When I saw the announcement for the Jurassic Quest exhibition, I was excited. We get to see animatronic Dynos in their natural habitat.

I bought tickets for the family and waited anxiously for our allotted day and time – which happened to be the first day of 2022.

On that day, we arrived early at the convention center but got stuck in a long line of cars waiting to enter the car park. We eventually paid the parking fee of $20, parked, and headed to the exhibit.

The entry into the hall was exhilarating, with many types of dinosaurs arrayed on both sides of the pathway.

We saw giant herbivores like the Sauropods and triceratops, and we saw the terrifying T-Rex.

In the ancient oceans exhibit, we gazed upon the behemoth Megalodon and some whale precursors.

The exhibit also had several areas for younger children. In one place, kids can dig for dino fossils. While at another, they can get a temporary tattoo or create some dino art.

If you are brave enough, you can take a ride on a dinosaur. And of course, you can spend your money on souvenirs.

While this kind of exhibit is a great educational and entertainment idea, it left something to be desired.

Many of the exhibits were so dark you could barely see the dinos, and there was a huge empty area in the middle that could have been used for more exhibits or activities.

To keep the crowd limited due to Covid, we had to select a time slot of about 1 hour and 45 minutes. We were done with the whole exhibit in 45 minutes.

To be fair, families with young children would probably need the whole time to experience the activities and the rides.

The exhibit is traveling around the country. You can see a full schedule here. 

I heard a lot about escape rooms but never participated until recently when I visited the Mission Escape Games location at the Garden Walk, Anaheim.

I fell in love with the games right away. It is a great way to spend an hour and a half having fun with friends and family and using your brain to solve puzzles.

If you haven’t tried an escape room yet, here is an explanation: It is a game in which a team of players discovers clues, solves puzzles, and accomplishes tasks in one or more rooms to accomplish a specific goal in a limited amount of time.

That was the scientific definition, but basically, you will be running around between two or three rooms, collecting clues, and cooperating (or arguing) with your team to escape the locked rooms.

Mission Escape Games in Anaheim is a perfect place to try the game for the first time.

They always start with detailed instructions and synopses of the story, and they provide a way to get some clues from the game master in case you get stuck.

Important Note: They ask you to arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled time because you must sign waivers and watch a video and listen to the game synopsis and instructions. 

So far, we have tried two of their escape rooms, and we plan to return for more.

We started with Bank Heist, where we had to pull the ultimate bank robbery to clear a dept we accumulated with the mob.   

Our second escape was from the End of Days room. We had to put together the final element to save the human race from a failed experiment. Both games were exciting and fun to play.

Please note that  I am not giving away any specifics or pointers about gameplay to avoid spoilers. You must figure it out on your own.

There are a lot of escape room places, so what is so special about this one?

First, I like the convenient location at the Garden Walk, close to Disneyland, and too many top-notch restaurants.

Second, I like that I can reserve the whole room for my party. You pay around $120 on weekdays or $135 on weekends for a family of four.

And finally, I think the game guides are friendly and funny and make the game more enjoyable.

The circus is in town!

Circus performers and animals have been entertaining audiences for decades. Every circus has acrobats, high wire walkers, aerialists, lion trainers, and clowns – and this show has them all and much more.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey took all those acts and wove them together with a storyline that ignites the audience's imagination and makes every performance much more interesting.

The arena is set up with floating globes and bright LED projections. Images of stars and galaxies flash all around and on the big screens. The ice floor is illuminated with astronomical designs. The whole setup prepares the audience for a trip to outer space.

The ice flooring is a new innovation for circus shows. Many of the acts were performed while skating on the ice. 

As you wait for the show to start, you will be tantalized with appearances by some of the performers and animals. 

The show opens with a countdown, and on lift-off, you see three astronauts balancing on high-wire. With the lighting and special effects, it looks like the moonwalk.

The story is a typical struggle between good and evil. The good ringmaster is on a quest to find the best circus performers in the galaxy and bring them to earth for the greatest show in the universe.  While the evil queen wants the performers for her own show. 

The show featured some returning acts like the Torres family from Paraguay who raced motorcycles in a small (6-foot) globe with speeds up to 60 mph. Up to 6 bikes were cramped in this tiny space while spinning fast. With the stage lights dimmed and the cycle’s lights blasting, it looked like a tornado of light. 

Another popular returning act was big cat trainer Alexander Lacey who brought his well-behaved lions and tigers.

There were also new acts like the Chinese aerobatics team who were tumbling on the ice and the Simet family who presented their new Space Walk at the beginning of the show. 

One of my favorite performances was by the cute domesticated animals. The stage was invaded by every kind of pet you can imagine. There were cats and dogs, donkeys, goats, Lamas, Alpacas, and pigs. 

Notably, absent this year were the Asian Elephants. Thankfully they were all retired to a conservation center in Florida. The decision to retire the Elephants was largely driven by new legislation regulating travel and accommodation conditions for the huge animals. 

In general, my family and I loved the show, especially the new innovations and the space theme. I also noticed that the children around us were enthralled by all the acts.