T-Rex at Grand Canyon Caverns main building.

Grand Canyon Caverns, With Dinosaurs

Peach Springs, Arizona

The crumbly T-Rex that once stood outside the entrance building to the Caverns has been replaced by a more modern version -- a mistake in our opinion, although the new T-rex is certainly presentable.

Nicer still is the 1960's era "Brontosaurus" metal outline sculpture restored in 2005 and standing proud along Route 66 to entice cave visitors. And in 2013, "Juan" the apatosaurus, evicted from a petting zoo in San Juan Capistrano, CA, took up residence at Grand Canyon Caverns.

The connection between dinosaurs and caves is... what, exactly?

Dinosaurs never lived in caves, and "cavemen" never lived with dinosaurs (unless Evolution is bunk). Turns out that this attraction was known as Dinosaur Caverns 1957-1962 (and even earlier they were Coconino Caverns).

The Caverns main building contains a large restaurant/snack bar area, and another room to assemble for the elevator down to the Caverns. A government "Fallout Shelter" sign on the elevator door and a looming, fake T-Rex skull overhead suggest there may be more fun underground.

But today our timing stinks. We just missed the Grand Canyon Caverns tour 210 down into its limestone depths, and can't stick around. Postcards in the lobby show a reconstructed Giant Ground Sloth inside the cave, and, even more promising, a mummified bob cat -- a shriveled mess frozen in a contorted howl -- identified by a big wooden sign as having fallen into its fatal predicament "in approximately 1850."

Worth a visit just for that post card.