I'll start with the pros- the actual museum portion is great. Lots of information and artifacts to cover. The ancient Egypt section was a highlight for me. I also really liked the variety of the gift store. Items for all ages and interests. The cons- it's really small. Don't plan on this visit taking up more than 2 hrs, especially with small kids who are only interested in looking and not reading facts lol. Also, the fun zone left a lot to be desired. The games are really outdated and there was no one there to assist in the reptile area. Overall it was a good experience but not a place I see the need to go to more than once read more

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This store is so amazing! They sell genuine dinosaur bones here! They have a children's exhibit here! They sell the coolest things! They sell jewelry and raw gemstones. They have a section of store devoted to framed insects and bats. This store really does have everything. My mother got a beautiful large raw labradorite stone and a stunning white and sky blue necklace pendant from the sole mine in the world that has this gemstone. My brother got a real megalodon tooth with a sterling silver fish hook for a pendant hook. For what they offer here I can say that their prices are reasonable. They also have a decent amount of parking. This is a great place to go to if you are local in the Space Coast area of Florida and if you are a tourist visiting or planning to visit. I definitely recommend this fantastic and wonderful store. read more

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Really nice place to visit with your kids, you will also learn a couple of new things as well. Recommended but don't expect to spend more that 2 hours, 3 tops at the place. Friendly staff! read more

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A wonderful adventure through the world of dinosaur and early man. Great exhibits and stories laid out on both levels. Staff was very nice. Skip the adventure room add on, the games are all worn out and half of them don't work. read more

The Dinosaur Store - Museums Near Me - Cocoa Beach, Florida

Mixed review!! Gift store: Very nice! Lots of goodies to buy. Adventure zone: This place is a dump! Complete rip off! Things were broken and outdated. 3-year-old couldn't reach things to play with. Don't waste your time here Museum: Amazing! The collections of skeletal remains and impressions that they have are incredible. The mezzanine area was very interesting. read more

Super cool place! Had king tuts actual tomb and a ton of relics. Definitely a neat place to check out.

If your in town for a launch then you probably love science. This place is conveniently located near A1A and 520, and is well worth a stop for the museum alone. Great place to shop for the dino fan and future scientist. read more

Cocoa Beach is world famous for being an internationally known surf spot, Ron Jon Surf Shop, being close to Cape Canaveral, and its location near the launch sites for NASA and SpaceX. However, Cocoa Beach (and its surrounding areas) does have some unique attractions, such as the Wizard of Oz Museum. For this review, that said unique attraction is the Dinosaur Store. Located near the intersection of 520 and A1A, The Dinosaur Store (which I will shorthand to TDS for the rest of this review) stands out with its design. Surely, the builders wanted to showcase bones. Inside, you'll be greeted by a friendly trike but rest assured, you'll see numerous items of a Jurassic, Triassic, and Paleolithic style for sale. In short, TDS isn't exactly a museum or educational business, but more a store that happens to specialize in... well... dinosaurs. That doesn't mean TDS is bad or a disappointment whatsoever. Instead, you'll find an array of toys, books, art, jewelry, furniture, clothing, and the like that has a dinosaur theme. And for an admission fee, you can enjoy the Arcade area in the next room. And on a sidenote for geocachers, there is one highly-favored geocache nearby too. It even fits the theme of TDS. From what I saw and interacted with, I will give four/five in my review. Will need to come again to thoroughly investigate everything. Despite this, if you are nearby and can stop on by, do so just to see what the unique hype is all about. read more

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DO NOT GO THERE WITH CHILDREN. you would think that with all the branding of a Dinosaur Museum targeted to children you would think they would be Kid friendly. They are NOT! Our 2 1/2 year old was near the glass looking at the butterflies in the display case and the woman working behind the counter started making offensive and passive aggressive comments about having to clean the glass again. It didnt end there. she made it extremely clear we were not welcome! When I told her we were locals and that it's families with children that are important for a tourist driven business like this, she said only families with "well behaved children" are welcome. Our daughter had done NOTHING wrong! At first I chalked it up to a bad employee hire, but then came to find out she in fact was the owner!! Why would you spend your life building your dream business and then do EVERYTHING you can to offend the very people you built your business to attract?? We went there to spend some time and money. We left disappointed and wouldn't spend a dollar. My advice would be that not everyone is cut out for the hospitality business. if your passion is dinosaurs, then go be an archeologist. but if you open up a tourist location you probably should learn to treat people right. We wont be back. We own several AirB&Bs in cocoa beach and have all 5 star reviews. The Dinosaur Museum is one place we will be steering our guests away from. It's a shame,...it looks as if they invested a lot of money here. I would suggest investing another few hundred dollars in an online class on customer service! read more

