It may be millions of years since their extinction, but dinosaurs are coming back to Milwaukee in a big way.

The Milwaukee Public Museum is set to make prehistory with the new exhibit, "Scenes of the Dinosaurs," opening Saturday and running through Jan. 10. The exhibit, sponsored by Bank One, will feature robotic replicas of 14 dinosaurs from four species, complete with built-to-scale re-creations of their living environments, including sounds, lighting and plant life. The museum even went so far as to contact experts to simulate skin tone, behavior and posture of the specific creatures.

"We picked (the exhibit) up from a traveling exhibit in Brownville, Texas," said John Tindall, press relations coordinator at the Museum. "The people at Kokoro Dinosaurs, an organization out in California, were really very helpful and instrumental in helping make the exhibit as authentic as possible. They replicated everything from the skin tone of the creatures to each of the dioramas. It's almost like something out of 'Jurassic Park.'"

"The exhibit highlights the way scientists study current animals to learn how dinosaurs may have behaved," said Peter Sheehan, museum curator. "It teaches important lessons about such things as predator and prey relationships, biological adaptations and even parenting behavior."

The Milwaukee Public Museum patrons have always held a certain affinity for dinosaus. The museum's previous exhibits and presentations on the subject have always drawn large crowds. "'Scenes of the Dinosaurs' is just a way of taking things a notch up and a step forward," Tindall said.

"Dinosaurs here have always been very popular, and we're just trying to continue on in that vein," Tindall said. "We had an exhibit not too long ago called 'Exploring Life on Earth,' which really served as our foray into the robotic dinosaur exhibit. It should be interesting and very exciting for the visitors."

Among the larger-than-life creatures on display will be the Maiasaura, otherwise known as the "good mother lizard," Albertasaurus, an ancestor of the T-Rex, the mighty herbivore Euoplocephalus and the Deinonychus.

The dinosaurs may be the main event, but they're hardly the sole attraction. Other features of the exhibit include interactive stations which allow visitors to feel real fossils and simulated dinosaur skin, as well as a glance at the technology behind the exhibit. Children will be able to meet Smedley the Dinosaur, the Museum mascot, as well as participate in an arts and crafts session this weekend. There's also The Big Dig Box, where younger visitors can dig for fossils and other artifacts.

"Kids are fascinated by dinosaurs, and it's a good hands-on experience for them," Tindall said of The Big Dig Box. "We bury replicas of dinosaur bones and fossils, and the kids wear the goggles and use shovels and spoons to dig them up."

Whatever your pleasure may be, Museum President Michael D. Stafford said there's fun to be had for visitors of all ages, shapes and sizes.

"Scenes of the Dinosaurs' will engage the curiosity of learners of all ages about dinosaurs," Stafford said. "By introducing movement and sound, we've provided an immersion into science that stimulates even our youngest visitors."

The museum will also be hosting "T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous," an interactive film, as part of the exhibit.

The film, opening at the Humphrey IMAX Dome Theater Friday, will cover the evolution of the dinosaur and attempt to explain the reasoning behind its behavior. Highlights of the film will include a nose-to-nose look at the T-Rex on the 60-foot screen, as well as a recreation of a dinosaur dig from acclaimed paleontologist Barnum Brown, among other features.

For those who just can't wait for the weekend, the museum will offer a sneak preview to the "Scenes of the Dinosaurs" exhibit from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday. The event will serve as a teaser of sorts to the exhibit's grand opening Saturday, where visitors will be able to see each of the four species in their natural habitats.

"It's educational, but it's also fun and exciting, which we think is really important," Tindall said. "We hope people enjoy themselves and learn something in the process, and I think we've created an exhibit that allows for that. It's not like other exhibits that are very intensive on science. You really feel as though you're in the dinosaurs' world.

"It's almost kind of whimsical."

"Scenes of the Dinosaurs" opens Saturday at the Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells St. Visitors can preview the exhibit from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday. More information is available by calling 278-2702 or by visiting www.mpm.edu.