The Franklin Institute Invaded by''Giant Mysterious Dinosaurs''

Exhibit opens December 10 and will have extended holiday hours

Tickets now on sale

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The world's largest and most unusual dinosaurs invade The Franklin Institute Saturday, December 10th in the new exhibition Giant Mysterious Dinosaurs – and tickets go on sale today.  This exclusive exhibition allows visitors the chance to get up close-and-personal with gigantic dinosaurs, as long as 70 feet, excavated from such remote regions as Patagonia and the Gobi Desert of Inner Mongolia – with many rarely seen in this country.  Dozens of exotic giant skeletons and intricate robotics reveal new discoveries of dinosaur origins and behavior, while casting light on the unfamiliar international ancestors of familiar North American dinosaurs. The exhibit gathers two dozen humongous actual skeletons, dinosaur recreations and full-sized robotics and also lets visitors get hands-on by going on a dino dig and touching actual fossils. Giant Mysterious Dinosaurs will be at The Franklin Institute through April 15, 2012.

The spectacular collection belongs to the world's leading dinosaur collector and popularizer, Don Lessem. "Dino" Don, a Philadelphia area resident, has excavated and re-created dinosaurs from Argentina to Mongolia, including the world's largest meat-eater and plant-eater.  He was advisor to the movie Jurassic Park, and has written more than 50 books for children. Mr. Lessem's company, Exhibitrex, Inc., designed and built the Giant Mysterious Dinosaurs exhibition.

If you thought you knew dinosaurs, Giant Mysterious Dinosaurs will open your eyes.  Nearly half of all dinosaurs known have been found in the last two decades – many from the farthest reaches of the globe. And along with these recent findings come new insights into how dinosaurs grew, behaved, communicated, and, after 163 million years of domination, came to a crashing end.  Marvel at the dinosaurs you never knew with Giant Mysterious Dinosaurs.

Meet Mamenchisaurus, (MA-men-CHEE-sore-us) the longest-necked (and most pea-headed) animal that ever lived.  Get introduced to the world's largest meat-eating dinosaur skeleton –Giganotosaurus from Patagonia, 10% bigger than T. rex. See the world's largest dinosaur bone –the five-foot high backbone of the 100-ton Argentinosaurus.  Puzzle over the unicorn spike on the school-bus sized duckbilled dinosaur Tsintaosaurus (TZINT-ow-SORE-us), the two-foot long spines of the bizarre Amargasaurus, and the world's longest claw - nearly two feet long, from a still-unknown Mongolian giant meat-eater.

Giant Mysterious Dinosaurs at The Franklin Institute:  

TICKET INFORMATION

EXHIBIT HOURS

Sunday - Thursday: 9:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
-Last admission 3:30 P.M.

Friday & Saturday: 9:30 A.M. – 8:30 P.M.
-Last admission 7:00 P.M.

TICKET PRICES

Daytime Admissions
Adult: $25.00
Children ages 3-11: $18.50
Members: Free
Daytime tickets also include museum general admission.

Evening Admissions
Friday & Saturday only | 5:00 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.
Adult: $10.00
Children ages 3-11: $6.00

Members: Free
Evening tickets include admission to Giant Mysterious Dinosaurs only.

SPECIAL COMBINED TICKET OFFER:
Giant Mysterious Dinosaurs and CSI: The Experience

Adult:  $29.50 (after 5 P.M.: $15.00)
Children ages 3-11: $19.50 (after 5 P.M : $10.00)

SPECIAL HOLIDAY HOURS:
Saturday, December 24 & Saturday, December 31:  9:30 A.M. - 5 P.M. (last entry 3:30 P.M.)

Extended Hours:
Monday – Friday, December 26-30:  9:30 A.M. - 8:30 P.M. (last entry 7:00 P.M.)
Sunday, January 1, 2012:  9:30 A.M. - 8:30 P.M. (last entry 7:00 P.M.)

Tickets are timed and dated, and advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended.  For more information on purchasing individual tickets please call 1-877-TFI-TIXS or visit www.fi.edu.  Information on discounted tickets for groups of 15 or more is available at 1-800-285-0684. 

About The Franklin Institute
Located in the heart of Philadelphia, The Franklin Institute is a renowned and innovative leader in the field of science and technology learning, as well as a dynamic center of activity. Pennsylvania's most visited museum, it is dedicated to creating a passion for learning about science by offering access to hands-on science education. For more information, visit www.fi.edu.

SOURCE Franklin Institute