“Predators vs. Prey: Dinosaurs in the Land Before Texas” is at the Witte Museum through September 3, 2018. Consistent with the Witte Museum’s mission of presenting the deep history of Texas, the dinosaurs featured in the exhibit once inhabited the land that is now Texas. The exhibit uses fossils, animatronics, and augmented reality to bring these ancient creatures to life.
Dr. Thomas L. Adams, the Witte Museum’s curator of paleontology and geology, is an expert on the dinosaurs that lived around here millions of year before this land became known as Texas.
My son, F.T., snapped this picture of a map showing what the coastline looked like in the past, and where paleontologists have found fossil evidence of the dinosaurs featured in the exhibit.
The exhibit juxtaposes predatory dinosaurs with the herbivores that were their prey, and presents clues about how the prey dinosaurs may have defended themselves with horns, armor, whipping tails, or fast-moving legs.
The variety of form is amazing.
Animatronic dinosaurs that move and make sounds are great for capturing the imaginations of young visitors.
Several displays include tablets that allow visitors to see models of the dinosaurs in augmented reality.
An interactive display lets visitors get in the picture with the dinosaurs.
Young visitors will picking up a brush and digging for fossils.
There is a photo opp to capture the moment and share on social media.
I explained to my daughter, G.N., that when I was growing up, it was rare to see feathers in renderings of dinosaurs. New fossil discoveries have changed what paleontologists believe dinosaurs looked like. That is the process of science in action. In “Predators vs. Prey,” the Utahraptor is shown with a nice coat of feathers.
The “Predators vs. Prey” exhibit carries a surcharge of $8 per person ($7 for members) on top of the cost of general admission to the Witte Museum. One way to save money, especially if you are likely to visit several times over the year, is to buy a family membership; prices start at $95 per year. We use our membership so often that it has been a great value. General admission is free on Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., although exhibit surcharges still apply, and summer crowds can be significant.
Ticket bundles can save your family money. The $22 Adventure Pass includes general admission and both the “Confluence and Culture” and “Predators vs. Prey” exhibits. The Dino Size Summer package for $39.99 includes both the Witte’s “Predators vs. Prey” and the San Antonio Zoo’s Zoorassic Park.
For transportation, you can park for free in the Brackenridge Park garage on Avenue B, hire a rideshare, take VIA bus routes 7, 9, 10, 11, or 14 from downtown (VIVA route 11 includes other cultural attractions), ride the zoo train around Brackenridge Park, or borrow a SWell Cycle.
With these tips about how to save money and how to get there, I hope you and your family enjoy learning about the dinosaurs that used to live here before it became Texas at the Witte Museum’s “Predators vs. Prey” exhibit.
Read more:
- “Ticket packages available for Witte and zoo dinosaur shows,” Deborah Martin, San Antonio Express-News, June 4, 2018
- “Use Your San Antonio Zoo Membership to Explore Zoorassic Park This Summer,” Inga Cotton, San Antonio Charter Moms, May 30, 2018
- “‘Dinosaurs everywhere’ in San Antonio this summer,” Deborah Martin, San Antonio Express-News, May 22, 2018
- “Sneak peek: ‘Predator vs. Prey’ dinosaurs at the Witte Museum,” Deborah Martin, San Antonio Express-News, May 16, 2018
- “Predators vs. Prey Opens at Witte Museum,” Kathleen Petty, San Antonio Magazine, May 2018
- “The Witte Museum from A Kid’s Eye View,” Amanda Gentis, Alamo City Moms Blog, August 3, 2017
- “Getting Wild At the New Witte,” Dawn Robinette, Alamo City Moms Blog, March 3, 2017
- “Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed at the Witte Museum,” Inga Cotton, Alamo City Moms Blog, June 3, 2016
- “H-E-B Body Adventure: Be Healthy and Have Fun at the Witte Museum,” Inga Cotton, San Antonio Charter Moms, July 28, 2014
- “Alien Worlds and Androids: Take a Journey of Science and Creativity at the Witte Museum,” Inga Cotton, Alamo City Moms Blog, February 25, 2014
- “Summer Escape: Fairytale Fiesta Exhibit at the Witte Museum,” Inga Cotton, San Antonio Charter Moms, May 13, 2014
- “‘Dinosaurs Unearthed: Bigger. Better. Feathered . . .’ at the Witte Museum,” Inga Cotton, San Antonio Charter Moms, March 4, 2013
