A 40-foot animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex has taken up residence on the nature trails of McKinney's Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, joining a lineup of 13 new life-size robotic dinosaurs for the opening of this year's Dinosaurs Live! exhibit. The seasonal display, located at the sanctuary's 1 Nature Place address, includes photo opportunities, play-area dinosaurs for younger visitors, and an outdoor fossil dig, and it's included with general admission and free for museum members.
According to CultureMap Dallas, the exhibit will remain on display through February 2027, giving families months to visit before it winds down. The animatronics themselves come from Dino Don, Inc., a company founded by Don Lessem, who served as a scientific advisor on Steven Spielberg's *Jurassic Park*, according to Kids Out and About Dallas. That pedigree lends a bit of Hollywood credibility to the robotic creatures now roaring along the sanctuary's paths.
This marks the 20th annual installment of Dinosaurs Live!, an event that has become an established autumn-to-winter tradition across North Texas, as noted by North Texas e-News. Two decades of returning dinosaurs speaks to how deeply the exhibit has embedded itself into the region's fall calendar, even as the animatronic cast and features rotate from year to year.
A Trail Built for Strollers and Wheelchairs
The dinosaur trail itself spans a half-mile nature path that was recently paved specifically to improve accessibility for strollers and wheelchairs, per the same Kids Out and About Dallas report. That's a notable upgrade for a sanctuary where umbrella strollers aren't typically recommended on the unpaved portions of its grounds.
Families with sensory sensitivities also have a dedicated option: the venue schedules Dinosaurs Quiet sessions on the second Saturday of each month of the exhibit's run, from 8 to 9 a.m., during which the animatronics operate without movement or roaring sounds, according to Plano Events. Outside those quiet hours, the dinosaurs move and roar continuously along the trail during regular museum hours.
A 289-Acre Sanctuary With Deep Roots
The Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary itself covers 289 acres in McKinney, featuring five miles of hiking trails, 50 acres of wetlands, a two-acre native plant garden, and a native Texas butterfly house, according to Tour Texas. It draws more than 100,000 visitors annually, making it the most visited tourist attraction in the city of McKinney, per Wikipedia.
The sanctuary's origins trace back to 1967, when 80-year-old conservationist Bessie Heard founded the museum to preserve open green space amid North Texas's urban expansion; she lived to age 101 before her death in 1988, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. Nearly 60 years later, that mission of protecting green space continues even as Collin County's growth accelerates around the sanctuary's borders.
Visitors curious about authentic prehistoric history rather than animatronics can also head indoors, where the museum's paleontology collection features Texas Nessie, a 93-million-year-old plesiosaur fossil discovered locally in North Texas, alongside an 85-million-year-old sea reptile fossil, per Tour Texas. The find is a reminder that North Texas once sat beneath a prehistoric inland sea during the Cretaceous period, long before any robotic dinosaurs arrived on the property.
Media Sponsors and Practical Details
This year's Dinosaurs Live! exhibit is sponsored by North Texas television stations NBC 5 (KXAS-TV) and Telemundo 39, according to Kids Out and About Dallas. As with any outdoor seasonal event, organizers note that Dinosaurs Live! is subject to change due to weather or other concerns, and CultureMap Dallas advises visitors to check with the venue to confirm the event is taking place as scheduled before making the trip.
-4.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)
