/ Entertainment that does good for shopping centers: the new Wonderwood Dino Camp at the Palladio shopping center in Vicenza, northern Italy, which has already reached over 10,000 entries in just a few weeks /

In recent years, we have witnessed a shift in consumer habits: visits to shopping centers are no longer relegated solely to shopping but occur to experience socialization and entertainment. This has led to the growth of leisure and amusement initiatives which, together with the food sector, have become true anchors for shopping centers (what supermarkets originally were).

Not just a passing trend, but a necessity and a precious resource for shopping centers looking to reinvent themselves or expand their offerings in response to competition from online sales channels and increasingly frequent vacant commercial spaces.

Industry experts, on the other hand, are clear: entertainment is a strategic key lever to satisfy the 2 basic rules every retailer must follow, namely dwell time and frequency. Amusement within a shopping center makes the customer stay longer and brings them back. Not only that: it amplifies traffic, generating footfall; it expands and/or strengthens the target audience and builds visitor loyalty, with direct and indirect benefits for the complex as a whole and every individual commercial business. 

But what is meant by amusement, or rather, does any amusement solution work in a shopping center? The answer is no, because today’s consumer not only has new habits but also much higher expectations: they are more demanding, better informed, and more enticed by competing proposals. 

Take, for example, families with children, typical visitors to shopping centers. Once upon a time, anonymous areas with coin-op kiddie rides and a few capsule dispensers – or, at most, a track with battery cars – could be enough to attract this target and make them happy. Today, these types of attractions continue to exist in malls but with a diminished appeal, certainly not acting as anchors.

The Wonderwood Dino Camp experience park

Decidedly in line with the needs and expectations of today’s mums, dads, and kids is “Wonderwood Dino Camp” inside the Palladio shopping center in Vicenza, Italy, a Jurassic-themed experience park opened a few weeks ago by the Wonderwood group, already known for its outdoor adventure parks on Lake Maggiore and Lake Como.“The goal is to promote a new way of spending free time with children, based on the enhancement of human relationships, active fun, and direct experience,” explain Massimiliano Freddi and Sebastian Nicolai, the founders of Wonderwood. 

Designed for little ones from 0 to 10 years old (and their parents) with an immersive approach involving scenic design, music, props, and a narrative study of the experience, Dino Camp has a total surface area of 350sqm, spread across 3 levels for a total height of 4m. In addition to specific themed activities for the 0-3 age group, it offers a journey to discover the world of dinosaurs through a playground with slides, tunnels, obstacles, climbing walls, and a ball pit that features a volcano at its center which erupts balls continuously. 

Interactivity and “educaction” 

Innovative also are the interactive experiences such as the Gino Genoma Game to learn the true origin of dinosaurs, the sensory wall Bones Rhythm that makes you dance to the rhythm of fossils, and the Laboratory Live Safaris which, by combining creativity and technology, allows little ones to draw and color their own dinosaur and then animate it by entering a real prehistoric safari. 

“The way of experiencing leisure time that we have developed is totally new,” explains Freddi. “We call it educaction, which means educating through active play. After the experience of outdoor parks, we are debuting indoors with Dino Camp, without compromising our philosophy: an experience to be lived firsthand, designed to adapt to the rhythms and the desire to learn and experiment that characterizes every child. An antidote to the anxiety of new generations and the toxic use of digital devices.”

Small, but complete with everything and inclusive

Nothing is missing at Dino Camp: there is the shop where you can buy a small themed souvenir to take the experience home even after leaving the park, and the cafeteria offering snacks and aperitifs, plus 2 private rooms equipped to host birthday parties.

About 30 local companies participated in the Dino Camp project with their work. An important contribution also came from Gianni Chiari. This expert in safety and inclusion in amusement parks supported the development of a program dedicated to making the spaces, paths, and attractions of Dino Camp accessible to the greatest possible number of children.

Continue reading Games & Parks Industry February 2026, page 40

Photos Courtesy: Wonderwood Dino Camp

© All rights reserved