Dinosaur Mini Golf Ruins

A triceratops lies rotting in the sun. sirjoshuavii (Atlas Obscura User)

In the 1970s, a man named Lonnie Coffman set out to build a dinosaur-themed mini golf course in the town of Apple Valley, California. For more than a decade, he labored on a prehistoric wonderland, complete with 15-foot-tall creatures rendered in concrete. Coffman was more concerned with whimsy than capitalism; he proudly proclaimed that he never wanted to charge children a cent.

Unfortunately, before the project could be completed, Coffman’s personal funds began to run dry. In 1982, he finally abandoned his dream to the desert. Today, the deteriorating remains of these dinosaurs can still be visited. Curiously, the 17-acre site had become an attraction that lures travelers off the highway. It continues to inspire a sense of awe and wonder—just maybe not quite the way Coffman planned.

Know Before You Go

Many of the structures have become home to snakes, wasps, bees, and desert rodents, and there is barbed wire around the area. Some of the dinosaurs are in a neighbor’s backyard.