I have been wanting to come to the dinosaur store and museum for a few years. Finally made it and I'm glad I came. The store section (1st floor) is what you would expect from a very large and well-stocked fossil and mineral store. Everything from geodes to trilobites to replica and genuine dinosaur and contemporary animal skulls. Plenty of tchotchkes, TT-shirts, and stuffed animals. There were a couple of things I was tempted to buy, but I managed to control my urges, being the adult kid that I am. The museum, located on the second and third floors, was fabulous. I scouted it out for my grandsons (ha ha) and will definitely bring them here. The displays are professionally done and reminiscent of what you would see in a regional natural history museum. Honestly, I could've spent two or three hours in the museum. They have everything from sauropod skeleton displays to lifelike dioramas of dinosaurs in acts of predation to taxidermies samples of living birds and animals and extinct bird replicas. Very well done and well worth seeing. Shockingly, there is a third floor, which is the gallery of ancient cultures. They have re-creations of king Tutts tomb, Mesoamerican artifacts, including a temple re-creation with a Chac-mool, an ancient China section, and displays from African cultures. This is the kind of place you want to bring your kids to between teips to the beach and watching rocket launches here in Cocoa Beach. My hat's off to the owners and operators. I will definitely be bringing my grandsons here in the future. read more

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Do you love dinosaurs? Do you love ancient cultures? Do fossils, gold and crystals make you happy? If you answered yes to any of these questions this is absolutely the place for you! I have been to this museum many times and used to go to the store before the museum ever existed. I knew when my nephew was coming to town that I had to take him here, what six year old doesn't love dinosaurs?! Not only did he get to see The best exhibit ever, he also got to have the time of his life in their arcade. Even the adults were having a blast! This place has everything! They have a beautiful store with priceless artifacts and replications, a stunning two story exhibit of dinosaurs in ancient Egypt and many other cultures, they have an arcade and a room with so many living reptiles that all looked very well taken care of with clean cages. Truly, as a resident, this place is such a rare and beautifully done adventure. This is the spot to take anyone who loves history, animals and having a looking glass into our past. read more

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We really can only speak to the "Adventure Zone" and gift shop as we did not go into the museum. For the cost it is not worth it. $50+ dollars for four people to play with the most random assortment of arcade games and an area of very sad looking reptiles. The "habitats" for the animals are so small and the alligators just look so cramped. Some of the games didn't work and it just overall seems like the building is more for the gift shop and museum. If you're into rocks and fossils the gift shop is really neat to see. read more

The Dinosaur Store - The saddest animals ever. - Museums Near Me - Cocoa Beach, Florida

My children loved it every turn they tap me and call out my name, "mommy look! " I've heard it zillon times already and they had a game room they loved it as well read more

Overpriced for what it is. Feels very outdated. The museum felt old and not really interesting. The adventure zone is like 5 arcade games that are just out dated. read more

A hidden gem in the heart of Cocoa Beach, Fl. I have lived in the area for years and have driven past this place hundreds of times. I always thought that it was just a store selling geodes and fossils. I finally stopped in this place the other day and I am kicking myself for not stopping here sooner. It is fascinating and there is a lot to it for first-time visitors. According to their website, the store first opened in November 1996. They started designing exhibits for museums and other locations. They liked doing it so much and wanted to share it with their community so, in 2006 they designed a non-profit museum right into the design for the new Dinosaur Store. The NEW Dinosaur Store and Adventure Zone opened on the first floor in March 2009, and the Museum of Dinosaurs and Ancient Cultures opened on the second and third floors in April 2017. It is fascinating. There are 3 floors to the entire site. The first floor is a store and other adventures. The second floor is the dinosaur exhibits and the third floor is dedicated to ancient civilizations. The prices are about $12/person to see the upper 2 floors. The exhibits are top quality and truly are the best I have seen in any museum. I spent about hours looking at all the different pieces from various periods. It was fascinating, beautiful, and amazing. I highly recommend this place to any visitor in the area. Enjoy. read more

