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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; As 4-year-old Matthew Hennet climbed on top a Triceratops, his mother, Kayla Walter, snapped a quick photo while Matthew smiled ear-to-ear.</p><p>Children&#8217;s smiling faces were plentiful Sunday at the 109th Field Artillery Armory, as thousands made their way through T-Rex Planet, viewing dozens of animatronic dinosaurs, rides, games and more. The event kicked off Saturday morning, and ran through 7 p.m. Sunday.</p><p>&#8220;We came because he is obsessed with dinosaurs. It was the perfect opportunity to let him come and see them,&#8221; Walter, of Stroudsburg, said as Matthew climbed on top another mini dinosaur at the event.</p><p>The family said they enjoyed their time at T-Rex Planet, and they thought it was a cute event that was not only fun, but educational as well.</p><p>More than 20 types of dinosaurs from the Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous periods were available to view, each offering a unique animatronic experience. The extinct giants are placed in what would be their natural habitats, with greenery, trees, rocks and water around them and matching background scenes.</p><p>A small orange fence guided viewers through one half of the armory, with rocks bearing various facts and descriptions of each dinosaur along the way. All the prehistoric favorites, including triceratops, velociraptors and, of course, the Tyrannosaurus Rexes for which the show is named, filled the space.</p><p>The other half was filled with games, rides and activities for both young and old.</p><p>Among the favorites along the dinosaur path were some lesser-known ancient animals, such as Ankylosaurus, Camarasaurus and the Indominus Rex, or &#8220;I-Rex.&#8221; At the entrance, a talking tree explained what life was like for the dinosaurs in each of their time periods while an animatronic Maiasaura watches over her hatching eggs. Across the room, a Spinosaurus moved its head up and down as it prepared to eat a fish out of a river.</p><p>While children squealed with glee as they ran, climbed and touched the monstrous movers, T-Rex Planet CEO Dave Eldika explained why he decided to create the event, which travels across the country, four years ago.</p><p>&#8220;A lot of kids learn about dinosaurs, hear about dinosaurs, but never get to see dinosaurs. I was one of those kids,&#8221; he joked. &#8220;We figured we&#8217;d make something that kids get to see and enjoy. A lot of the young ones are more excited to see this kind of stuff that they learn about, but they never get to see what an actual dinosaur looks like.&#8221;</p><p>This is T-Rex Planet&#8217;s second time visiting the Wyoming Valley, with the event having it&#8217;s local debut last year. Eldika said he tries to come back to area that had a high demand and great response, adding that the Wilkes-Barre area has been fantastic each time.</p><p>Standing in front of a velociraptor, Jamie Babcock took pictures of her family as they touched the moving predator. The Sweet Valley resident was closing out a three-hour visit to the event, which she said was prompted by her son&#8217;s love of dinosaurs.</p><p>&#8220;My son has been fascinated with dinosaurs since he was born,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We absolutely love it.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Lucas Jones, 2, of Nanticoke, sits on a small dinosaur at the show. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_dino3_faa-cmyk-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Lucas Jones, 2, of Nanticoke, sits on a small dinosaur at the show. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_dino2_faa-cmyk-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Brighton Gryskevicz, 8, of Nanticoke, checks out a pair of Tyrannosaurus Rex at the dinosaur show. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_dino2_faa-cmyk-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Brighton Gryskevicz, 8, of Nanticoke, checks out a pair of Tyrannosaurus Rex at the dinosaur show. </caption1><photoCredit1>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_dino5_faa-cmyk-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A fence guides visitors along the dinosaur path at the Tyrannosaurs Rex at the T-Rex Planet show. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_dino5_faa-cmyk-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>A fence guides visitors along the dinosaur path at the Tyrannosaurs Rex at the T-Rex Planet show. </caption2><photoCredit2>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_dino4_faa-cmyk-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A pair of Tyrannosaurus Rex greeted dinosaur lovers at the 109th Field Artillery Armory this past weekend. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_dino4_faa-cmyk-2.jpg</photo3><caption3>A pair of Tyrannosaurus Rex greeted dinosaur lovers at the 109th Field Artillery Armory this past weekend. </caption3><photoCredit3>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_dino1_faa-cmyk-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jack Kopa, 7, reaches to touch the nose of an animatronic Tyrannosaurus Rex as friends Jack Kelly, 5, and Ben Kelly, 6, of Scranton, watch at the T-Rex Planet show Sunday at the 109th Field Artillery Armory in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_dino1_faa-cmyk-2.jpg</photo4><caption4>Jack Kopa, 7, reaches to touch the nose of an animatronic Tyrannosaurus Rex as friends Jack Kelly, 5, and Ben Kelly, 6, of Scranton, watch at the T-Rex Planet show Sunday at the 109th Field Artillery Armory in Wilkes-Barre. </caption4><photoCredit4>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>T-Rex Planet captivates kids who adore prehistoric beasts</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marcella Kester</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

T-Rex Planet in Wilkes-Barre captivates kids who adore prehistoric beasts