Dinosaurs, Ancient Civilizations and a 90-Million-Year-Old Surprise

Bobby G Goes Back In Time

It’s summer, which means we try to plan a couple of day trips each week with the kids to get everyone out of the house and do something together. Bailey found The Dinosaur Store in Cocoa Beach and wanted to visit because it had a mosasaur exhibit, and mosasaurs are her favorite. Mosasaurs were giant marine reptiles from the late Cretaceous period. So, on a Monday morning, we loaded into the G Taxi and headed south.

I’ll be honest, when Tiffany told me we were driving an hour and a half to visit a store, I expected maybe an hour of entertainment at most. Boy, was I wrong.

On the way down, Tiffany started reading more about this “store” and discovered that The Dinosaur Store is home to a 26,000-square-foot, privately owned museum with two floors of exhibits. That definitely sparked our interest. Was this someone’s personal collection? How big could this place really be?

Exploring Ancient Civilizations From Around the World

The store alone is worth the trip, featuring fossils and specimens from the Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary periods. Everywhere you look, there’s another reminder of just how long life has existed on Earth and how dramatically it has changed over time.

But the real surprise was the Museum of Dinosaurs and Ancient Cultures.

Ancient Africa featured tribal masks, tools, hand-carved artifacts and fascinating carvings with remarkably long histories. One piece that stood out was a beautifully carved wooden ceremonial chair. The craftsmanship, detail and artistry were incredible, especially considering its age.

Ancient China showcased pottery, weapons and relics, along with exhibits about the famous Terracotta Army. Created to protect Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife, the thousands of clay soldiers remain one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries in history.

This replica mosasaur skeleton offers a larger-than-life look at one of the ancient ocean’s most powerful predators.

The Mesoamerican exhibits were equally impressive, featuring pottery, ceremonial figures and artifacts dating back hundreds and even thousands of years. We also learned about the ancient Mesoamerican ball game, where players attempted to send a rubber ball through elevated stone rings without using their hands. As a golfer, I can confidently say those athletes had a tougher challenge than most of us face on the putting green.

Ancient Egypt rounded out the journey with mummies, burial customs and replicas from King Tutankhamun’s tomb. Every exhibit seemed to spark another question and another conversation.

Meeting Steve Cayer

Then we met Steve Cayer. Steve, founder of The Dinosaur Store, felt a bit like a real-life Indiana Jones. As he walked us through his fossil preparation lab, we were surrounded by fossils, artifacts and specimens collected from adventures around the world. Every piece seemed to come with a story.

Steve shared how a fossil-hunting hobby eventually became a lifelong passion. More than 40 years later, he still travels, digs, restores and studies fossils from around the globe. He showed us a spinosaurus jaw he was restoring with authentic fossil teeth from Morocco, along with a mastodon tooth, dinosaur skin and several other ongoing restoration projects.

Steve Cayer, founder of The Dinosaur Store, has spent more than 40 years turning a fossil-hunting hobby into a lifelong passion. Still digging, restoring and sharing discoveries from around the world, he proves that history is even more powerful when there’s a story behind every piece.

A 90-Million-Year-Old Gift to Remember

When I asked him what his favorite fossil was, he smiled and replied, “The one I’m working on today.”

Then came the moment our family will never forget. Steve gifted Bailey a genuine mosasaur tooth that is 90 million years old.

Her eyes immediately lit up. Then they filled with tears. Holding something so ancient, from a giant marine reptile that swam Earth’s oceans long before humans existed, completely captured her imagination. As parents, those are the moments you hope for.

Why The Dinosaur Store Is the Perfect Family Day Trip

After spending some time in the Adventure Zone and Reptile Run, we wrapped up the day with a stop at Steak ’n Shake. Tiffany enjoyed a Biscoff shake, Porter chose Nutella, Bailey went with cotton candy and I opted for a Kit Kat shake in the interest of responsible adulthood.

The ride home was filled with singing Michael Jackson songs per Bailey’s request, laughter and conversations about dinosaurs, mummies, fossils and ancient civilizations.

We came for the dinosaurs but we left with a deeper appreciation for history, a 90-million-year-old mosasaur tooth and memories our family will be talking about for years.

Not bad for a random family day in Cocoa Beach.