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Perfect place for all ages! My boyfriend had wanted to go here since he was a kid and I took him here for his birthday. Museum admission is only 16 per adult which I think is well worth it for how big it is on the second and third floors! Me and my boyfriend are history buffs so we enjoyed the visit. read more

The Dinosaur Store - Museums Near Me - Cocoa Beach, Florida

Really enjoyed this. A lot to see!! We spent about 2 1/2 hrs here. The quality of replicas were outstanding. Kids would find this enjoyable and educational. Upstairs has a Chinese exhibit, Egyptian, African and a mesoamerica exhibit. The Egyptian exhibit was a knockout. Not everything is a replica here. Some are authentic. Didn't visit the adventure center with the games and entertainment. Highly recommend this place. Cute little cafe with light lunches and ice cream in the small strip mall next to the museum. read more

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The husband and I were looking for something to kill some time while we were in the area and decided to stop in, because who doesn't love dinosaurs and history? The store itself has some really awesome items, and you don't need a ticket to shop, which is pretty nice. Great for folks who like interesting stones/rocks/fossils and such! The dinosaur museum part felt a little more set up for kids, and I felt a little awkward there as an adult without a child. And then one of the employees was telling the family behind me about a particular dinosaur and randomly started making snide comments about vegetarian people being stupid (and I just happen to be a vegetarian, so that made me feel a little extra awkward). The cultural history part felt a little less geared towards kids, but was also a smaller portion of the museum from what we could tell. In short, probably a cool place to take the kids, otherwise an adequate time killer as an adult, but I probably wouldn't go to the museum part again. Might visit the shop part again if I were to revisit the area, though. read more

This is a nice place to kill some time with the kids. Maybe 3 hrs top if you do both the museum and the Adventure Zone. My 4 year old son loves dinasours so he had a blast. The staff was very friendly explaining the options. read more

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I love all things dinosaur so this was a must see and sadly, my last stop in Florida. This place was very cool. I've definitely been to better museums but for what it was, it was nice. I didn't think I was rushing but I got through the museum very quickly. Although, they do pack a lot in a small space. I loved the gift shop. I didn't buy anything but they had a HUGE selection of almost anything you can think of for sale. I wouldn't be back but I'd recommend if your a dinosaur fan. read more

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Since they want to delete my post on Facebook because they know they are wrong! This happened at the dinosaur museum in coco beach! Worst experience of my life, the alligators have no where to move along with the turtle that only has a track to pace. When I tried to talk to the manager the lady started laughing saying they are not dogs, they don't care about animals and most rides were broke, I spent 36 bucks to see animals be abused. read more

The Dinosaur Store - Small tank for 2 gators - Museums Near Me - Cocoa Beach, Florida

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Second and final stop of the day with my little man was to the dinosaur museum in cocoa beach. They have a great special in October for Florida residents, B1G1 admission for the museum and game room. The museum was very cool and there was tons to see. The staff was very knowledgeable! I even learned serval new facts about #dinosaurs . I will be honest the game room was a little lame because a lot of the games were broken or run down but the reptile room was cool. Over we had a great time and would return for another rainy day. P.S They do require mask to be worn at all times. We took ours off just for a picture. . . #learnandplay #brevardcounty #mommyandme #spacecoastdaily #spacecoast #brevardrocks #brevardbeaches read more

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Absolutely loved this place! Such a pleasant surprise! My 5yo daughter saw this place and wanted to go. We didn't know what to expect, and honestly weren't expecting much. It should just be called a museum and not a store, since the museum is most of the building and is very well done. Calling it a store was misleading in a negative way. We've been to many museums and the exhibits here are so beautiful and impressive. Most were honestly better than any I've seen. The kids loved it and learned so much from the curator, Jack, who was so knowledgeable and passionate about the exhibits. Thanks, Jack! Such a wonderful place and so worth the time to visit and explore! read more

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We arrived in town a little early for our cruise, and decided to take the kids here for a little bit of education and entertainment. As mentioned before, there are four main sections. The gift shop, the museum, the play / game room, and the reptile room. We bought our tickets and started off with the museum on the 2nd floor, and then made our way up to the 3rd floor. It was all very educational, and they have so much more than dinosaurs. You'll really get your moneys worth if you take your time to walk around and read the bits of information. The play / game room is full of fun stuff for the kids (and adults) to interact with, and it doesn't cost any extra, as you just walk up and start playing. The reptile room was an unexpected bonus, full of snakes, lizards, a pair of alligators, and a few tortoises outside moving around slowly. Lastly, is the gift shop, which is full of fossils, and gems, minerals, and other stuff that you can't live without. read more

