Field Station: Dinosaurs

Last updated

New Jersey park
Location40 Fort Lee Road
Leonia, New Jersey 07605
Opened2012 (2012)
ClosedNovember 9th, 2025
Operating seasonMay through November
Area30 acres (12 ha)
Website jerseydinos.com
Kansas park
Derbychamberofcommerce.jpg
Field Station: Dinosaurs in Kansas
Location2999 North Rock Road
Derby, Kansas 67036
Opened2018
Operating seasonMay through November
Area14 acres (5.7 ha)
Website kansasdinos.com

Field Station: Dinosaurs is an outdoor prehistoric theme park with one location in the United States. The park is designed for families with children between the ages of three and eleven [1] and features a walking tour with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs as well as interactive exhibits and live shows designed to educate children about dinosaurs. [2] Guy Gsell is credited as the creator and founder of the Field Station: Dinosaurs brand. [3] [4]

Contents

The first location opened in New Jersey in 2012, and was named Best Local Theme Park the same year by Time Out New York . [5] Fodor's named Field Station: Dinosaurs one of the World's Best Spots for Dinosaur Lovers on March 6, 2014. [6]

In 2018, a second location opened in Derby, Kansas (Wichita metro area). [7] [8] The New Jersey park closed permanently at the end of the operating season on November 9, 2025, leaving the Kansas location the only one in operation. [9]

New Jersey location

The first Field Station: Dinosaurs location opened on May 26, 2012 at Snake Hill in Secaucus, New Jersey. After four seasons, Field Station: Dinosaurs lost its lease on the property to make room for a new campus of the Hudson County Schools of Technology. [10] The Secaucus park closed on September 7, 2015. [11] Possible locations included Derby, Kansas [12] and West Milford, New Jersey. [13] In 2016, Field Station: Dinosaurs opened in its new location in Bergen County’s Overpeck County Park alongside Teaneck Creek. [14]

The New Jersey location closed in November 2025, and its entire collection of dinosaur sculptures and animatronics was put up for sale. [15]

Attractions

The New Jersey location featured several visitor areas with dinosaur-themed attractions.

The Base Camp area served as the entry point to the park, where visitors would receive their "credentials": a passport stamped as they participated in games, workshops, and shows throughout the park. Base Camp was also home to a gift shop and first aid station.

The Amphitheater was an open-air performance space which featured multiple shows per day featuring dinosaur puppets. These shows included "Feeding Frenzy", which covered dinosaur diets; and "Found in New Jersey", a fossil show dedicating to showcasing dinosaurs found in New Jersey. Additional shows presented in the amphitheater included Field Station Challenge, Morning Briefing, Songs o' the Dinosaur Troubadour, and the Dinosaur Dance Party.

In the Riverview area, visitors could see various animatronic dinosaurs, including a Hadrosaurus , Tyrannosaurus , [16] and a 90-foot-long Argentinosaurus , the largest animatronic dinosaur in the world at the time. [17] The Argentinosaurus animatronic was destroyed in a fire in 2016.

Kansas location

A large crowd in the amphitheater in Derby Amphitheatre at Field Station- Dinosaurs in Derby Kansas.jpg
A large crowd in the amphitheater in Derby

Field Station: Dinosaurs opened its second location in Derby, Kansas on May 26, 2018, [7] [8] featuring 44 animatronic dinosaurs and more than 40 live shows per day.

Reproductions of the following dinosaurs and Mesozoic-aged reptiles have been featured in the parks: [18] [19]

References

  1. ↑ "Dinosaur-themed attraction proposed for Derby". kansas. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  2. ↑ "More shows, games this season for Field Station: Dinosaurs". NJ.com. April 5, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  3. ↑ Haddon, Heather. "31 Prehistoric Creatures Invade N.J." Wall Street Journal. 2012.
  4. ↑ Bradford, Harry (July 17, 2013). "Creator Of Animatronic Dinosaur Theme Park Is Living His (And Everyone's) Childhood Dream (WATCH)" . Retrieved November 2, 2017– via Huff Post.
  5. ↑ Time Out NY Kids Editors. "New York's Best Things to Do with the Family" Time Out New York. 2012.
  6. ↑ "World's Best Spots for Dinosaur Fans". www.Fodors.com. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Dinosaurs/STAR Bonds | Derby, KS - Official Website". www.derbyweb.com. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Derby theme park plans more than 30 life-size animatronic dinos". The Wichita Eagle. November 16, 2017. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018.
  9. ↑ "New Jersey dinosaur attraction looking to find new homes for massive animatronics". ABC7 New York. October 7, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Secaucus dinosaur park faces extinction". New Jersey Online. April 30, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Crowds flock to Field Station for final day". News 12 New Jersey. Archived from the original on October 13, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Derby city council schedules public hearing for Field Station: Dinosaurs - Wichita Business Journal". Wichita Business Journal. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  13. ↑ "West Milford in the market for Secaucus dinosaur park". NJ.com. July 31, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  14. ↑ Janoski, Steve (April 4, 2016). "Dinosaur exhibition business coming to Bergen's Overpeck Park". northjersey.com. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  15. ↑ Stewart, Dodai (October 1, 2025). "Does Your Backyard Need a Stegosaurus?". The New York Times. Leonia, New Jersey: The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Top 4 dinosaur theme parks". FoxNews.com. April 29, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  17. ↑ "PHOTOS: Dinosaur Catches Fire In New Jersey Park 2 Weeks Before Grand Opening". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  18. ↑ Dinosaurs, Field Station. "Dinosaurs Return To Kansas! Field Station: Dinosaurs' Second Park Nears Opening Day Just Outside Wichita With Over 40 Animatronic Dinosaurs". GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Derby theme park plans more than 30 life-size animatronic dinos". kansas. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
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