Northwest Arkansas: the Original Jurassic Park

In years past, the Ozarks harbored great numbers of the finest roadside treasure of all: dinosaurs.

I remember the youthful awe of the animatronic Dinosaur Days 1986 exhibit at the refurbished University of Arkansas Museum, where the old men's gym was turned into a zoo of life-sized and mildly frightening robo-sauruses from Dinamation.

I also remember the joy of being driven through the Land of Kong fiberglass dinosaur park West of Eureka Springs, where the prehistoric reptiles were slightly less...animated.

[Land of Kong, a.k.a. Dinosaur World at Roadside America]


A sporty somethingasaurus from the Roadside Architecture page.

Even the Fun Land miniature golf course was in its prime by the 1980s, sporting dinosaurs right off College Avenue in Fayetteville. It was no coincidence that Spielberg adapted Jurassic Park to the big screen just a few years later.

Sadly, Dinosaur World closed, along with Fun Land and the University of Arkansas Museum. Fortunately, the dinosaurs live on. Someone put together an excellent gallery here:

[Dinosaurs of Arkansas]

Today I confirmed that the Fun Land T-rex and triceratops sit on a hill along US 412, just a few miles East of Springdale. A propane store in Huntsville adopted the gawky stegosaurus, snapped below:



But that's not all. Mountainburg City Park still maintains its herd right off old Highway 71. Big ups, Mountainburg. You keep the dream alive.

[Google Street View]

We've made living biological attractions so astounding that they'll capture the imagination of the entire planet.
- John Hammond, Jurassic Park