Backyard Terror's Dinosaur Park

Tucked into the mountains of rural Tennessee is an incredibly fun, self-guided walking path featuring homemade scale replicas of dinosaurs, designed based on recent scientific findings.

Entry is free with an optional donation if you enjoy the park, and it’s likely that you will. Each dinosaur has a sign detailing its classification, characteristics, and discovery facts. Throughout the park there are different exhibits like a velociraptor enclosure (the raptor models are accurately portrayed with feathers), a fossil dig site, a Mesozoic nature trail, and other surprises.

Walking through is so satisfying as every work is a feat of fabrication and creativity. Being that it is also in very rural area, it is quite a surprise to find. Of the roadside dinosaur statues at various attractions in the states, this may be one of the best.

At some points you can see it is a work in progress — currently, the park has a one-year reprieve to bring it up to county code so it can remain operational, but the pockets of construction don’t take away from the charm of the park.