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Our 3-year-old grandson looooves dinosaurs! The staff at the store and museum were outstanding and our impromptu tour guide was the Best!! Excellent and interesting knowledge base, and bones and fossils to touch! He really went above and beyond! read more

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The Dinosaur store is pretty cool. They have a play area (for an extra $8 per child and the adult has to pay $6 to accompany them). We also added on the mineral mining for an additional $8. To do that they have a little area where they turn on the water and the kids wash away the sand to reveal either fossils or minerals. They get to take home the minerals. It is a nice selection that is in their bags. They also get a little card to identify what they got. We did have to go hunting for an attendant but she was very friendly, as was everyone we came in contact with. The play area was filled with games that require no tokens or money. You just hit the start button and go. There is also a ride that is an additional $3. We did not purchase the ride and we didn't see anyone riding it. In the back of the play area is a reptile room that has several different types of snakes and you can view a few alligators and turtles. All in all, my daughter loved it and at the end of the day that is all that matters. read more

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My boyfriend is fascinated by fossils and at this place they have a huge selection to see and purchase, so of course we checked it out while in town for a weekend getaway. He was fascinated by the aquatic fossils and the the geodes while I was intrigued by the meteorites and lunar specimens. Prices range drastically here depending on the fossil, the size, and the authenticity, but you can still find some neat stuff for fair prices. There's also a museum and an activity zone for an additional cost, but we didn't check out either because he was just fascinated by the fossils and could've spent all day in that one area. But the activity zone is a good idea for younger kids and the museum is a great way to tie in history. There's a decent amount of parking out front too, some shaded by the building depending on the time when you visit, but the building is set back from the main road on a service road and side road, so just keep that in mind as you navigate traffic to get there. read more

It was a pretty cool store! Semi expensive but a lot of cool things to see. I recommend going to the museum. My children absolutely loved it! read more

This venue has three different parts. First is the store/gift shop. It is beautiful. They have unique gifts, stunning home decor, and fun educational toys for kids. I recommend coming here for great gifts for kids and adults of any age. I give the store four stars. My only issue are the prices. It is very pricey (some of the prices may be appropriate), but you will certainly be spending quite a few bucks. The next part is the Adventure Zone. This is where my gripes come in. I would only give this part two generous stars. They do have educational activities and experiments, fun games, and live animals. This being said, here are my concerns: Out of Order: Many of the activities are often Out of Order or run down. Age Appropriateness/Variety: Many of the activities are too advanced for some/many kids. My five y/o loves this place, but I don't really know why. He runs from attraction to attraction, spending an average of 30 seconds at each as they are too advanced and he doesn't understand them. Also, he is too short to easily do/enjoy about five of the activities. Price: Ouch! I paid $19.50 for the two of us last week. Most places I take him do not charge the adult. I don't do anything except follow him around. Also, if you want to do the the Wild Nile Raft Ride you have to find an employee to ride it, plus it is $3.00 extra per person. If you want to do some panning for fossils that will cost you extra as well. $8.00 per person! Misc: You have to walk through the gift shop past precariously placed $1,700 amethyst. Scary with a 5 y/o who wants to touch every sparkly thing he sees. Also, the poor alligator(s) look terribly cramped in their quarters. The third part is the museum. I have not been but I have great things read more

I read some of the reviews and was considering not going. So glad we did! both of my teenagers loved it and one said it was his favorite part of the trip. I was pleasantly surprised and highly recommend this if you are in Cocoa Beach! read more

Great family friendly museum packed with a lot of interesting stuff. We got very lucky - Jack, a scientist who works at the museum accompanied us on our trip and answered all of our questions. A great way to spend a few hours. read more

Eh. Waited years to try this and I'm not sure if it was worth it. Pretty expensive for what it is. My kids looked through the whole two floors of the museum in 25 minutes. They were so excited to see the live animals, but there's just a couple in small cages, none to touch. They enjoyed the arcade games and it was nice it was unlimited play, but they're all pretty old, some didn't work. Museum would maybe make a decent school field trip, but overall just do your research and know what to expect before you go and pay for all the different options. read more

