Days with Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs! I know, they are extinct! However, there is still a jurassic fascination that carries on and on. There are places scattered all over the USA for dino-lovers, diggers, scientists and those just looking for something different. Take the kids or each other for a different sort of experience at one of these eccentric lands of pre-historic times!

1. Borrego Springs, CA: Dennis Avery, heir to the label fortune, donated to charities all over the world and commissioned artist Ricardo Breceda to build life size metal replicas of prehistoric beasts to occupy a large stretch of his land in the California desert. Ricardo Breceda creates sculptures in motion and his art all began with a welding machine and his daughter's request for a dino. Dennis Avery began commissioning these pieces of art in 2008 and now there are more than 130 sculptures to see here among the wildflowers. Many of the sculptures are of the same creatures that used to roam this desert millions of years ago, and other sculptures include an army jeep, an Indian head and a prospector. These amazing pieces of art are spread out across the desert over 10 square miles and are easy to find and accessible by car- too far apart to explore on foot. Visiting is free and the site, known as Galetta Meadows Estate, is located about 90 miles northeast of San Diego.

2. Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens: This is something I stumbled along when searching for free and new things to do in Florida. This place has a varied history that begins even before Florida became a state. The land was used to grow sugar cane, cotton and rice in the early 1800s and, though, under different ownership was still producing sugar and molasses when the mill was burned down during the Second Seminole Indian War in 1835. The property switched hands several times after that, burnt done again, was used as a camp headquarters during the Civil War. The site began luring tourists as early as 1939, when people believed it to be ruins of an old Spanish mission from the 1600s. This is where the dinosaurs come in- in the 1940s and 1950s the property owner created an amusement park with the stone dinosaurs, an Indian village, animals, a train ride and a baboon named "Bongo". Bongoland never made a splash the way other amusement parks did later in Florida. The land is now owned by the county and with the remains of old sugar mills and parks is now home to beautiful gardens that anyone can come enjoy.

3. Dinosaur National Monument, Utah/Colorado: This is a different experience than the last 2 dino-spots because this is the real deal, not replicas. There are 1,500 dinosaur fossils embedded in a cliff wall and on display at the exhibit hall in Utah. Come to see these awesome discoveries but stay for adventure. This National Park has hiking, river rafting, camping, roads for driving tours and snowmobiling, if conditions are right. There are many photo-ops between the petroglyphs, fossils, wildflowers and the landscape itself. Stargazing is also a favorite pastime at Dinosaur National Park. There is also a town near the monument in Colorado that is named Dinosaur and the streets are named after the pre-historic creatures. Camping is the way to stay, if you can handle vault toilets and no hook ups along with beautiful views and close proximity to all of the great things at this park.

There are so many more parks with dinosaurs you might start to wonder if they ever left. If you are interested in any of these very cool road trips or something else off the beaten path, let us know at Stowaway so we can plan a perfect getaway for you!!