Montville, Conn. — What’s this? The Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art in Oakdale is now a spot on the Connecticut Dinosaur Trail. The other stops are the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford, Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill and the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven.
The dinosaur trail: The trail was created last month using a $25,000 Marketing Challenge Grant from the Department of Economic and Community Development and the Connecticut Office of Tourism that had to be matched by the participants.
Local partner: The Waterford Hotel Group is participating in the program, offering room discounts, small gifts and dinosaur trail literature at three of its hotels — Courtyard by Marriott in Norwich, Hartford Marriott Downtown and Courtyard by Marriott Cromwell.
Present attractions: The Dinosaur Place is on Route 85 in Montville. It is in its 11th year and features 30 life-size dinosaurs on 60 acres and 1.5 miles of hiking trails. It is also home to New England’s largest freshwater splash pad.
Coming attractions: Among features being added because of the dinosaur trail designation are a scavenger hunt and coloring contests, said Laura Rush, guest relations and marketing manager. Two more dinosaurs are soon to be placed along the hiking trails, she said.
Retooling the brand: The Dinosaur Place is going to be increasingly marketed as a campus similar to Disney World, Rush said. The business has nine full-time employees, with staff swelling to as many as 30 during the peak months of May and June. It serves 50,000 visitors per year, Rush said.
What it costs: Admission to The Dinosaur Place is $18.99 in summer and $14.49 in spring and fall.
On the Web: ctdinotrail.com, thedinosaurplace.com.
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