Prehistoric Gardens

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Prehistoric Gardens is a roadside dinosaur park in Port Orford, Oregon, along Highway 101. It opened in 1955 and sits on about 33 acres. The park features 23 life-sized dinosaur sculptures set among the temperate rainforest.

The statues were created by E. V. "Ernie" Nelson, an amateur paleontologist. It took him about 30 years to complete all 23 dinosaurs. The largest statue is an 86-foot-long brachiosaurus. The sculptures have steel frames, mesh-like metal lath, and concrete. They are anatomically correct, but the paint colors are bright and fanciful. Signs explain each dinosaur and local plants. A small gift shop sells dinosaur items, fossils, and agates. In busy summer months, about 200 people visit each day.

Nelson grew up on a Minnesota farm and loved dinosaurs. He dreamed of being an artist and even turned down a Disney job to work as an accountant to support his family. He owned a mill machinery supply business and worked as a Certified Public Accountant. In the early 1950s he bought 77 acres of land in coastal Oregon with his wife. He studied museum specimens and worked with paleontologists to design accurate models. He opened the park on January 1, 1955. Admission was 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children. Nelson ran the park until he died at 91 in 1999. His granddaughter, Kiki McGrath, now runs it.

In 2017, Prehistoric Gardens was featured on Strange Inheritance, a Fox Business show, about whether to keep the park or sell the land.