VOLO — No day-off-school adventure could compare with a journey through Jurassic Gardens. And this Columbus Day, your child’s opportunity to step into this immersive thrill arrives free of charge.

You read that right. Children 12 and younger are invited to enjoy Volo Museum’s all-new indoor dinosaur park for free on Oct. 11, with up to five youngsters admitted for each paying adult. Hours at the Volo Museum and Jurassic Gardens are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Featuring tail-waving ceratosauruses, breathtaking T-Rexes and a theater-quality sound system that brings it all to life, Jurassic Gardens boasts an unparalleled wow factor.

“We have built something truly special here,” said Brian Grams, director of the museum at 27582 Volo Village Road, Volo. “With Columbus Day being a day off school, we wanted to show it off and encourage even more families to come and experience it.”

Jurassic Gardens opened in mid-May after Volo Museum crews spent roughly a year transforming a former mercantile mall into a gloaming, frond- and animatronic dinosaur-filled spectacle. Against a chatter-and-screech backdrop of watchful velociraptors and pterodactyls, budding paleontologists may enjoy the skeleton dig area, one of the available hands-on activities. A sluice mine for fossil or gem panning, a gift shop and an arcade also are available, as is a dino-themed, outdoor playground.

Grams said visitors to date have been amazed by the life-like exhibits and the quality of the surrounding atmosphere.

“I like to go over there and just watch kids taking it all in sometimes,” he said. “Adults too, for that matter. We really hope the public takes us up on our Columbus Day offer.”

Regular admission cost for those 5 and older to visit Jurassic Gardens is $15.95, with those 4 and younger admitted free. Combo tickets — permitting entry to both Jurassic Gardens and Volo Museum as well as a second consecutive day’s entry free — are regularly $31.95 for adults and $24.95 for children ages 5 to 12. On Columbus Day, combo tickets for children ages 5 to 12 will be available for just $9.

The Volo Museum is following state COVID guidelines; masking may be required when indoors.

For other details, visit volocars.com, find Volo Auto Museum or Jurassic Gardens on Facebook, or call 815-385-3644.