America has more ridiculous roadside attractions than almost anywhere— and somehow, in my time on the road, I’ve now been to TWO of the three Dinosaur World locations. (I am a sucker for this stuff).
When I first rocked up, I did so with little expectation— having found this on an atlas, I wanted to give it a whirl. I was greeted with an elaborate gate that showed firmly that I was leaving the human world and entering… THE DINOSAUR WORLD (bum-bum).
First opened in the 1990s, Dinosaur World has a simple premise: each park has over 100 dinosaur sculptures for you enjoy viewing, and to take photos with. That’s it.
It’s not trying to be an educational park or a museum— far from it. It’s just about wandering among the dinosaurs in a way that feels awe-inspiring, but leisurely (thanks to the dinosaurs not being real, or else this would be terrifying Jurassic-Park sh*t).
As I entered, I figured this experience would mostly be for kids, but found myself enjoying it despite being a middle-aged non-parent. Craning my neck upward, I realized the only thing missing in the textbooks about dinosaurs, and in the plastic dinosaur toys I had as a youth— was the ability to get a sense of SCALE.
Dinosaur World provided that (in a fun way) for just a small entry fee.
(Although. Admittedly, Mac did not always appreciate being the scale. As you can see in the above).
A sculptor named Christer Svensson created these diorama-like settings— blending the natural plants with the fiberglass and styrofoam creatures. While some were downright lifelike and close to the models I had previously seen in museums, others were just poorly rendered.
Some looked reptilian and birdlike enough to make the heart skip a beat, and some were just too anthropomorphized to instill anything but a chuckle. (Way-too-human dinos pictured HERE– YIKES):
The predators like T-Rex got lots of visitors, as you might imagine. There were plenty of selfie opportunities– none of which I was particularly adept at, so instead– you’re getting the long view of these monsters. Which, weirdly, it was a LITTLE scary to stand beside.
Of course, the highlights for most people were likely the massive T-Rex, the Allosaurus, the raptor, and other big predators— but I found myself being drawn to the dinosaurs I’d NEVER heard of before. These parks didn’t just pay homage to the ‘big name’ dinosaurs but also included weird-looking, off-brand dinosaurs as well, which I appreciated.
Like these chuckleheads:
They were pretty comprehensive in the type and style of dinosaurs they included— not just ‘playing the hits,’ as it were. The dinosaur book they used for these creations went DEEP.
The experience was a silly one— and thus, better with company than to do alone. When my friend and I visited the one in Texas, I had a far better time than when I toured the one in Florida on my own. (Though it’s worth noting the foliage in Florida is decidedly more jungle-esque, and truer to the actual environment most dinosaurs lived in– see below).
Dinosaur World was worth a stop for an hour or two— nothing to make a destination out of, but a great example of someone taking a fascination they have (dinosaurs) and sharing it with the world in a strange, over-the-top way.
Which is so very American. I’ll leave you with the most poorly-rendered dinosaur sculpture in the park– why? Well, because I had to see it, and now it’s burned into my brain– so I’m passing it onto you.
Wow. Just wow.
Posted by Sun
