When kids in Overland Park were climbing the walls during their holiday break from school in late December, parents had somewhere new to bring them.
Right after Christmas, the owners of Leawood-based Dozer quietly opened their second indoor play concept, Dinozaur, in southern Overland Park.
But owner Justin Finn said it wasn’t so quiet after all. Over the course of just its first few days open, the new indoor play space saw hundreds of kids in the sand.
Dinozaur opened at 7713 W. 151st St.
- The concept took over a space at the Stanley Station shopping center, just off 151st Street and U.S. Highway 69.
- Monarch Books & Gifts previously occupied that space, before moving into a different space at the shopping center.
- Dinozaur is currently open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with extended hours planned during the summer months.
Dinozaur offers indoor sand play in a dino-themed space
Much like at Dozer, kids at Dinozaur spend time playing and building in the space’s sandboxes.
Dinozaur differs from Dozer, though, in aesthetic. While Dozer offers white sand and construction-themed toys (i.e. bulldozers), Dinozaur offers black sand and dinosaur-themed toys for kids to play with.
At roughly 2,400 square feet, Dinozaur is also twice as large as Dozer, with two sandboxes.
In total, Dinozaur can accommodate roughly up to 25 or 30 kids at full play. The second sandbox also connects to a private room for birthday parties and other events.
Families with memberships can use them at both Dozer and Dinozaur. So far, Finn said Dinozaur has seen a decent mix of faces both new and familiar.
“I’d say it’s probably, in my experience, about 50:50 of (people who have been to) Dozer and new people,” he said.
Dozer opened in Leawood in June 2025
Finn and his wife, Molly Kavanagh, initially launched Dozer at the Ranch Mart North shopping center at 95th Street and Mission Road.
As parents themselves, they said at the time that they liked the idea of finding a way to give kids more of an opportunity to get away from screens and build something with their hands — something their own son enjoyed.
Some parents at Dozer and Dinozaur like to get more active in the experience, getting into the sand with their kids. Others like to use the time to catch up with friends or just have some time to themselves.
“Parents probably enjoy it as much as the kids,” Finn said. “(Some parents) are super hands-on in there, digging, learning, exploring. Others come and read, or they work, or they catch up on their social media, whatever they want to do.”
As Dinozaur gets established, Finn said that they hope to partner with local schools and businesses for educational events.
Finn said he also anticipates more growth for Dozer and Dinozaur — not just in the area but in other states too.
More locations for Dozer are in the works outside of Kansas City, in places like Wichita and Bentonville, Arkansas.
With two locations now open, Finn said the most exciting part has continued to be the amazement that kids get when they come into a space like theirs.
“It’s like a slice of Disney World or Christmas morning,” Finn said. “It’s also (exciting), hearing the stories from parents coming back that their kids have been asking all week, ‘When can we go back?’”
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