Richfield Springs, New York: Petrified Creatures Museum: Ruins (Closed)

John R. Mlecz went to spend eternity with the dinosaurs 25 years ago. We met the delightfully cranky owner of the Petrified Creatures Museum several times. He was never shy about voicing his opinion of writers who failed to appreciate his disproportionate day-glo dinosaurs, or the unique mailboxes with buttons which, when pressed, delivered monologues by the dinosaurs themselves! His no-budget approach to paleontology occupied the fossil-rich back yard of his house, and his widow kept the place running for almost 20 years before it finally closed in 2015. Like fossils, the dinosaur statues have outlasted their creators, although probably not for much longer.

Not advocating for trespassing here, but the fence surrounding the museum is now long broken down, and the grounds can be entered. The phone number of the person selling the property is out of service, so this attraction appears to be free-range at this point.

The museum is now closed and for sale. Totally bummed to find this out upon taking a detour to experience this potential awesomeness.

If you love the history behind an attraction more than you enjoy a clean and polished look, this is a stop for you. The exhibits and statues are in need of repair, but it is worth seeing.

The first part of the exhibit is full of information on ancient organisms. You can tell someone with a real interest in the field wanted to bring the information to the public. The dinosaur statues are in pretty bad shape, but I loved it. The mailbox messages are great. They really gave it a fun feel. The owner sat and talked with us about the history of the place. See it before it may be gone forever.

We paid our $9 apiece and walked past the dinosaurs and the little educational shelters in the rain. Yes, the dinosaurs are run down, but this place is something unique that is hard to find nowadays. Dinosaurs, built by hand, weathering the snow and elements since the 1950s, and still around and strutting their stuff. This place is kitsch and classic Americana.

I've been to the polished dinosaur parks and those are impressive in their own way. This isn't Jurassic Park, nor does it pretend to be. It's goofy and amazing (and has non-existing Brontos). It's a heritage park that should be appreciated and enjoyed as such. There were some patches and repairs being done, but most of the dinosaurs looked as if they had new paint and attention. I'm sure it's an ongoing process with these statues.

Stop and enjoy. Let's keep these places alive.