The Franklin Institute has never been an average museum. From a giant heart you can slide around in to playing blackjack with a robot, the museum has always mixed science and play in interesting and creative ways. After an exciting afternoon exploring their new Jurassic World exhibit, I can say they have outdone themselves once again.

Showing until April 23, the traveling exhibit brings facts and fun together in a unique, prehistoric experience. Be prepared for life size anatomic dinosaurs moving and roaring before your eyes, a recreated lab that uses actual props from the hit movie, a rather clever “live” raptor encounter, and, of course, dinosaur droppings.

The coolest part, however, was definitely the Tyrannosaurus Rex show. These dinosaurs are life sized, and actually witnessing the enormous size of a fully grown T-rex walk, roar, and pick up a car just a few feet away is incredible.

If you’ve ever been to the dinosaur exhibits at Dorney Park or Six Flags, you’d have an idea of what to expect. The difference at the Franklin Institute is how close you can get to them. The robotics involved combined with the close proximity bring a startling lifelike quality, and that’s what really sets this apart from other dinosaur exhibits.

You still can’t touch them, but it’s close enough to really understand the enormous size of these giants that once roamed our planet.

The exhibit is a little on the pricey side if you aren’t a member, so I highly suggest going in the evening, when tickets are sold for less. Plus, there are not as many children screaming out of fear and amazement at the dinosaurs. Additionally, while the show itself is fun, it is still a shame- less plug for the movie and doesn’t give much information on the scaly giants. The small information panels that are tucked in the corners serve about as much a purpose as the fake fauna scenery.

So is it worth the money? I’d say so as long as you plan to see other parts of the museum, given that the entire experience is quite short and takes only about half an hour to walk through. But if you’re into dinosaurs, robotics, or just enjoyed “Jurassic World,” this is something that you can’t miss. The displays and activities, such as making your own dinosaur, touching old dinosaur bones, and little displays that talk about the science involved in studying dinosaurs, will make you feel the excitement of being a kid again.

All in all, it’s a fun and slightly pricey adventure to include in a larger trip to the Franklin Institute. If you can get past the movie advertising, it’s a fascinating experience that makes for a fun evening with dates, kids, or just a group of friends.