By luck we heard about this place by a local. He saw our 6 year old son and knew that he would love this place. I'm so glad that we took his advice. From the outside you would never know that this place holds live reptiles, arcade style games, wild raft ride, mineral mining and science center activities. We used the coco beach trolley as transportation. Inside the trolley they offer free maps that shows the locations of attractions, stores, restaurants, and hotels in the area. A ride on the trolley cost $1.25, .60 for students and seniors, and free for children 5 and under. A trolley stop was located right in front of our hotel, we had to transfer trolleys to get to the museum. It was really easy to find. You have to pay admission to enter the adventure zone, about $8 for children 3 and up and $5 for 18 year old and up. Most of the activities are included in the price. You don't have to pay extra for the arcade games. It cost extra to ride the wild raft ride (my family enjoyed it), and to keep the minerals that you find. My family spent a few hours in the adventure zone. We watched 2 movies about dinosaurs in the movie cave. They had an array of live reptiles featured in a corner room. From lizards, snakes, GATORS, and different types of spiders. A knowledgeable staff member talked about the different types of creatures and offered to let patrons touch them. If your family is into dinosaurs make sure you stop by. You won't regret it :) read more

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Amazing museum! Never knew they had all those dinosaurs in there. 3 floors of fun and great gift store. There is even a KIng Tut exhibit. Worth every penny. Shop local. It is quite reasonable! read more

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4 stars for a fun Cocoa attraction'esque store. Almost every time my wife and I go out to Cocoa, we generally stop by the Dinosaur Store. Located near the intersection of 520 and Atlantic Ave, the Dinosaur Store is a huge venue that is predominantly focused on...you guessed it...dinosaurs. When you walk into the store, one of the first things you see is a large collection of dinosaur fossil on your left. There are usually large T-Rex items that are fun and look relatively realistic and/or unique. As you walk around the store (with the register in the middle), you see lots of fun and unique items, such as geodes and fossils. On one of our more recent trips, we purchased a beautiful curled alligator. While he ran for $200, it was locally created and makes for a great topic of conversation for an office or a home. If you are looking to do more than shop, you can pay $8 for a wristband that lets you into the back room to play various games (several of them unlimited) and interactive experiences, as well as check out a little mini zoo of alligators. You can pay a few extra dollars to ride a large ride, but we never have since it doesn't look that exciting. This additional feature helps the Dinosaur Store stand out from your standard specialty store. Overall, the Dinosaur Store is a fun place to take your family or just check out while you are visiting Cocoa. The interesting items and kid zone in the back make this venue a nice change of pace after checking out the beach. read more

This place is actually really good. Having just visited the museum in Atlanta, this actually blows it out of the park. Admission is only 14$, but if you just visit the store that's decent too. Expect to spend at least an hour here. They cram a surprising amount into such a small space. If you dig this kinda stuff, def check it out! Staff were super nice! read more

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It's a fun store for kids if you are in the area. I didn't pay for the museum or kids play area. read more

My grandkids had a really good time we spent 3 1/2 hours there they did the fossil Panning for $8 but it was worth it for the souvenir They also enjoyed the snakes and game room. It was a bit expensive but everyone had a good time. Staff was very helpful and polite. read more

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I was very impressed at the museum and amount of authentic fossils they have. You'll find lords of interesting displays of dinosaurs, crystals, stones, modern animals and ancient artifacts. The store has a huge selection and surprisingly good prices. read more

The dinosaur store is awesome! Where else in the world (or at least in Central Florida) can you see GENUINE fossils of all shapes and sizes that can actually be purchased? This store is super cool. It's full of the niftiest stuff I've ever seen and whenever I go near Cocoa I make sure I stop by. Even if you're not impressed by ancient dinosaur bones preserved for thousands or millions of years (artfully displayed and available for purchase), you will have to like the OTHER super cool stuff they sell! Giant geods and minerals, preserved butterfly's, marble vases and Egyptian themed furniture. I bought a hand-painted cast of an alligator and it's awesome looking. I've never seen anything else like it. There's even a kids-zone with animals on display and a few rides and other interactive experiences. This portion has an admission fee, but the store itself is free to enter. The main store is stuffed with interesting items that adults and older children would appreciate. However, there are tons of reasonably prices (and even cheap!) stones and trinkets that small children would enjoy getting to select and play with. Overall, if you're in the Cocoa Beach area, you have to stop here. It's a really interesting (and air conditioned!), one of a kind experience. read more

The Dinosaur Store - Museums Near Me - Cocoa Beach, Florida