A Tail of Two Dinosaur Roadside Attractions (and the SLIGHTLY fibrous nature of time)

If you like dinosaurs, this is a story for you!

Mark Cline says we are experiencing the future right now. In an early morning hour near Natural Bridge, Virginia, I stand outside the Dinosaur Kingdom II, meeting the artist who created this attraction and many other fibrous sculptures and installations. Next to us, motors whir and large reptiles stand at the entrance as the exhibit is about to open for the day.

It’s not that early; my sense of time today is just hidden behind clouds. I did just come from camp and through the town of Buena Vista, where another of Mark’s creations stands tall next to the main street, unmarked and out of character with its muted community. And here, the artist seems much a part of his own timeline,  playing at any chance interaction with the outside world. So begins my side trip with dinosaurs, through the time tunnel to 1864 and the alternate history battle of Saur Hill in the American Civil War.

This summer, I visit two dinosaur attractions, Dinosaur Kingdom II off I-81, and Jerrassic Park in the Pungo swamps of Virginia Beach.  Each are quite different from the other, and I enjoyed them both as an adult who spends a lot of time with a young child. Here are my experiences.

DINOSAUR KINGDOM, NATURAL BRIDGE

It’s all about the story here. In 1864, a portal is accidentally opened by cannon fire, awakening some dinosaurs in the caverns at Natural Bridge and then become involved in the ensuing battles in the war. We get to explore the reconstructed buildings and walk through the woods to see some of the recreated key battle scenes. There’s even a comic book you can buy in the shop that tells more details of the story, and spots along the park trail link the scene displayed to pages of the comic.

I like the way Mark Cline includes illustrations of his creative process at the park. In this way, his attraction appeals to other artists and creators of different types of media. Teenagers may appreciate his wild storytelling approach that references comic-based and monster movies.

A few of the scenes showing battle may frighten young kids, so consider this when going onto the wooded trail. There are other activities, like a sluice gem mine (pictured above) that young kids can enjoy here. Being located across from the Zoo and 12 miles from Lexington, this park can be combined with these other attractions as part of a class trip or history tour (Mark does a ghost tour in Lexington seasonally).

"We came early to the scrap metal summit 
And no space rocks can bring us down"

JERRASSIC PARK,  by contrast,  is an installation of metal Dinosaur sculptures at the entrance to a Military Aviation Museum. Interesting that both attractions connect the dinosaurs to military campaigns in their own ways. I think this relates to their Virginia location with so much military presence and history here. It seems that the dinosaurs are made from recycled metal from aircraft collected by the museum,  but there is no information on site about their creation process. The dinosaur park is free to visit,  but there is a fee to enter the museum.

The metal dinosaurs are hot to touch in the afternoon summer sun as children pose for photos next to them. A trail leads visitors around a pond, with the sculptures placed along the way with mostly easy access.  There is also a mammoth made of bent finger-size strips which remind me of the keys to the perse-phone musical instrument Clark Trujillo and I made (or of a kalimba). Palm trees grow over bushes, clouds form over the park, and families come and go. It’s a quiet, well-kept, meditative place amid the farms and swamps, away from the hustle and traffic of Norfolk and Virginia Beach. The metal reptiles probably sound amazing in the rain, and they are strongly built to withstand weather damage. Who knows how long these dinosaurs may exist?

Here is a link to the website for the Military Aviation Museum with more information. The address is 1341 Princess Anne Road,
Virginia Beach, VA 23457. 

Here is the main website for Dinosaur Kingdom II.   The address is 5781 S. Lee Highway, Natural Bridge, Virginia, across from the Zoo. The original Dinosaur Kingdom was destroyed in a fire in 2012, so this is the larger version 2. I think it’s a good size for the story depth and for the admission fee. The wooded trail adds 15-30 minutes to a visit but it’s definitely worth it if you are able. According to the website, the park (including the trail) is handicap-accessible and there are ramps for wheelchairs.
This is creator Mark Cline’s artist website for his company, Enchanted Castle Studios, along with a list of all of his projects, from Foamhenge to Halloween props to sculptures for a science museum in Kinston, NC.

When one becomes aware of the constant miracle occurring daily, nothing is impossible.

When one becomes aware of the constant miracle occurring daily, nothing is impossible.

EPILOGUE: At the Dinosaur Kingdom gift shop, I bought an excavation play kit for my nephew who is very interested in dinosaurs. The kit features a sandstone block, which can be dug open using the included chisel, for the surprise inside. He loved it!

“Jurassic Power Metal” from Germany; released in 2018