Beaver, Arkansas: Dinosaur World (Closed)

Dinosaurs, Giant Insects, and Cavemen. Who couldn't love a place like this? Sadly, the snack bar is no longer in operation, and the pavilion in the center of the lake is now roped off (perhaps because of the giant scowling octopus that lurks along the edge), but Kong is just as imposing, the dinosaurs just as brilliantly colored, and the cavemen....., well, ok, the cavemen are getting a little decrepit looking as they guard the entrance to the park, but what can you expect after a few hundred thousand years.

If you're a serious student of paleontology, go to the Smithsonian; if you're someone who gets a kick out of gaudily painted handmade monsters (including a giant spider that glares threateningly at all who dare turn into the gravel parking lot) then take the side trip away from Eureka Springs' tourist row, across the senic Beaver Dam on Rt. 187, and visit this entertaining holderover from the 1960's. The same sculptor, Emmett Sullivan, who sculpted the Christ of the Ozarks Statue in neighboring Eureka Springs, did the work on the prehistoric denizens of Dinosaur World. Which was our favorite? We're not telling, but we think Dinosaur World is a must-see for any Arkansas traveler.