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T.rex in the woods.

Dinosaurs in the Woods

Field review by the editors.

Elberta, Alabama

In 1991 Mark Cline was building dinosaurs outside his Enchanted Castle Studios in Natural Bridge, Virginia. A man driving a beat-up pickup truck, wearing ratty clothes, stopped and said that his brother-in-law might be interested in buying dinosaurs as "lawn ornaments." How much would that cost? Mark figured he was crazy and gave him a ridiculously high price -- $25,000 -- to make him go away. Two weeks later the man called back. He said that his brother-in-law, who was billionaire George Barber, wanted seven Mark Cline dinosaurs.

Dino X-ing.

Mark supervised their installation in Alabama on a "lawn" that he estimated at 10,000 acres. After returning to Virginia, he received another phone call. "Mr. Barber," said the man, "saw you on TV and you said that you put glass eyes in some of your dinosaurs. He wants you to put glass eyes in his dinosaurs." So Mark was flown back to Alabama (for another sizable fee) and did what his client requested.

It would be over a decade before Mark actually met the reclusive George Barber. When he did, the two struck up a friendship, which eventually led to Barber commissioning Mark to build the Lady in the Bay and Bamahenge. Both artworks are now featured at the Barber Marina, along with four of the dinosaurs, which were moved onto the property in 2011: a Brontosaurus, T. Rex, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops. They hang out in the trees along the marina entrance road, and are surprisingly difficult to spot.

Dinosaurs in the Woods

Address:
Barber Pkwy, Elberta, AL
Directions:
Drive US Hwy 98 either eight miles east of Foley, AL, or 21 miles west of downtown Pensacola, FL. Turn south onto County Rd 95. Drive five miles. Turn right onto Fish Trap Rd. Drive a half-mile. Turn left at the Barber Marina sign. Drive one mile. You'll see Bamahenge on the right, set back among the trees. The dinosaurs are spaced out along the road beginning a quarter-mile past Bamahenge.
Admission:
Free
RA Rates:
Worth a Detour
Save to My Sights

Nearby Offbeat Places

BamahengeBamahenge, Elberta, AL - < 1 mi.
Roman ColumnsRoman Columns, Elberta, AL - < 1 mi.
Knights in the WoodsKnights in the Woods, Elberta, AL - < 1 mi.
In the region:
Shoreline Park - UFO Mecca, Gulf Breeze, FL - 24 mi.

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