When Dino Parks Walked the Earth
There was a time when behemoths roamed our vacations... unchallenged. Replicas of prehistoric beasts tore the horizon with their petrified silhouettes, freaking station-wagoned kiddies and luring families off planned routes for a look-see.
It was a time before scientists knew what dinosaurs looked like ... so they made it up. The names were easy to remember: Brontosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus Rex, the most dangerous.
Today's dinosaurs are faster, sleeker, better catalogued, packaged and promoted. Generations informed by Jurassic Park and every museum that cashed in on the craze since have little patience for the Dino Parks of Yore...
Still, the Old Ones stand, reinforced concrete on lonely hilltops, or clusters of weathered fiberglass in glades protected by forest and admission gates.
Great Dino Parks of Yore: Favorites
- Cabazon Dinosaurs, Cabazon, CA
- Dinosaur Gardens, Ossineke, MI
- Prehistoric Gardens, Port Orford, OR
- Dinosaur Park, Rapid City, SD
- Dinosaur Gardens, Vernal, UT
- Luray Reptile Center & Dinosaur Park, Luray, VA
- Dinosaur Land, White Post, VA
