Face painting and a crafts and coloring station round out the experience.

Attendees can dabble in paleontology at an excavation station, where they can dig up fossils, and peruse real dinosaur fossils dating back over 60 million years, including bones that originated in North America. Jurassic Quest worked in collaboration with leading paleontologists to ensure each dinosaur was painstakingly replicated in every detail, according to a release.

Whether for enthralled kiddos or curious adults, the whole excursion back into the Jurassic days promises to be, sorry, dino-mite.

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Jurassic Quest roars into NRG Park (NRG Pkwy.) in Houston from August 2-4. For tickets and more information, visit the official site.

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Turkey Day news

San Antonio eats up top-10 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving pumpkin pie at Kona Grill in San Antonio

Photo courtesy of Kona Grill

San Antonio is one of the best place to celebrate Thanksgiving in Texas in 2024.

San Antonio is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

San Antonio ranked No. 7 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12. The city made a big leap over its 2023 ranking as No. 14, and remains the second highest-ranked city in Texas.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The categories that San Antonio ranked the highest in were the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 2), and affordability (No. 11), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 90). Other categories that determined San Antonio's overall ranking were the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 14), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 75).

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, San Antonio will be fully decked for the December holidays. San Antonians who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. The home of the Alamo certainly goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas ranked two spots above San Antonio as the fifth best city for Thanksgiving. Houston ranked No. 23, while Austin only came in at No. 39.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

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