T
he Prehistoric Gardens – Port Orford, Oregon
The valley is alive with the prehistoric monsters of the past in this genuine rain forest in the valley with a mild climate and all of the things that you could want in a rainforest. Here the area is drenched with rainfall, giant ferns, drippy mosses and the soil, although black is mucky and not good for anything other than the use it now has as a Prehistoric Garden.
For 40 years sculptor E.V. Nelson built dinosaurs. He chose to make it a tourist destination called Prehistoric Gardens. His life-size replicas are "scientifically correct" but the coloring of them will certainly be something you will remember.
Each animal is identified along with a pronunciation guide for their scientific names, facts about their diet and the period in which they lived. The opportunity to walk through the gardens and see all of them is a wonderful trip for adults and children.
There is a baby triceratops freshly emerged from its egg that will certainly catch your attention. There is a Struthiommus and a plesiosaur with its long neck. You can see the winged Pteranodon and a Tyrannosaurus Rex along with other interesting creatures just waiting for you to explore the area and see what you can learn.
Because of the choice of colors used by Mr. Nelson the sculptures aren’t scary for the kids, they are just a delight. Mr. Nelson built the sculptures based on measurements of fossil skeletons to assure the accuracy of the size and shape.
They were created from steel frames and hand-finished mortar. They are life like enough to make you glad you didn’t live at the same time they did. Although, seeing them at the Prehistoric Garden will have you delving deeper for more information on these creatures of the past.
There are 23 life-size replicas to see. You can visit anytime of the day from 9 AM until dusk.
Location: 36848 U.S. 101, Port Orford, Oregon
Phone: 541/332-4463
Directions: 10 to 12 miles south of town on US 101.
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Wow! I have a photo of the brown and yellow dinosaur up front, from 1971. i was going through my childhood photos and saw that dino and wanted to see if your place was still there? It’s is still the same color. Maybe some time i can get out that way and check out the gardens.
that’s cool, but i heard that there are Japanese gardens in Oregon that are considered the most beautiful Japanese gardens other than the ones in Japan.
I experienced the greatest history to view and experienced it hands on. I learned of it as a child in my schooling in Eugene, Oregon. I really found out how interesting studying prehistoric animals are and view them at your actual garden. I will be returning; definitely. It was so awesome.