Williams, Arizona: Flintstones Bedrock City

Very much needs a new coat of paint. But you can really still see what it used to be. Couldn't help myself; I had to climb up the brontosaurus and slide down its tail! Kitschy little gift shop; we were there in October and it was freezing inside.

Very much in need of some fresh paint. $5 to get in. But you can browse around the large gift shop for free. We ended up with some $1.50 magnets of Dino on them. Also there is a little cafe inside the gift shop.

Be sure to slide down the Brontosaurus tail, just like Fred does! We adults slide as well as the kids!

I decided not to camp at Bedrock City (due to a forecast of snow) and chose to stay at the motel adjacent to the park. I planned to have dinner there (was hoping for a bronto burger) but they were closed. I think that they are closed for dinner, although it may be seasonal (it's early October), so get your bronto burger fix early!

When I was a kid, I visited the original Bedrock City in Custer, SD. I had epic fail on my camera and didn't get any pictures of the trip (1980). So to discover this place, even in its current "chewing gum and bailing wire" state, was a sheer joy for me. If you're looking for something slick like Disney you're in for a real disappointment. But if you're looking for a place that represents the great days of the classic "tourist trap," you're in for a very tasty cheesy-riffic experience.

The architecture is clunky and somewhat industrial, the props and furnishings are near to crumbling with age (and basically held together by many layers of oil-based paint), and the gift shop has so little actual Flintstones merchandise it's kinda sad. But for anyone over the age of 25 who hasn't become irrepressibly cynical, the place has a certain rough magic to it. And don't think to yourself that kids don't know or care about the Flintstones any more. They saw the magic just like I did. And it didn't matter that it was a little dog-eared.