Skeletons: Animals Unveiled to Open at I-Drive 360 on April 25th; Sneak Peek Photos and Video

Hi everyone!

I-Drive 360 is quickly shaping up to be an all-day tourist destination, with the newest attraction Skeletons: Animals Unveiled being readied for a planned April 25th soft opening in the shadow of the Orlando Eye. This is a family business, with several members of the Villemarette family (known for the popular Museum of Osteology in Oklahoma City) working hard – along with their “Skeleton Crew” – on getting the attraction ready for opening.

Skeletons: Animals Unveiled will be part museum, part attraction and will definitely be educational. We have already learned quite a bit about animal skeletons, and there is so much we haven’t seen yet. This will be the fourth attraction at I-Drive 360. It joins the Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds and SEA LIFE Aquarium – and that doesn’t include the myriad of restaurants and shops that have been opening. And parking is free!

Here is our short video interview with Co-Founder Josh Villemarette, with the rest of the article following. The video includes footage from around the attraction as skeletons are being set up.

A large skull was being rolled into the attraction when we arrived. It took (2) 53-foot semis to deliver all the bones to the Orlando location. The attraction will be 7700 square feet, with retail space taking up 1500 square feet.

There has been a display in the window for months, including this little skeleton getting into the Milk Duds. We posted it on social media to see if anyone could guess what it is, and several people guessed correctly – a raccoon! My first guess was a possum.

This camel and manatee stand side by side as they await their final placement.

Part of the attraction will include vignettes like this, with a skeleton farmer pulling a goat.

This is a tapir with a malignant growth on its chin area.

It isn’t hard to tell what this creature is – it looks almost the same as when alive.

This seal was still being unwrapped.

When the skeletons arrive, they are fully formed – but some of the more delicate skeletons may need a little work. There are articulators who handle any repairs. There is a lot of work that goes into every skeleton. The company receives the animal intact, with a flenser removing what they can, and then using flesh-eating beetles (Dermestid Beetles) to clean the carcass. There will be flesh eating beetles on display as well – out of reach, even though they are harmless to humans.

Once the carcass has been cleaned, hydrogen peroxide is used to whiten the bones. An articulator puts them together. It can take up to a full week to put together one full skeleton, so displaying 400 skeletons is a huge project.

This horse skeleton already has a saddle.

A Galapagos Tortoise was being unwrapped.

Hummingbird skeletons disinegrate very easily, so they will be behind glass in this area. There will also be a display showing different types of dog skulls.

We watched as one animal was completely unboxed, an owl monkey already perched.

The company is very environmentally conscious, with the more expensive corn pellets used instead of styrofoam.

The family company is called Skulls Unlimited International.

The Skeleton Crew will be working long hours to get the attraction ready!

Pricing can be found on the website, with children 3-11 at $12.99 and guests 12 and older $19.99. Discounts may be available with coupons, and group discounts will be the largest. Group information isn’t yet available, but will be soon. It should take 60-90 minutes to see the entire attraction when it opens, about the same as with SEA LIFE Aquarium and Madame Tussauds. Skeletons: Animals Unveiled is located at 8441 International Drive, Suite 250. The phone number is 407-203-6999. We recommend making I-Drive 360 a stop on your next Orlando vacation.