New family-friendly attractions planned for Detroit auto show

The Subaru STI S Model is unveiled, Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Organizers of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit are introducing new attractions to make it more family friendly.

Some attractions include Fred Flintstone's "Flintmobile", the world's first electric monster truck and the flying vehicles of tomorrow.

Here are some highlights of what’s in store (a full schedule of events and hours will be released soon):

Dinosaur and Off-Road Vehicle Encounter

Ticketed auto show visitors are invited to travel back in time to the Mesozoic Era at the new Dinosaur and Off-Road Vehicle Encounter, a Jurassic walk-thru experience featuring life-like and life-size dinosaurs, including T-Rex, Velociraptor and Stegosaurus, just to name a few.

A perfect complement to the rugged off-road SUVs and trucks on display throughout the show and in the themed-area, the Dinosaur and Off-Road Vehicle Encounter will be featured daily inside the Huntington Place Ballroom. The dinosaur experience will premiere on Charity Preview night, Sept. 16.

This fun, prehistoric world will include a collection of more than 80 massive dinosaurs ranging from babies to some creatures standing over 28 feet tall and spanning over 60 feet long. It will also feature interactive and educational activities, including Story Time, hands-on crafts and fossil digs, in addition to an animatronic Dinosaur Band and realistic dinosaur babies and dinosaurs roaming throughout.

An auto show ticket is required for admission into the Dinosaur and Off-Road Vehicle Encounter. Additional activity tickets will be available for purchase for themed rides, including T-Rex ATV rides and Dinosaur Scooters.

“The Flintmobile”

No prehistoric experience would be complete without seeing how “the modern Stone Age Family” drove around the town of Bedrock. On loan from LeMay - America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Wash., Fred Flintstone’s original car, built by George Barris for the Universal Studios 1994 feature motion picture “The Flintstones,” will be on display at the Dinosaur and Off-Road Vehicle Encounter. The vehicle continues to fascinate audiences and celebrates the cartoon first broadcast by Hanna-Barbera in 1960.

Vehicle Rides and Experiential Activations

Experience is the operative word at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. Visitors will have an opportunity to comparison shop from hundreds of vehicles and experience some of these products through ride activations, including active tracks inside the Huntington Place convention center.

Indoors, attendees can climb high with Camp Jeep and Bronco Mountain, as well as experience the F-150 Lightning and Ram Truck ride activations.

Outside, show visitors can jump into the driver’s seat, and take a Volkswagen or Chevrolet for a spin on a street course ride-and-drive along a portion of the 2023 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix downtown circuit.

Monster Truck Throwdown

Complete with Bigfoot #20, the world’s first battery-powered Monster Truck, Monster Truck Throwdown will entertain and amaze auto show audiences daily in Hart Plaza. Touching all the senses and enjoyed by all ages, Monster Truck Throwdown presents Monster Truck Car Crush Exhibitions by Bigfoot #20, Sinistar, and Raminator, Freestyle Motocross performances, and world-renowned Monsters on display - including Bigfoot #1, the original Monster Truck that started the worldwide phenomenon and Showtime, Michigan’s iconic “Motor City Monster” seen at Cobo Hall and the Silverdome in the 1980s.

Event-goers will also have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Monster Trucks, meet the drivers, collect autographs and experience Monster Truck Throwdown like never before with the Raminator Picture Truck Experience and the Monster Ride Truck Experience.

“Air Mobility Experience”

Bringing science fiction to reality over the skies of Detroit and Windsor, the “Air Mobility Experience” at the Detroit Auto Show will be a “Show Above the Show.” Featuring flight demonstrations and displays by six mobility companies originating from five countries, this new addition to the auto show will take place over the Detroit River, in Hart Plaza and Huntington Place.

From electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft to amphibious sport planes to hoverboards and jet suits, show visitors will get a taste of the future, today. Flight demonstrations will take place outside on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 17-18, with air mobility displays and experiences featured inside Huntington Place throughout the duration of the show.

“World’s Largest Rubber Duck”

It’s no ordinary duck, but it’s a perfect fit to bring attention to one of Detroit’s greatest assets, its riverfront. The “World Largest Rubber Duck” will be on display in Hart Plaza throughout the auto show. An ideal backdrop for social media engagement, the lovable waterfowl is 61 feet high and weighs in at over 30,000 pounds. Look for some surprises from the Jeep brand and the social movement of “ducking” other Jeep owners (#duckduckjeep).

Round One Gaming Lab

Ticketed auto show visitors (6 years and older) will be able to experience luxury gaming in a unique 26-foot climate-controlled, theater-style arcade on wheels that will be located in Hart Plaza.

Founded by local Detroiters Tyrell Slappey, Terrance Crowell and Markita Richardson, Round One Gaming Lab is a mobile gaming arcade featuring five 50-inch televisions, equipped with PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, in addition to hundreds of games to choose from. Two 50-inch televisions located on the outside of the Round One Gaming Lab will allow for additional participants to join in the gaming fun at the auto show.

Themed Days and Street Food Favorites in Hart Plaza

Auto show visitors on their way into and out of Huntington Place will be invited to enjoy themed days outside in Hart Plaza, featuring everything from Motown Tuesday to Saturday Family Day and Sunday Funday. Each Public Show day will be complete with special activities, including vehicle displays by car enthusiasts’ clubs, themed music featuring homegrown Detroit artists, in addition to street food, relating back to the day’s theme, that will be available for purchase.

DDP Park Activations

The DDP, in cooperation with the auto show, will be offering experiences and programming free of charge to the community at downtown area parks.

“These new themed activities are a perfect way to welcome all ages back to the show after more than three years,” said Detroit Auto Show Chairman Joe Lunghamer. “Families can come to the auto show and find their next new vehicle, and at the same time, make some special memories together and create plenty of great selfies and social posts to share. Visitors can expect a nine-day festival and celebration of family, fun and mobility.”

The show will be held at Huntington Place, formerly known as Cobo Centre, but this year's indoor-outdoor show will spill out into hart plaza and other area parks.

NAIAS runs Sept. 14- Sept. 25. Tickets are available online now.