Port Orford, Oregon: Prehistoric Gardens

A genuine rain forest shelters a collection of 23 primordial creature statues spread along a trail. It's been here since 1955.

This is definitely a must see -- gardens and dinosaurs are well maintained. The dinosaurs are very lifelike and in the perfect setting. The only thing they could do to improve it would be to have one move or roar, because you get the sense they are about to at any moment.

Prehistoric Gardens is alive and kicking. My friends and I stopped and were amazed at the life-sized dinosaurs that towered over our heads, and that threatened to attack us. I'm taking my girlfriend back in March. The dense rain forest provided a wonderful backdrop for the models. At times, I feared for my safety, because of the realism of the replicas. ;) Hell, I'm drunk, and I still want my girlfriend to go. It's educational, as well as entertainment. We took a picture of the brachiosaurus, and it turned out like a shot from Jurassic Park.

No doubt you folks are aware of this excellently off-beat attraction on the coast road in Oregon, but I thought that I should drop a line with a few ideas for extra enjoyment.

First, visit in winter, as we did. Very uncrowded, and ferns, dinosaurs etc. should be dripping with rain and mist in an atmospheric way.

Second, the brochure has something of a fixation about the phrase "the larger museums," and uses it several times.

Third, note that the various dinosaurs have different personalities. For example, Stegosaurus looks annoyed, Triceratops looks cheerful, and Elasmosaurus looks like a real mean dude.

Fourth, and best of all, a frog-ancestor dinosaur is very reminiscent of our old pal Stimpy from Ren & Stimpy. Something about the big eyes and the set of the mouth make it unmistakably a reptilian relative of that pesky cat. Incredibly, the drawing in the brochure captures the resemblance as well! Check it out--are we right, or are we right?