DinoLand U.S.A.
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DinoLand U.S.A. is the name of the land in Disney's Animal Kingdom that contains all of the dinosaur-themed attractions.

Backstory

DinoLand U.S.A. originally started as a small highway town where an amateur fossil-hunter found some dinosaur bones in 1947. After contacting some scientist friends, they gathered their money together to purchase the site. Since then, scientist, volunteers and grad students have been living there trying to find answers about dinosaurs. The Dino Institute was founded and opened the site as a "fossil discover park". An old fishing lodge on the property became the Restaurantosaurus.

Chester and Hester, two locals, were determined to make a quick buck and converted their gas station into a fossil souvenir shop. Not to be out done by the Dino Institute, they created their own version of DINOSAUR named Primeval Whirl. They also added Triceratop Spin and the midway games.

Attractions

• The Boneyard Playground - A playground themed after a dig site, featuring an area where guests can dig for "dinosaur bones" buried in sand.
• Dinosaur (originally named Countdown to Extinction) - A dark ride focusing on a time traveling trip from the formerly secret Dino Institute to the Cretaceous period, just before the arrival of the meteor which is believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
• Finding Nemo-The Musical - The original stage show developed by Walt Disney Creative Entertainment tells the story of the Disney/Pixar film Finding Nemo with new songs by Avenue Q composer Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and puppets designed by Michael Curry. The production combines dancers, acrobats, animated backdrops, and theatrical puppetry. Marlin, Dory and Nemo are depicted by actors holding large puppets while other characters are portrayed through a variety of puppetry styles.
• Dino-Sue - A reproduction of the largest, most complete T. rex ever found. The length of a four-story building, the skeleton is available to pose for pictures at the Dino Institute.
• Cretaceous Trail - A walking tour amidst plant and animal survivors that have outlived the dinosaurs.
• Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama - A subsection of DinoLand U.S.A., representing a carnival-like tourist trap on the road to the Dino Institute.
• Primeval Whirl - A Wild Mouse roller coaster with spinning cars. The ride sports theming presenting a time traveling trip to the Cretaceous period, just before the arrival of the meteor which is believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
• TriceraTop Spin - A dinosaur-themed spinning ride, similar to Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
• Fossil Fun Games - An assortment of dinosaur-themed carnival-style games.

The article text above is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "DinoLand U.S.A.".

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